High hopes are placed on the new An-148 aircraft
The An-148 aircraft was created by the O.K. Antonov Ukrainian Aviation Scientific-Technical Complex. The project involved 240 enterprises from 14 countries, including France, the USA, Russia, and other states. The aircraft is 70% composed of Russian-made components. The supply, sale, and maintenance of this model in Russia is handled by the company Ilyushin Finance Co.
Currently, Russian airlines have signed a contract for the supply of 54 An-148 aircraft. Soon, if you visit the VIP lounge at Sheremetyevo, you will be able to see these aircraft operating various flights across the country. The aircraft has already received a certificate of compliance with European comfort and safety standards. On June 2, 2009, the An-148 made its first scheduled flight from Kharkiv to Kyiv. According to the results of tests, the An-148 is 25-30% more economical than the aircraft currently in use.
The An-148 has 70-90 seats and a cruising speed of 820-870 km/h. Aerodynamically, it is a twin-engine turbojet high-wing aircraft with a swept wing and a single-fin T-tail.
The An-148 has the following modifications: An-148-100A – a short-range passenger aircraft variant designed to carry 70-80 passengers over a range of 2000-3000 km; An-148-100B (basic) – an aircraft designed for 70-80 passengers with a flight range of up to 3600 km; An-148-100E – an aircraft designed to carry 70-80 people with a flight range of up to 5000 km; An-148-200 (An-158) – an aircraft with an extended fuselage and passenger capacity of up to 99 people. This model will also be modified into a VIP aircraft for private use and government needs. The aircraft is powered by D-436-148 turbofan engines developed by Ivchenko-Progress ZMKB and produced by Motor Sich OJSC. Fuel consumption at maximum load is 1458 kg per hour of flight.
In the future, it is planned to use this aircraft for various areas of activity of the Russian state. Cargo-passenger transportation may become owners of a modified An-148 aircraft, and air ambulance is considering projects for using this model. Notably, this aircraft will be used to serve top officials of the Russian government, in particular the president.