Taganrog again remembered the idea of creating a transoceanic ekranolet
At the final press conference of "Hydroaviasalon-2010", held in Gelendzhik from September 9 to 12, the General Director - General Designer of the Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex (TANTK) named after G. M. Beriev Viktor Kobzev spoke about the development of the giant Be-2500 aircraft, capable of making transatlantic flights with a large volume of cargo, primarily with standard containers.
As reported by RIA Novosti, Viktor Kobzev noted: “Previously, these were dreams, but now the necessary technologies have appeared for their implementation. There are even engines, however, while abroad, capable of carrying such an aircraft. The creation of an air giant with a take-off weight of 2,500 tons will take 15 to 20 years. Currently, according to the head of TANTK, Taganrog residents are conducting research work on this project together with TsAGI.
This statement was quite actively discussed in the Russian media, although by and large there is nothing sensational in it. Information that the Be-2500 is being designed at TANTK has appeared sporadically over the past 15 years; everyone could get acquainted with its model at the first Moscow airshows. The development of the machine began in the 80s, and the general concept of the design of an aircraft of this type goes back to the works of Robert Bartini in the 60s of the last century.
Here is what is known about the Be-2500 today: it is an ekranolit made according to the "flying wing" aerodynamic design. It is an aircraft that can move both in screen mode and in the usual way for an aircraft. A distinctive feature of the devices using the screen effect for movement is high efficiency and large carrying capacity. According to the calculations of the Be-2500 designers, the maximum payload of the vehicle will be about a thousand tons, the maximum flight range is 16,000 km, the cruising speed in the screen mode is 450 km / h, and at high-altitude mode - 770 km / h.
The Be-2500 should take off and land on the water, however, it is planned to equip it with a retractable landing gear, but it is intended only for an empty car to leave for hydro-launch and flights to factory airfields for repairs.
Taking off from the water is supposed to be carried out using the blowing effect - the exhaust gases of the engines installed on the sides of the front part of the fuselage are directed under the wing, where a kind of gas cushion is formed in a closed volume, which facilitates separation from the water. Therefore, of the six engines provided for by the Be-2500 sketches, four are located on the horizontal tail in the front of the fuselage.
In terms of size, the ekranolet is more likely to be compared with sea vessels than with airplanes in their current, traditional sense. Wingspan - 125, 51 m, length - 115, 5 m. Meanwhile, the same indicators for the currently largest transport aircraft An-225 - 88, 4 m and 84 m, respectively. The design take-off run of the Be-2500 is about 10 thousand meters.
The Berievites see the main purpose of the Be-2500 in transoceanic container shipments. It will, of course, be able to transfer bulky cargo, but this is actually a piece work, but the volume of container transportation is increasing every year, in the future, an increase in the delivery speed will also be required. In addition, the increase in the number of container ships is already leading to traffic jams at strategically important points such as the Panama Canal. That is why Viktor Kobzev emphasized at a press conference on September 12: with the advent of the Be-2500, it will be possible to “take away from the sailors” a part of the container transportation market. One cannot fail to mention one more important factor - according to the designers' idea, the ekranoet will not need any special infrastructure, it can be operated using the capabilities of the existing seaports.
It is also assumed that the Be-2500 will become a platform for the delivery of spacecraft to the upper atmosphere of the equatorial zone of the Earth, will participate in rescue operations at sea, in the exploration and production of minerals in the shelf zone and archipelagoes. The TANTK does not discount the military aspect of the use of the giant ekranolet, which in Soviet times was considered as the main one. Such a device in a short time will be able to transfer a fairly large unit to almost anywhere in the world.
As Viktor Kobzev said, in the course of work on the Be-2500, potential customers, insurance companies were interviewed, and the forthcoming costs were determined. As a result, it turned out, for example, that insurance companies pay more only for containers washed from the decks of merchant ships than is necessary for the entire development of the Be-2500.
True, in one of his previous speeches, Kobzev estimated these costs at more than $ 10 billion, and therefore the question inevitably arises: will they pay off? Compare: to resume production of the An-124 Ruslan heavy transport aircraft, according to the President of the United Aircraft Corporation Alexei Fyodorov, approximately $ 560 million is needed. It seems that this is a rather optimistic estimate, but even the need for such a modest (compared to $ 10 billion) investment causes a serious burden on the budget. Moreover, no one expects a quick economic return from the increase in the fleet of Ruslans in commercial operation. What can we say about the ekranolet, the hypothetical creation of which, if it will return the investments made in the car, then in a very long term.
The second serious question is whether our country is technologically ready for the implementation of such a project. The answer is obvious enough - no. If you take on this project, it will only be in cooperation with foreign partners, and not with advanced technologies in need of export. An example here is at least the choice of engines that Viktor Kobzev spoke about. Initially, it was assumed that the Be-2500 could be equipped with an NK-116 engine with a thrust of about 100 tons, a preliminary draft of which was worked out in the early 90s at the Samara Scientific and Technical Complex named after ND Kuznetsov. However, the current state of SNTK leaves no doubt that such an engine will never appear in metal. Currently, only foreign models can be considered as options for the power plant for the ekranolet: Rolls-Royce of the Trent series (Trent 800, Trent 900) or General Electric GE90. In order for the giant ekranolet to be born, it will be necessary to carry out a very large amount of work in the field of aerodynamics and hydrodynamics, the creation of new materials, especially corrosion-resistant alloys, composites, etc. In general, the Be-2500 will require serious expenses for stage of research and development.
The above, however, does not mean at all that this project should be abandoned immediately and this miracle plane should be forgotten like a nightmare of an inflamed mind. On the contrary, conducting scientific research in such areas can significantly enrich the aviation industry with the latest technologies. Perhaps, in the end, the birth of the Be-2500 will not take place, but progressive solutions in various areas of aircraft construction will find application in other projects. I must say that the development of revolutionary ideas for our country in the Beriev Design Bureau has more than once enriched the domestic aviation industry with new technical processes and materials.
And one more remark, which is often decisive for the Russian mentality. The design of an aircraft similar to the Be-2500 is currently taking place in the United States. A division of Boeing - Phantom Works, engaged in advanced projects, including the X-37 orbital aircraft, a sixth generation fighter, is conducting research on the creation of the Boeing Pelican ekranolit. This machine should have a take-off weight of 2,700 tons and a payload of 1,200-1400 tons, a maximum flight range of 10 thousand nautical miles. As you can see, the characteristics are virtually identical to our Be-2500. The only significant difference is that the Boeing Pelican is seen by American specialists as a purely land vehicle. In order for the runway load to be comparable to conventional aircraft, the Pelican will have to be fitted with 38 landing gears.
The main purpose of the American ekranolet is military, that is, the rapid delivery of units and formations of the US army to the desired area. It is assumed that with the help of a Boeing Pelican, a full division can be deployed anywhere in the world in five days, while in preparation for an operation against Iraq, a similar task was solved in at least 30 days. According to the calculations of the designers, the vehicle will be able to take on board 17 M1 Abrams tanks at once. Civilian tasks are the same - transporting containers, launching spacecraft into the upper atmosphere.
Boeing believes that the operation of the Pelican will begin only after 2020. And the fact that this project is, in principle, being implemented, overseas, it seems, is not particularly in doubt.
