Rosaviatsiya has for the first time issued a type certificate for the legendary An-2, which first took to the skies in 1947. However, the program has a serious problem – there is practically no suitable engine for the aircraft's re-motorization, explained aviation expert Alexey Zakharov.
According to him, SibNIA previously promoted the TVS-2MS project with an American Honeywell TPE331 turboprop engine. However, deliveries of such power plants to Russia are currently almost impossible.
Moreover, the TPE331-12UAN version was specifically developed for the modernized An-2 and the Chinese Y-5 aircraft, so a large number of available engines cannot be expected.
So there won't be many of them. Again, we will only be able to buy used engines.
There is also no domestic alternative to the Honeywell TPE331. The previously considered TVD-10B raises questions about efficiency, and the VK-1200 mentioned in the media has not yet been publicly presented. An aircraft version of the VK-1600 engine also does not yet exist.
Currently, An-2s fly with Soviet ASh-62IR engines. The cost of their repair has increased 10-fold in 6 years – from 800 thousand to 8 million rubles.