NAPO begins assembly ready for operation in 2001

Published: 6/6/2000

Some three years after initial plans, Novosibirsk-based NAPO has begun assembly of the OMKB TVD-20-03 powered An-38-200. According to NAPO, the aircraft should fly in December and become operational in September 2001 after acquiring a certificate. Engine-maker NPO Baranov of Omsk has assembled eight engines and manufactured parts for 15 to satisfy demand from NAPO and Omsk-based NPO Polyot, after Polyot secured 19 orders for retrofitting An-2 biplanes with the TVD-20 under their An-3 project. According to the producer, the shipment of two TVD-20-03s to NAPO is now 'taking place'. The -03 version differs from the An-3's powerplant in having a new propeller governor allowing feathering and thrust reverse, essential for twin-engine aircraft. Unlike engines for the An-3 equipped with a Stupino AV-17 three-blade propeller, the An-38-200 has six-blade low-noise AV-36s. OMKB and NPO Baranov have applied to MAK for a complimentary certificate extending TVD-20's TBO from 1000 to 3500 hours. So far NAPO has completed eight An-38-100s with Honeywell TPE331-14GR-801E engines, including one for static tests. Three went into service with Khabarovsk-based Vostok, two to NAPO-Aviatrans and two to Mirny-based , Moscow-registered Alrosa Avia ('Diamonds of Russia'). With the latest Alrosa aircraft being delivered on the 26th May, NAPO is currently waiting for an order for three An-38s from Bashkiri Airlines, which is reported to have already acquired Russian government's guarantees for any funding of the aircraft acquisition and, according to Vladimir Andreichikov, NAPO's senior marketing manager, 'are in negotiations with leasing companies'. According to Andreichikov, they are receiving cvonsiderable interest in the An-38 from Russian and CIS operators, but the sticker price of $4-4.4m puts it beyond the resources of the cash-strapped carriers. They are therefore more inclined to look to buy an older aircraft. He mentioned one incidence, when a deal was close to being signed, but the customer, Bratsk Aluminium opted for a second hand Yak-40 ' because it was cheaper'. The certification of the Russian powered aircraft at a substantial discount to the -100, with a unit price $2.6-3.0 million, Andreichikov hopes will 'improve our sales'. In the meantime, one of the NAPO-Aviatrans aircraft is undergoing additional certification trials to IFR. In addition to standard A813Ts meteoradar, Kurs-93M integrated nav/landing and M3GPS satellite global-positioning systems the aircraft is equipped with Opal-B voice recorder, VOR/DME and ground proximity warning systems. The trials began in November at Antonov's test base in Gostomel as part of the FAR25 temporary certification. The An-38-100 won MAK-type certification to AP-25 in April 1997, but this is not sufficient for foreign customers requiring FAR25 compliance. NAPO has been particularly unhappy that the Indian requirement for Indian national certification before Indian customers could buy the aircraft, had prevented the earlier interest in ten aircraft. He also said that the 'signing of a bilateral Russo-Indian agreement on mutual recognition of national certificates is not going to take place soon', given that little had been done to advance this goal. IFR certification will however, allow Russian crews to fly An-38s abroad. Andreichikov confirmed that Vostok Airlines 'is sending an An-38 in wet lease to Malaysia', adding that the airline is soon to open a regular An-38 service to South Korea. This will, in Andreichikov view, help to bolster LG Corporation's interest in the An-38 as a coastal patrol aircraft for South Korea's Border Guards saying that 'the Koreans want the plane with a surveillance radar and Honeywell avionics. We have looked at it and submitted a proposal for them'. He did however, note that the Koreans are more interested in a plane with Russian engines because 'they are satisfied with performance of the TV3-117s on the Mi-17s and Ka-32s helicopters' already in service. Korean interest in the An-38 has prompted Klimov to offer a smaller derivative of the TV3-117, the VK-1500, derated to 1500 hp. Klimov hopes that a high degree of commonality with wide-spread helicopter engines will enhance the engine's attractiveness to foreign operators.

Article ID: 1844