As reported on December 28, 2023, PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC UAC, part of Rostec State Corporation), the A. I. Mikoyan Design Bureau, which was part of it, is working on the creation of a new training complex for training pilots. Its main element will be the single-engine MiG-TCB aircraft.
Design image of a promising single-engine basic training aircraft MiG-TCB (c) of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation
Basic pilot training is a serious and long-term stage, during which the suitability for a specific type of aviation is determined, and piloting techniques are being tested. On training aircraft, the solution of such serious tasks as maneuvering with heavy overloads, preparing for combat missions, and so on begins. Since the 1970s, the L-39 jet aircraft has been used for this purpose.
"Support for the operation of the aircraft, which is currently undergoing basic pilot training, causes us great doubts. Therefore, a new training tool is required that will effectively train flight and technical personnel," said Sergey Korotkov, General Designer and Deputy General Director of PJSC UAC.
The new training aircraft will be created in a single-engine version in order to make it more affordable and inexpensive to operate.
"We are creating the cheapest, easiest to operate - both in piloting and in maintenance - a single-engine aircraft that fully meets the requirements for the basic training stage," said Andrey Nedosekin, Deputy Managing Director of the Design Bureau of Operational and Tactical Aviation, Director of the Mikoyan Design Bureau, Chief Designer of the Design Bureau.
According to Alexey Shukailo, chief designer of the MiG-TCB training complex, after studying the various engine options that are available in Russia today, the designers of the Mikoyan Design Bureau made a choice in favor of the AI-222-25 engine. Today, this engine is used on the Yak-130 aircraft and is mass-produced at the Salyut production complex of the United Engine Corporation (part of the Rostec State Corporation).
To speed up work and reduce costs, the designers make maximum use of the reserve available at the Mikoyan Design Bureau in the MiG-TC project, including the previously created project of the MiG-AT advanced training aircraft. In particular, the basis for the cabin of the new aircraft was the well-proven cabin of the MiG-AT.
BMPD comment. Thus, the movements continue, caused by the obvious inconsistency of the initial concept of using the Yak-130 as a single training aircraft for the stages of basic and advanced training of flight personnel, which was identified from the very beginning of operation. As a result, the Russian Ministry of Defense has been searching for a simpler and cheaper (both in procurement and in operation) training aircraft for the main stage of training for almost a decade (now this role is performed by outdated Czechoslovakian-made L-39 aircraft) with the role of an advanced training aircraft for the Yak-130 and transitional (in which capacity the Yak-130, M-346 and L-15 aircraft are currently in operation in the rest of the world).
As candidates for the role of TCB of the main stage of preparation for the Russian Aerospace Forces, a project with licensed production of Swiss Pilatus PC-9 or PC-21 aircraft, and a project for the modernization of combat-ready L-39, and a semi-model obviously unpromising CP-10 jet, which did not justify itself and at the same time turned out to be a hostage of the German diesel engine, have already been visited Yak-152. The turboprop TC-800 looked like the last and at the same time really successful competitive candidate, but its foreign origin and the engine still under development, apparently, in the current situation, open the way for the now competitive offer from the UAC in the form of the MiG-TC project.
The published promotional material of the UAC says that "the designers of MiG have proposed a new option for three-stage training of cadets. In it, initial training will take place on a light propeller aircraft such as the Yak-152 or TC-800. For basic training to replace the L-39, it is proposed to create a new MiG-TCB aircraft. Further advanced training will take place on a Yak-130 aircraft. After training according to this scheme, a cadet acquires high flying skills, he can solve all the main tasks that are presented to a graduate of a flight school. And this option is relatively inexpensive: according to the calculations of the Mikoyan Design Bureau, its costs will be about 20% lower than under the current scheme with the L-39 and Yak-130."
This "pushing" of the quite powerful turboprop TC-800 into the niche of the initial training aircraft obviously does not make sense, and, apparently, is designed to mask the competitive nature of the MiG-TC project.
As it is easy to see, ideologically, the MiG-TCB is a kind of "half" of the Yak-130, using one AI-222-25 engine, instead of two of the same on the Yak-130. In this regard, this combination of aircraft seems to be a direct repetition of the combination of M-345 and M-346 aircraft created by Italian Leonardo and adopted by the Italian Air Force. As for the appearance of the MiG-TCB, in the image provided by the UAC, it looks suspiciously similar to the L-39 (L-39NG) and in this regard, the question arises whether this development will in fact become largely (or partially) reverse engineering, moreover, given that the current Hungarian owners The Czech Aero Vodochody plant has ties both with Russia and with the current main friend of the Russian Federation in Europe, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban - it is possible that reverse engineering, quite informally coordinated with the Czech developer.
The proximity of the appearance and characteristics of the MiG-TCB to the L-39 is also recognized in the UAC publication, which states that "the main parameters of the aircraft: length will be 11.654 m, wingspan - 10.06 m, height - 4.07 m. At the same time, the weight of the empty aircraft remained within 3.5 tons, as with the L-39. The fuel weight is 850 kg, the take-off normal weight with full refueling and two pilots is 4.56 tons. This, again, is approximately at the level of the L-39, where the maximum refueling and two pilots gave about 4.7 tons. At the same time, the MiG-TCB can carry a payload of up to 1000 kg. "Here it is necessary to specify that we include an outboard fuel tank or armament suspensions in the payload, but this is at the request of customers," says the chief designer of the complex. - In general, we believe that the basic training aircraft can do without the suspension of real weapons in the basic course, and if necessary, we are ready to simulate aiming modes - modern computing tools allow this. Our Design Bureau has extensive experience in implementing training regimes."
In the UAC publication, the main difference between the MiG-TCB and the standard L-39 is called the wing change, which, by the way, is quite consistent with the evolution of the L-39 to the L-39NG. "Of particular importance, I would like to note that despite the fact that according to the project our aircraft has a slightly smaller wing area than the L-39, we believe that we can win in range and other characteristics due to a wing with a large elongation," says Alexey Shukailo. - According to the project, we are laying a wing with an extension of 6 units. Accordingly, the aircraft will have high glider properties, which will ensure good consumption characteristics, save fuel and ensure range. At the same time, we set the landing speed at the L-39 level - in the range of 170-180 km/h. This is a fairly safe landing speed."
Design image of a promising single-engine basic training aircraft MiG-TCB (c) of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation
Design characteristics of the promising single-engine basic training aircraft MiG-TCB and the L-39 aircraft in the basic configuration (c) of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation
