Rostvertol Readies Upgraded Mi-26
Rostvertol Readies Upgraded Mi-26
By Maxim Pyadushkin
MOSCOW
AviationWeek
Russia is hoping upgrades to its Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopter that are now undergoing flight trials will help secure an Indian contract now out for competition.
The Mi-26T2 is up against Boeing's CH-47F Chinook in the effort to supply helicopters to the Indian air force. The order is expected to be for 15 rotorcraft.
The Mi-26T2 incorporates improvements based on the operational experience of the previous Mi-26 variants, as well as the new equipment, according to officials from Rostvertol. The Mi-26T2 prototype is equipped with a new glass cockpit that was revealed for the first time in 2005 at the Moscow air show. It features five multifunctional liquid crystal displays, two PS-7 control boxes and duplicate analogue instruments.
The navigation system includes a dual Navstar/Glonass system, inertial navigation and Doppler velocity sensor. The designers say this system will enable the helicopter to operate all over the globe and give it the opportunity to make instrument flights under international standards.
The expansive cockpit upgrade is designed to allow operators to fly the Mi-26T2 with far fewer personnel, with a reduction to two pilots and an external sling operator; earlier models required five crewmembers. As part of the modernization package, the sling operator can visually control the external load through a BTU-3 television system that shows the color image on the cockpit display. During night operations with external loads the crew can use the Transas TSL-1600 searchlight that also has an infrared illuminator to be used with night vision goggles.
The Mi-26T2 can carry up to 20 tons of payload either on external sling or in the cargo compartment. The helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 56 tons, cruise speed of 255 kph (160 mph.), static ceiling of 4,600 meters and a flight range of 800 km with standard fuel tanks.
The engine also is being enhanced. The new version is powered by a pair of modernized D-136-2 turboshafts developed by the Ukrainian companies Ivchenko-Progress and Motor Sich.
The new turboshaft also features full-authority digital engine controls, as well as a contingency power mode of 12,500 hp for extreme operations above 30C. Maximum takeoff power has been increased by 250 shp to 11,650 shp. The new engine's power parameters will expand the helicopter's altitude and temperature flight envelope and enable it to continue horizontal flight even with one engine inoperative, say officials for the engine consortium.
The Mi-26T2 is competing against the Chinook in the Indian tender, which started in 2009. The Indian air force has some experience with the Russian heavy-lifters as they became the first foreign customer for the Mi-26. In the 1980s the Indian military purchased four rotorcraft of this type. One of them crashed during takeoff at Jammu airport in December 2010; the others are believed to be still in service.
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Rostvertol Readies Upgraded Mi-26