Antonov An-148

Development

The beginning of the An-148 project dates to the early 1990s, when work on the Antonov An-74 passenger modification started, headed by Petro Balabuev. In 2001, the project was renamed An-148. The An-74 fuselage was extended and the new aircraft's wing design was created from scratch. The developers initially used Motor Sich D-436-148 engines. Other variants with Western-made engines with thrust of 58.86 - (such as the General Electric CF34 or Rolls-Royce BR700) are being considered.{{cite web |url= http://www.antonov.com/products/air/air-liner/AN-148/index.xml |title= An-148 |publisher= Antonov ASTC |access-date= 27 June 2006 |year= 2004 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040521181714/http://www.antonov.com/products/air/air-liner/AN-148/index.xml |archive-date= 21 May 2004 |url-status= dead

In 2002, production of the first three prototypes was begun at AVIANT. On 17 December 2004, the first prototype completed its maiden flight. The second prototype joined the testing programme in April 2005. During the certification programme, the two prototypes performed about 600 flights in total. On 26 February 2007, the aircraft, its D-436-148 engine and the AI-450-МS auxiliary power unit were certified by the Interstate Aviation Committee of Russia and the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine.

The An-148 was manufactured by the Ukrainian Kyiv AVIANT plant (now Antonov Serial Production Plant) and Russia's Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (VASO). On 28 June 2009, the first serially produced An-148, manufactured at VASO in Voronezh, took to the skies. Although numerous companies were involved in the project, at least 70% of the aircraft's hardware was made by Russian manufacturers. The An-148's list price is about $24–30 million. The main problem with the project was to increase the aircraft's sluggish production rate. The then-independent AVIANT plant initially failed to satisfy to growing orders, leading to VASO's growing involvement in the aircraft's assembly. VASO announced in June 2017 that the two final Russian-assembled An-148s would be delivered, and the project would not see further development. In early 2018, Ukraine affirmatively banned sales of Progress D-436 aircraft engines to Russia as a consequence of the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.

For Siberian operators, Antonov planned a model with a higher gross weight and additional fuel capacity in the center tank, extending the range with 75 passengers from 2198 km to 3598 km. An "E" variant was also planned to offer a special 5100 km range, which would have served as a platform for the "E1", capable of non-stop Moscow-Vladivostok 6995 km services carrying 44 passengers.

Design

The An-148 aircraft is a high-wing monoplane with two turbofan jet engines mounted in pods under the wing. This arrangement protects the engines and wing structure against foreign object damage. A built-in autodiagnosis system, auxiliary power unit, and the wing configuration allow the An-148 to be used at poorly equipped airfields. Flight and navigation equipment features five 15 by liquid crystal display panels built by Russia's Aviapribor and a fly-by-wire system, which enables the An-148 aircraft to operate day and night, under instrument flight rules and visual flight rules weather conditions on high-density air routes. Similar to the Boeing 737, the main landing gear rotates into the belly of the aircraft when in flight, with partial doors covering the legs, and the sides of the tires remaining exposed. Built-in entrance stairs enable boarding and disembarking the aircraft without extra ground equipment. The manufacturer claims high fuel efficiency of the Motor Sich D-436-148 engines.

The An-148-100 regional aircraft is the main model of the An-148. It seats 70 passengers at 864 mm or up to 80 passengers at 762 mm pitch in a one-class 2+3 seating layout. The aircraft is also configurable in a multiple-class layout which can carry fewer passengers, typically with four abreast business class.

Operational history

In April 2005, the Ilyushin Finance Leasing Company ordered the first series of An-148 for the Krasair airline. Lease agreement calls for ten aircraft with an option for five units valued at $270 million.

On 2 June 2009, the first An-148 entered commercial service with the Ukrainian carrier Aerosvit. The first passenger flight was from Kharkiv to Kyiv; the aircraft had the civilian registration UR-NTA. By November 2009, Aerosvit was operating the An-148 on the Kyiv–Odesa and Simferopol–Lviv routes, performing two flights a day with the average flight time of 4–5 hours.

On 21 December 2009, the An-148 was put into service in Russia with Rossiya airline. The first passenger flight was FV135 from Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg to Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow. By 20 May 2010, Rossiya's An-148 fleet had accumulated a total of 915 flight hours and performed 710 landings. Rossiya complained that the aircraft experienced some reliability problems. There were some technical problems with the aircraft, and pilot training could not be ramped up fast enough, leading to pilot shortages. However, by 2011 the situation had improved.

On 15 February 2010, the An-148 started international flights to the European Union (Poland) with the Aerosvit airline.

On 18 April 2013, the first serial An-158 version was delivered to the Cuban flagship airline Cubana de Aviación. According to Antonov, Cubana additionally ordered two more aircraft, while other sources report this order to be for ten aircraft. On 28 April 2013, Ukraine's Antonov aircraft maker handed over a third An-158 passenger airliner to Cuba and signed a contract for the delivery of three more.

In April 2016, Indian company Reliance defense limited and Antonov entered into an agreement to construct an aircraft based on An 148/ An 158 for defense and commercial purposes.

In April 2017, Cubana de Aviación suspended its flights between Havana and Guantánamo due to "technical problems" with its An-158 fleet. The route from Havana to Holguín also had problems: of 116 planned flights in the first months of 2017, 38 were cancelled and 36 suffered significant delays. Yoanka Acosta, head of Cubana's commercial division, explained that the planes were leased from Ukraine but spare parts were sourced from Russia, so the state of conflict between the two countries had affected the supply of parts, making maintenance difficult. In late April, however, representatives from Antonov and Cubana met and signed a service agreement that extended the aircraft's navigation directives to 3,600 flights and guaranteed the supply of spare parts, although it did not specify a date for normalization.

In March 2018, Rostransnadzor suspended all flights of An-148 in Russia after the crash on 11 February 2018.

In May 2018, Cubana de Aviación grounded its An-158 fleet after it received an order from the Cuban National Aviation Authority after "multiple and repeating failures (had) been found in complex systems, built by mechanical, hydraulic and electrical components, as well as computer performance algorithms", in addition to "evidence of design and manufacturing flaws, serious issues in flight control system, cracks in the structure and engine temperature increase above normal parameters".

On 18 September 2023, the Ukrainian military intelligence claimed a raid against Chkalovsky Air Base, near Moscow, occurred. During which they claimed to have damaged an An-148.

Variants

;An-148-100A:main version of the An-148. It has a passenger capacity of 85 in a one-class dense configuration or 68 in a two-class configuration, and a range of 2100 km ;An-148-100B:extended-range version, up to 3500 km ;An-148-100E:extended-range version, up to 4400 km and a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 43.7 tonnes ;An-148-200:unified with An-158 by the rear part of the fuselage. Hence maximum seating capacity is increased to 89 passengers in dense configuration, comparing to 85 for An-148-100. Planned for production in Kyiv with An-158. ;An-148-300:previously called An-168, business variant, seating 8-40 passengers, with a range up to 7000 km ;An-148DRLV:proposed airborne early warning and control variant. ;An-158:stretched fuselage version for 99 passengers in a one-class standard configuration. Other changes include the installation of wingtip fences. The airplane successfully completed its first flight on 28 April 2010, with flight certification tests planned to be completed before the end of 2010; on 3 March 2011, it was given Russian certification. Nowadays, after flight and land test in night lands airports of Ecuador (Latacunga / Cotopaxi International Airport, 2806 m AMSL) and Bolivia (La Paz / El Alto International Airport, 4061 m AMSL) in November 2013 prepare documentation for obtaining correspondent supplements to the type certificate of this airplane. ;An-178:cargo variant, with a payload capacity of 15 tonnes. The wing outer panels (including winglets), front fuselage with cockpit and nosewheel leg come from the An-158. The cargo hold is slightly enlarged, and there is an extra pair of main-wheels on each side. The An-178 was previously known as the An-148T, which would have had the Progress AI-727 turbofan as a potential power plant option. ;HESA IrAn-148:Designation of An-148 aircraft proposed for license production from knocked down kits in Iran.

Orders and deliveries

The following sheet depicts all known orders and deliveries of An-148 aircraft. However it is unclear if all of them are currently operational:

Incidents and accidents

• On 5 March 2011, an Antonov An-148 (assembled by VASO) carrying test registration 61708 crashed during a test flight in Russia's Belgorod Oblast after an inflight breakup, killing all six crew members on board. An investigation commission found that the crew permitted the aircraft to accelerate more than 60 knots above its "Never Exceed" speed in an emergency descent, which led to the inflight breakup. Witnesses on the ground reported a wing had separated from the aircraft in flight. The aircraft was due to be delivered to Myanmar.
• On 11 February 2018, an Antonov An-148 operating as Saratov Airlines Flight 703, crashed shortly after takeoff near Ramenskoye, outside of Moscow. The aircraft was carrying 65 passengers and six crew members. There were no survivors. This is the first fatal commercial accident for this aircraft type.

Specifications

References

References

1. "Ukrainian Antonov Design Bureau original AN-148 Specification".
2. "Rеестр самолётов типа Антонов Ан-148". russianplanes.net.
3. (20 March 2018). "Ространснадзор предписал приостановить полеты Ан-148 после катастрофы".
4. "Russia Grounds All AN-148 Planes Over Safety Fears After Plane Crash".
5. Diaz, Pablo. (17 May 2018). "Cubana de Aviación Grounds Antonov 158 Fleet".
6. "Flight International, World Airliner directory - special report".
7. "Появились фото испытаний последнего АН-148, собранного в Воронеже для Минобороны".
8. (24 October 2018). "Russia curtails production of the Antonov An-148 regional jet".
9. (2010). "History of An-148". United Aircraft Corporation.
10. (2010). "AN-148". Antonov Design Bureau.
11. "Russia will finish the production of the An-148 after completing the assembly of two aircraft – News – Russian Aviation – RUAVIATION.COM".
12. "Ukraine bans deliveries of D-436 civil aircraft engines to Russia". TASS, February 19, 2018.
13. "Aircraft fleet". polet.ru.
14. Ryzhkin, Sergey. (7 June 2005). "Aircraft for the Provinces". Kommersant.
15. (9 June 2009). "Antonov Design Bureau developing new aircraft on base of An-148, industrial ministry says". [[Interfax-Ukraine]].
16. (1 November 2010). "Supporting An-148". Russian Aviation.
17. (1 November 2009). "Antonov-148 jet enters in service in Russia". A.B.E Media.
18. (1 November 2010). "An-148 proves worthy of airline service". Russian Aviation.
19. (1 October 2010). "Rossiya slams An-148 reliability". [[Flight International]].
20. (19 January 2011). "An-148 monthly utilization rose to 270 flight hours". Russian Aviation.
21. (1 April 2010). "A wing to EU". Kyiv Weekly.
22. (18 April 2013). "The First AN−158 Has Entered into Operation".
23. "An-158 gearing up for new orders". Take-off Magazine.
24. (2 May 2016). "Antonov and Reliance signed MoC for India's Multi-role Transport Aircraft program". Air Recognition.
25. (21 April 2017). "'Problemas técnicos' de los An-158 provocan retrasos y suspensiones en vuelos nacionales". Diario de Cuba.
26. (28 April 2017). "Empresa ucraniana Antonov y Cubana de Aviación firman acuerdo". CiberCuba.
27. "ВЗГЛЯД / Ространснадзор приостановил эксплуатацию Ан-148".
28. Jake Epstein. (2023-09-20). "Saboteurs 'blew up' aircraft at a Russian base in the latest in a string of attacks, causing 'hysteria,' Ukrainian military intelligence reports". Business Insider.
29. (9 May 2017). "[Actu] Variantes militaires de l'Antonov An-148".
30. ""Антонов" готовит новую модификацию Ан-148". АвиаПорт.Ru.
31. (16 June 2009). "New customer of ANTONOV-148". Deagel.
32. (28 September 2009). "Antonov discloses An-158 specifications". [[Flight International]].
33. (16 March 2010). "Antonov points to 9 May for An-158 first flight". [[Flightglobal]].
34. (2009). "An-148 First Revenue Flight". A4 Press.
35. "Maiden Flight of AN-158 Has Been Fulfilled without Problems".
36. (3 March 2011). "Russian authorities certificate An-158". [[Flight International]].
37. . (22 November 2013). ["ANTONOV−158 completed tests in high mountains"](http://www.antonov.com/news/285). *[[Antonov]]*.
38. (24 February 2010). "Antonov Design Bureau begins to design An-178 transport aircraft". [[Radio Ukraine International]].
39. (23 February 2010). "На базе пассажирских Ан-158 намерены создавать грузовые самолеты".
40. (15 June 2015). "Latest Antonov Cargo Jet on Show". Aviation Week.
41. (May 8, 2015). "Antonov flies new airlifter; seeks civil and military orders". [[AINonline]].
42. (2009). "Advanced aeroengines designed at SE Ivchenko Progress".
43. (21 November 2012). "Air Koryo to rejuvenate fleet with Antonov An-148". ch-aviation.ch.
44. "✈ наша авиация". Russianplanes.net.
45. "Новый самолет АН-148 авиакомпании "Ангара" совершил посадку в Иркутске". Angara Airlines.
46. (11 June 2013). "The Russian Ministry of Defence buys 15 passenger airplanes Antonov AN-148.". Air Recognition.
47. (24 November 2010). "Emercom orders two An-148s". Russian Aviation.
48. "The AN−158 and AN−148 enter market of Latin America".
49. (7 May 2014). "UAC will deliver three An-148 aircraft to the Federal Security Service". Russian Aviation.
50. (15 May 2013). "Welcoming An-158 in Cuba". Russian Aviation.
51. [http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article211426019.html Miami Herald] {{subscription required
52. (5 March 2011). "Crash: Antonov A148 near Voronezh on Mar 5th 2011, in flight break up". [[The Aviation Herald]].
53. "RA-61704 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network.
54. "AN-148".
55. "An-148 Flight Performance". [[United Aircraft Corporation]].