Статьи

Aviaexport 10-1980.

Published once a year in English, Russian, German and Spanish. All articles and illustrations in this issue may be freely reproduced. The Editors would appreciate a copy.

Published by V/O VNESHTORGREKLAMA. Prepared for publication by the Editorial Board of Soviet Export magazine: Korp. 2, 31 Ul. Kahovka, 113461 Moscow, Telephone: 121-41-90

 

Samolet: heavy planes on export list

 

Airports in dozens of countries regularly receive Soviet transcontinental liners and medium-range planes. They fly the colours of different airlines which bought these planes from V/O Aviaexport.

The Samolet Firm exports heavy airplanes with a maximum take off weight of the order of 1000 tons and higher developed by the Ilyushin and Tupolev Design Bureaus. They are the world famous Il-62M transcontinental liner, Tu-154B-2 trunk-route plane, Il-76 transport giant and Il-86 wide-body plane.

About 40 Il-62 and Il-62M turbo-jets are used by various foreign air-lines. The latter model available for export since 1977 carriers more powerful and economic engines with a higher by-pass ratio and is intended to operate on super long air routes. It takes 160 to 180 passengers on board and develops a cruising speed of 900 to 950 km/h. The take-off thrust of each of each of the four rear-mounted engines is 11 000 kgf. The designers took special care to provide the best of comfort for passengers, to reduce noise level and improve air conditioning and seats. The most convincing evidence of the designer’s success is the complete satisfaction with the plane expressed unanimously by aircraft experts, pilots and passengers.

The Tu-154B carriers 164 to 180 passengers on lines up to 4 000km long. Its cruising speed is 900 to 950 km/h. The take-off thrust developed by each of the three  rear-mounted engines is 10 500kg.

In developing the plane the designers strove first and foremost, for high reliability, safety and convenience of operation. All the Tu-154B’s systems have a high-level redundancy and many systems have a high-level redundancy and many systems incorporate built-in test equipment for the pre-flight preparation. High strength materials and up-to-date production technology provide for high fatigue characteristics and long service life of the airplane.

More and more foreign prefer the Tu-154B on their local and international routes. For instance in 1979 it was introduced into regular service in Czechoslovakia, in 1980 the first Tu-154B will be delivered to Cuba.

Since 1978 the firm’s export list has featured the Il-76 cargo transport designed to carry self-propelled and trailer vehicles as well as various cargoes in standard containers and on pallets on the medium-range routes. The range with a 40 t payload is 4 000 km, the cruising speed is 750 to 800 km/h, the maximum thrust of each of the four underwing turbojet engines is 12 000 kgf.

The Il-75 can operate from unpaved airfields with short runways. It is equipped with modern flight control and navigation systems making it possible to perform the flights under the most adverse weather conditions and this is confirmed by the experience of foreign airlines for delivery of this exceptionally comfortable and economic plane.

The main buyers of Soviet heavy planes are foreign trade associations of socialist countries which account for upwards of 70 per cent of all deliveries. Soviet planes handle the bulk of air interflug (GDR), LOT (Poland), CSA (Czechoslovakia), Malev (Hungary), Tarom (Romania) and Balkan (Bulgaria). V/O Aviaexport is always ready to allow for its partners needs to a maximum possible degree, which is confirmed by the constant growth of the number of foreign airlines operating heavy Soviet planes.

No buyer at present will risk purchasing such a complex machine as a plane without being sure that the seller will be able to provide the the after-sales support within the whole period of operation. The customers of Soviet airplanes are completely satisfied with the after-sales support provided by V/O Aviaexport.

In the past few years considerable efforts have been made to introduce new maintenance techniques reducing the down-time and increasing the profitability of Soviet heavy planes. The most illustrative in this respect are the measures taken by the Ilyushin Design Bureau jointly with CSA Airline to improve the maintenance of the Il-62’ and the Tupolev Bureau jointly with Balkan as regards the Tu-154B. The result is a considerable economy in time and means and annual expansion of the cargo and passengers traffic handled by these airlines.

The Samolet Firm has good prospects for export of Soviet heavy planes. Our expectations are based on the high reputation of the Soviet planes used by our customers, excellent after-sales support and great interest of foreign airlines in the new Soviet models included in the export list.