MOSCOW. March 30 (Interfax-AVN) - The pilot batch of RD-1700 aircraft engines, designed to be mounted on light combat aircraft, is expected to be manufactured in 2005, a source in the aircraft engine-building industry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday.
"Five RD-1700 engines of the pilot batch are planned to be manufactured this year," he said.
According to him, the number of power plants and the deadline depend on financial capabilities of the manufacturer, namely the Moscow-based Chernyshev Engineering Enterprise. "The RD-1700 development is funded by participants in the program only, without any state budget assets," the source emphasized.
A prototype engine is expected to be submitted for bench tests as early as May 2005 in order to provide the necessary service life by the outset of flight tests, he said.
RD-1700 is to be ready to be fitted on the MiG-AT trainer by September-October. The training aircraft will be used as a flying laboratory: one of the French engines, mounted on the aircraft, will be replaced with an RD-1700.
The RD-1700 aircraft engine, developed by the Tushino-based Soyuz Engine-Building Design Bureau, is designed to be mounted on light combat trainers and training aircraft. The engine has a maximum thrust of 1,700 kg, an overall service life of 6,000 hours, and a service life of its working components of 4,000 hours.