Russia to introduce new turboshaft engines to Asian market

The UEC’s market share within the helicopter engine cluster will improve to 18-20 p.c by 2035.

By Anthony Bell, 

Russia’s United Engine Company (UEC, a subsidiary of state company Rostec) is increasing its portfolio of turboshaft engines for helicopters.

“In 2019-2020 the UEC’s share within the international helicopter engine market was between 10 and 12 p.c. The company now has two such engines in its portfolio of export-oriented merchandise, particularly Klimov VK-2500 and Klimov TV7-117V,” in line with a UEC consultant.

The UEC’s market share within the helicopter engine cluster will improve to 18-20 p.c by 2035. “The introduction of recent Klimov VK-650V and Klimov VK-1600V engines and the difference of all household of Russian helicopter engines to foreign-made platforms in UEC’s conventional markets, particularly the international locations of South-East Asia would be the major causes behind the anticipated development,” mentioned the UEC consultant.

The share of helicopter engines within the construction of UEC’s present income is between six and 9 p.c, he famous.

The above-mentioned engines are produced by JSC UEC-Klimov (a subsidiary of UEC). VK-2500 has changed the Soviet-designed TV3-117 helicopter motors and is meant for Mil Mi-8/17, MI-24/35, and Kamov Ka-52 rotorcraft. Having the ability output between 2,000 h.p. and a couple of,700 h.p. (relying on the mode), VK-2500 entered serial manufacturing in 2014. TV7-117V is primarily meant for the Russian Helicopters’ (a subsidiary of Rostec) latest Mi-38 medium utility rotorcraft; nonetheless, it may be modified to each present and superior Russian-made (and even Soviet-made) transport and fight helicopters. TV7-117V additionally entered serial manufacturing – UEC is reported to have a backlog of orders for roughly 250 such engines by 2030.

The VK-650V engine with an influence output of 650 h.p. is primarily meant for Ka-226T gentle utility rotorcraft, whereas 1,600-h.p. VK-1600V is ready to energy the most recent Ka-62 medium utility rotorcraft. The serial manufacturing of each engines will begin in 2024.

As talked about earlier, UEC targets Asian market as a main one. The international locations of the area function numerous Mil and Kamov rotorcraft powered by ageing TV2-117 or early TV3-117 engines. Furthermore, some Klimov energy crops have accomplished particular trials below Asia’s harsh weather conditions: particularly, a Mi-17V-5 utility helicopter powered by VK-2500 engines has already handed by a number of checks within the mountains of Tibet, confirming its reliability in mountain air.

The Indian Air Drive (IAF) is among the many largest operators of utility rotorcraft in Asia. In keeping with the World Air Forces 2021 handbook printed by the London-based journal Flight Worldwide, the navy service has deployed the fourth on the planet stock of fight helicopters, which contains 775 rotary-wing plane (or 4 p.c of the worldwide helicopter stock). The IAF is reported to be working 223 Mi-8/17 utility rotorcraft and 15 Mi-24/35 gunships. This stock is powered by 476 engines, and there are some spare motors to switch these in service in instances of emergency. The proportion of the engines within the Indian service is just not disclosed; on the similar time, one can state that the IAF is a big operator of TV2-117/TV3-117-type motors additionally. These powerplants might be changed with model new VK-2500s. UEC-Klimov additionally upgrades present TV3-117 engines to the VK-2500 normal.

The variety of different suppliers of engines for Soviet- and Russian-made helicopters (initially, Mi-8- and Mi-24-family platforms) is relatively restricted, with the Ukrainian-based JSC Motor Sich being the biggest one. On the similar time, the enterprise is now in a turmoil: in mid-March President Volodimir Zelensky scrapped a proposed deal suggesting massive international investments within the firm and signed a presidential decree to nationalize Motor Sich. This pressing measure infuriated all potential traders, each home and international ones; subsequently, no one appears to do any short-term exterior investments in enterprise. Whereas Kyiv is in efforts to settle down its international financial companions, Motor Sich is just not in its greatest form: regardless of having some orders (together with export ones) for manufacturing of brand name new engines and upkeep of present ones, the corporate simply has no funds to supply high quality works. Its backlog of orders is shrinking attributable to drops in high quality of producing processes; furthermore, any potential buyer retains in thoughts the nationalization case and has to intention to purchase critically essential merchandise (engines on this very case), companies, assist, and applied sciences from an organization that can’t absolutely assure punctual implementation of an order.

Motor Sich additionally affords its personal medium utility rotorcraft, particularly Mi-8MSB. Nonetheless, this rotary-wing plane is, actually, a used helicopter by two TV3-117VMA-SMB1V Collection 4E turboshaft engines designed by the corporate. The designer of the baseline rotorcraft, Mil firm (now could be built-in within the Russian Helicopters’ Nationwide Helicopter-Constructing Middle named after Mil and Kamov), gives no assure for Mi-8MSB and its derivatives, and doesn’t assist these rotorcraft.

It also needs to be talked about that Motor Sich doesn’t improve its TV3-117-family energy crops to fashionable requirements and doesn’t match them with any full authority digital engine management (FADEC) techniques. The enterprise simply overhauls its helicopter motors, because it has no funds for growth of any FADEC units for its turboshaft motors. Subsequently, the Ukrainian enterprise can not take part in any full-scale improve and re-motorization of Mi-8 and Mi-24 rotorcraft.

Motor Sich appears to be the one near-peer competitor to UEC when it comes to helicopter engines for Soviet- and Russian-made rotary-wing platforms. Nonetheless, the abovementioned monetary and political points dramatically hinder the event of the enterprise, dropping it off the record of the biggest producers of helicopter engines and making it an unreliable provider of services and products.

Some Jap European corporations, akin to Belarus’ Orsha Plane Restore Plant (OARZ), Poland’s Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze No.1, and Bulgaria’s Avianams, present solely upkeep, restore, and overhaul (MRO) companies and (in some instances) technical assist. These MRO corporations don’t provide model new turboshaft engines; neither do they improve present TV3-117/VK-2500 motors to new requirements.

(The writer is an Unbiased Navy Analyst. Views expressed are private and don’t replicate the official place or coverage of Monetary Categorical On-line.)