Passenger air transportation in Russia demonstrates stable growth, outperforming many forecasts despite sanctions and restrictions. Today, specialists of TsAGI, Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) and design bureaus have projects aimed at further development of the aviation industry. One of the priority areas is the development of supersonic air transportation.
The history of supersonic passenger transportation in Russia/USSR began with the development of the Tu-144 airplane, created under the leadership of the General Designer, Academician Andrei Tupolev. This airplane already in the 1970s allowed to reduce travel time almost twice as much as modern jet airliners, flying between Moscow and Alma-Ata. However, the operation of the Tu-144 proved to be technically difficult and short-lived due to high operating costs. Flights were performed by two airplanes – No. 77108 and No. 77109. Aeroflot civil aviation crew members flew only as co-pilots, the commanders were always test pilots of the Tupolev Design Bureau.
After the completion of the Soviet Tu-144 and the British-French Concorde, the topic of supersonic airliners for some time receded into the background. Nevertheless, modern developments are aimed at overcoming previous problems and improving the performance of new supersonic aircraft. Mikhail Tyaglik, associate professor of the Aerodynamics, Dynamics and Control of Aircraft Department of the MAI, predicts that new supersonic aircraft may appear in service in 15-20 years. These will be business jets meeting high requirements in terms of structural strength, ecology, noise and comfort.
One of the critical requirements for new supersonic aircraft is to improve safety. Modern technologies, such as the use of video cameras instead of cabin glazing, which will be able to perceive images not only in the visible range, but also in the ultraviolet and infrared, as well as the use of indicators on the windshield, night vision mode and technical vision will significantly improve the accuracy and reliability of piloting in difficult conditions.
In modern civil aviation, control systems already provide limitation of dangerous modes and pitch angles, and use integral control laws that optimize the piloting properties of the aircraft. For example, within the framework of flight tests of MC-21-310 this spring, such automatic and director modes as Soft GA, takeoff from a certain altitude with automatic execution of noise reduction procedures NADP1 and NADP2 and others were tested.
The Soft GA mode can be used when the weight of the airplane is low at the end of the flight. Too much thrust, in automatic mode it is usually takeoff mode – MTO, on a light aircraft provokes a large pitch angle, which in combination with other unfavorable conditions can lead to trouble, enough to remember the disasters of B737 in Kazan and Rostov. Also “steep” takeoff is not comfortable in the cabin for passengers. Soft GA makes leaving for the second circle safe and less extreme.
“The new generation supersonic airplane will have a wider range of speeds compared to those machines in operation now. Among other things, it is assumed that the algorithms of the control system will be implemented and elements of artificial intelligence, providing the necessary reconfiguration of systems and their reconfiguration depending on flight conditions, external disturbances and possible failures,” explained Mikhail Tyaglik.
The specialist notes that new technologies, materials, equipment in aggregate will make the future supersonic passenger airplane safe to operate even in difficult weather conditions, at any time of day and problematic wind conditions.
“It remains to wait for the project to be finalized, tests to be carried out and new generation airliners to be assigned to flights,” he added.
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