SAMARA, Volga Region, April 12 (AVN) - The Kazan engine building production enterprise, Motorostroitel JS and Metallist-Samara JS have made a flying prototype of the promising NK-93 turbofan engine designed by the local Kuznetsov research and technical enterprise, a spokesman for the Aircraft Engine Building Union said on Thursday.
The prototype will soon be installed in the IL-76L Candid flying laboratory, after which its tests in real flight conditions will start, the spokesman told the Military News Agency. During the tests the laboratory will uses the prototype and three regular engines.
NK-93 has been tested in the thermal vacuum chamber of the Central Aircraft Engine Building Institute and fully confirmed declared specifications.
NK-93 is a cowled helical fan engine with the thrust of 18t. It has an extremely high bypass ratio that makes 15 to 16 against four to six of current operational engines. It is also distinguished for low fuel consumption which is 12 to 15 percent less that of the best Russian and foreign engines currently in operation.
The new engine is fitted with a coaxial double-row helical fan. Experts say application of cowled helical fan provides for the efficiency of 0.9 which is the highest among aircraft engines. It also helps reduce the noise level by 25 percent.