MOSCOW. Sept 15 (Interfax-AVN) - The Ural center for international cooperation has developed a BARS all-weather aircraft complex that combines the features of a fixed-wing plane, a helicopter, an airship and an air-cushion boat.
"BARS is a new generation transport system. It can virtually be regarded a 'four-in-one' vehicle, for it can fly like a standard fixed-wing plane, taking off and landing on runways, or like a helicopter with vertical takeoff/landing capability, or move in air like an airship or on water like and air-cushion boat," Alexander Lapkin, the BARS project manager, told Interfax-AVN.
He said that two such aircraft have been assembled so far, with payload capacities of 600 and 700 kg. They have passed all bench and flight tests, and received an AP-23 airworthiness certificate as small-size aircraft. For over a decade they have been in experimental operation.
"The external hull of the aircraft is filled with helium. When the cargo weight exceeds 100 tons, about 80% of the load is carried thanks to this helium filler, which allows the engines of the vehicle to operate at merely 20% of their full power. This makes BARS very cost-effective," he said.
He added that BARS vehicles are at least 15 times as effective as helicopters, 10 times as effective as fixed-wing planes of the same carrying capacity, and five times as effective as automobile transport. In some cases it is even cheaper to carry loads with BARS than with railway or water transport.
Lapkin also said that the designers have developed a family of BARS aircraft with payload capacities ranging from 500 kilos to 500 tons. The cruising speed of the aircraft is 250 km/h. Its recommended flight altitude is 500 m, though it can lift cargoes to three and four km as well. Cargoes are containerized for carrying. BARS can also carry bulky cargoes, including a 160-ton oil derrick, if attached externally. The cargo compartment of a 500-ton system has the diameter of 60m and height of about 40m.
Lapkin added that the BARS was patented in Russia, Germany and the USA.
"We showed the system to the Russian Air Force Commander, Army General Vladimir Mikhailov, during the latest Gelenzhik air show," he said.
The new generation aircraft is intended for a variety of missions, including transportation of cargoes and passengers. It can well be employed for patrolling borders, monitoring power supply lines, oil and gas pipelines, and suppressing forest fires.