February 11, 2016 (UNIAN News Agency) Ukraine’s state enterprise Antonov has started flight
testing of D-436-148FM turbofan engines created for the prospective user,
transport aircraft Antonov An-178. On February 5, an An-178 prototype, with the
new engine mounted on its wing, made its first flight, Antonov’s spokesperson
told. As for the second engine in the power plant, engineers chose D-436-748,
which powers An-148/158 aircraft.
The new engine took to the skies two months
after its first start on December 9 at the facility of Ivchenko-Progress, which
designed the engine in cooperation with another Ukrainian engine-maker,
Motor-Sich. The upgraded engine has increased take-off thrust: 7010 kg as
compared to the predecessor, D-436-148, which has a take-off thrust of 6570
kg. Because the fan casing was made larger, an increased volume of air
passes through the engine. Additionally, a better noise insulation system was
developed. The first An-178 prototype started a flight test program in May 2015.
The second prototype is dedicated to fatigue testing. Serving as the transport
version of the passenger An-148, the new An-178 aircraft is capable of carrying
about 18 tons of cargo. Its launch customer is Azerbaijan cargo carrier Silk
Way Airlines, which signed a letter of intent for 10 aircraft. A similar letter of intent
for 30 aircraft was signed in December 2015 with a Saudi Arabian customer.
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