Russia faces the task of replacing outdated AN-26 and AN-72 transporters in the fleet of the Armed Forces, which have been flying for more than half a century. The head of the Defense Ministry, Sergei Shoigu, said that a solution had been found for them, but did not disclose details. Experts name three possible candidates for the renewal of the fleet of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation – IL-112B, TVRS-44 Ladoga and a completely new Il-212 project. Which of them has a higher chance of getting into service?
This week, the head of the Defense Ministry, Sergei Shoigu, said that a solution had been found in Russia for transport vehicles to replace the AN-72 and An-26. However, he did not explain what exactly he was talking about, specifying only that it remained "to determine the timing."
At first, experts assumed that we are talking about the already designed Il-112B aircraft. However, an unofficial source of RIA Novosti said that they plan to create a new military transport IL-212 with turbojet engines to replace the An-26 and An-72 military aircraft. This will be a modification of the IL-112B light military transport aircraft.
According to the source, the wing and landing gear will be redesigned, and a new fuel and hydraulic system will also be installed. "The aircraft from its predecessor will retain its avionics and avionics to the maximum, as well as the fuselage in general. At the same time, it will receive PD-8 turbojet engines instead of turboprop TV-117S," the agency interlocutor said.
He added that the PD-8 jet engines of the IL-212 will be installed over the wing, like the An-72, in order to "ensure the operation of the new aircraft from unprepared lanes and unpaved airfields." It is assumed that the aircraft "will have a greater load capacity due to more powerful engines."
In fact, this means the emergence of a new military transport aircraft project. Thus, three projects - IL-112B, IL–212 and TVRS-44 "Ladoga" (twin-engine turboprop) - have already claimed the role of replacing the Soviet obsolete An-26 and An-72 transporters. Which one will be more necessary?
On the one hand, the IL-112B is already being developed, whereas the IL-212 needs to be created, and it will take years – five or even more years. On the other hand, the IL-112B had problems at the testing stage. On the third hand, these are different transport aircraft that are sharpened to solve different tasks, both aircraft may well be in demand from the main operator – the Ministry of Defense.
"I would not say that the IL-112B plane did not work out, it is still in the process of development. The delay is due to an engine fire during tests in 2021, but the engine was sent for revision, it has already been finalized and certified," says the head of the industry portal Avia.<url>" Roman Gusarov. The TV-117ST-01 turboprop engine received a certificate from the Federal Air Transport Agency in December 2022.
We are talking about two different types of aircraft. "The IL-112B is a light military transport aircraft with a payload of about 5 tons. Whereas the IL-212 is a medium–class transport aircraft. The next class is the heavy IL–76. That is, just the average transport aircraft was not enough. The PD-8 engine is installed on a "Superjet" with a load capacity of 12 tons, which means that the engine will be able to provide approximately the same load capacity for the Il-212. That is, the IL-212 will be able to take on board two to three times more cargo than the IL-112B," says Gusarov.
According to him, the light transport vehicle is sharpened for the transportation of goods up to 5 tons and for short distances. Whereas a heavy transport aircraft is needed when transporting a large amount of cargo (40-60 tons) over long distances, for example, from the European part of Russia to the Far East. But if there is a need to take a load of 10-15 tons at a distance of up to 4 thousand km, then it is less profitable to drive a heavy aircraft or a light aircraft with refueling three times than to use an average transport aircraft. There are also three segments of airliners in passenger transportation, the same logic applies to transportation.
However, the head of the industry portal "Aviport" Oleg Panteleev points out that the IL-112B project was put on pause after the crash.
"The IL-112B with the TV-117S turboprop engine turned out to be not quite suitable for the transportation of the range of goods for which it was designed. There are armored vehicles that fit into the dimensions of the cargo cabin, but they no longer pass through the load capacity. The aircraft requires a more powerful engine.
But the potential for increasing the power of the TV-117S engine has already been exhausted. There is no more powerful turboprop engine," Panteleev explains.
But Russia has a new PD-8 jet engine. Therefore, the idea was proposed to create an IL-212 – a direct replacement for the AN-72 aircraft, which is still in operation by law enforcement agencies, although it made its first flight back in 1977. Its advantage is not only in higher speed, but also in the fact that it can land and take off on unprepared runways, unpaved airfields.
"Until recently, there was not only no direct replacement of the AN-72, but it was not planned either. But the design bureau, which is part of Ilyushin, decided to offer to create a replacement and at the same time use all the developments that were made on the Il-112B aircraft," says Panteleev.
But to replace the AN-26, the IL-212 project, according to the expert, is not very suitable. A direct replacement for the AN-26 should be the TVRS-44 aircraft, which is much more similar to the original version in its main characteristics, Panteleev believes.
What is the need of our market for these aircraft is difficult to assess. Moreover, this is also determined by the main customer – the Ministry of Defense. As a result, the department will have the last word on which project to live, and how many cars of a particular class it needs.
Panteleev assumes that
The IL-112B project will not be implemented in its previous form. The Ministry of Defense will decide the fate of the TVRS-44 aircraft as a direct replacement for the AN-26 and IL-212 as a direct replacement for the AN-72. Either the decision will be made in favor of one project, or both aircraft will get a start in life.
"The fate of the IL-212 project will largely be determined by the position of the customer – the Armed Forces. If the Ministry of Defense needs a modern AN-26, then the prospects for the IL-212 will not be too rosy. If the customer needs his heavier armored vehicles to fly through the air, then there will be a demand and an order for such a machine as the Il-212," Panteleev explains.
In his opinion, it is more important to create an aircraft to replace the AN-26 than to replace the AN-72. "The aircraft to replace the AN-72, that is, the IL-212 project, was not planned at all some time ago. And a new suitable engine – PD-8 – determined the appearance of this aircraft, and not some other factors," the interlocutor notes.
In general, the IL-212 has the right to exist if it is approved by the customer – the Ministry of Defense. But this project will not be fast in any case. "This aircraft has yet to be designed. I am more than confident that this project will go closer to 2030, because now there are more priority tasks in the aircraft industry: it is urgent to import foreign aircraft. In addition, the PD-8 engine must be provided primarily with "Superjets", for which a large production program. There is also a question about the AN-124 super–heavy transport aircraft, what to do with it next, etc.," concludes Gusarov.
Olga Samofalova
