MOSCOW. Nov 11 (Interfax-AVN) - A decision has been made to speed up the development of the helicopter modification of the VK- 1500 engine designed by the Klimov plant in St. Petersburg.
"After successful completion of 300-hour bench tests, the prototype of the VK-1500 aircraft engine has been transformed into a helicopter engine. The demonstrator engine is now mounted on the test bench of the Progress engine-building design bureau in Zaporizhzhia," Viktor Pisakhovich, deputy chief constructor of the Russian-Ukrainian joint venture Vladimir Klimov - Motor Sich, told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday.
"It was initially planned to put out no more than 10 aircraft engines of the VK-1500 type in 2003 for installation in AN-3 Colt planes designed by Ukraine's Antonov aircraft research and technical association. However, an increase in the pace of designing the engine's helicopter version, VK-1500VM, may require an expansion of the production program," Pisakhevich said.
A commission will convene in late November to consider and approve the certification basis of VK-1500. Certification will be completed in December 2003.
According to Pisakhevich, the VK-1500 engine will have two modifications for helicopters. VK-1500VK is intended for helicopters of the KA-60 type and VK-1500VM for modernized MI-8 Hip helicopters earlier powered by the TV2-117 engine. VK-1500VM is 15 percent more economical and 80kg lighter than the latter. Moreover, the new engine will have the so-called emergency mode for emergency situations during the take-off and landing.
VK-1500 has a capacity of 1,500hp during the take-off and 1,050hp in the maximum cruise mode. The engine's dry weight is 290kg and specified service life 20,000 hours.
The engine meets AP-33 requirements of the Interstate Aviation Committee's aviation registrar. Experts say that the price of an VK-1500 will amount to about USD200,000.