The Central Institute of Aviation Engine Building named after Baranov (CIAM) showed an electric aircraft based on Sigma-4 at the MAKS-2021 air show. This is the first fully electric manned aircraft in Russia. It has already passed bench tests and recently moved to the flight test stage. In 2022, flights with hydrogen fuel cells are already planned for Sigma-4.
"Sigma-4 — is a two-seat high-wing aircraft with a take-off weight of 600 kilograms. Its maximum speed is 150 kilometers per hour, and the range of flight with an electric motor is about 100 kilometers.
CIAM replaced the Sigma-4 piston engine with an electric one with a maximum power of 80 kilowatts. The electric motor is powered by a battery pack of lithium-ion cells, its weight together with the control system is 23 kilograms. It is assumed that it will allow the device to stay in the air for up to 40 minutes and reach speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour.
A prototype of the first Russian all-electric aircraft CIAM showed at the MAKS-2021 air show. The general director of CIAM, Mikhail Gordin, told N + 1that the electric Sigma-4 has already completed runs to check the interaction of the engine with the aircraft. Its flight tests are scheduled for the second half of this year. Then, in 2022, a hydrogen fuel cell with a capacity of up to 30 kW will be installed on the aircraft. This will allow him to make flights lasting from one to 1.5 hours.
CIAM was going to conduct flight tests of the electric Sigma-4 with a hydrogen fuel cell back in 2019, as we wrote earlier. The development of hydrogen aircraft is also being carried out abroad. For example, the German H2Fly and Deutsche are working on creating a 40-seat hydrogen liner.
Vasilisa Chernyavtseva
