In Russia, the development of the Soviet An-2 biplane with three car engines instead of one aircraft engine has been officially registered. The developer was designer Alexander Borisenko.
According to the documentation, one engine is located in the nose of the fuselage, and two more are symmetrically on the upper wing, left and right. Each unit is mounted on a separate engine mount and operates through a gearbox with its own propeller.
The author of the idea claims that this scheme allows the use of available car engines with a power of 300 hp instead of scarce aircraft engines.
The use of three ready-made car engines simplifies assembly and increases the reliability of the design.
According to the developer's calculations, the total mass of the power plant can be lower than the standard one, which partially compensates for the installation of additional engines. A reduction in fuel and oil consumption, as well as an increase in overhaul life, are separately stated.
The concept also provides for the redesign of the fuel system. Part of the tanks is moved to the lower wing to reduce the load on the upper console.
At the same time, the key advantage of the scheme is noted - fault tolerance. If one engine fails, the aircraft continues to fly on the remaining two.
Recall that in Russia, a new regional LMS-901 “Baikal” is currently being developed to replace the An-2. In 2026, it will not go into production.
Earlier, "Pervyy Tekhnicheskiy" in a large article compared the capabilities of the An-2 and "Baikal". The Soviet aircraft turned out to be surprisingly versatile and unpretentious, although it raised questions about speed and fuel consumption.