Top officials of Russia prefer to fly on various versions of the Il-96, which has proven itself to be super reliable. The aircraft will remain relevant for many years to come if its modernization continues, including in terms of engines, aviation expert Roman Gusarov told"Perviy Technicheskiy".
He recalled that the Il-96 was created specifically for regular airlines as a long-haul aircraft. However, it is currently not in airlines for one reason only - the too gluttonous PS-90A engines, of which there are four on the wings.
If new units appear, the aircraft will be relevant for more than a decade, but constant modernization is necessary.
If we manage to create two engines instead of four, the Il-96 will remain very relevant. The PD-35 is under development, and it needs to be approached in stages. This is a huge three-meter unit, similar ones are made only in the USA and Great Britain. Technologically, such an engine is more complex than a space rocket. I'm afraid we won't see it until 2030. Now there are more important priority tasks, such as the PD-8.
The specialist clarified that, theoretically, the Il-96 with the PD-35 can be imagined, but the question is how much time it will take. Now one wing of the 96s implies the presence of two light engines, and here you need to hang one heavy one.
All this will require a serious redesign of the wing. The unit has a large diameter, it will be necessary to lift the aircraft, and this means working on the landing gear struts, and this is a big deal. We need to see, if the fuselage is satisfactory, then it can be left.
At the same time, engineers have found a way tolighten the PD-35 engine by tens of percent, now it has lower fuel consumption and more thrust thanks to the method of calculating the strength of the composite dovetail joint. Another thing is that so far these innovations remain only on paper.
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