The NK-12, with a power output of 15,000 hp, remains the most powerful production turboprop engine in the world. Designer Nikolai Kuznetsov made a technological breakthrough, surpassing the compressor compression ratio barrier of 10 units, while the standard at that time was a modest 5–7 units.
The main uniqueness of the power plant lies in its planetary gearbox and complex propeller pitch control system. The gearbox design operates on the principle of the 'Solar System' — all satellite gears rotate around one main, sun gear.
It is this engine that UEC is modernizing to the MPM version, a representative of one of the UEC enterprises announced on the 'Voennaya Priyomka' program. The improvement is necessary to effectively cope with colossal loads.
If the turbine has 8 thousand revolutions per minute, then the propellers themselves have 10 times less. Thus, the durability of the propellers increases.
The updated NK-12MPM, combined with new propellers from NPP 'Aerosila', will not only improve the take-off characteristics of the Tu-95MS missile carriers but also almost halve the vibration level, preserving the airframe's service life.
Read more on the topic:
Never miss our newsAdd this site to your preferred sources to see us more oftenAdd on Google
