RuAviation

The history of the turboprop engine VK-800CM originates from the project of helicopter engine VK-800B development of the St. Petersburg enterprise FSUE Plant named after Klimov. The power plant was to replace the turboshaft engine PW-207K, which was used for Ansat helicopters until 2022.

The work at Klimov was carried out in the period from 2003 to 2007. During this time a complete set of documentation for VK-800V was developed, a preliminary design was produced, a prototype engine was manufactured and successfully passed bench tests.

Since 2008, work on VK-800V was carried out on a proactive basis at the expense of the company’s own funds. It can be said that during the next ten years the work on the engine was practically cancelled, and it was decided to adapt the VK-650 engine for Ansat. In fact, work on a new version – the VK-800SM for the LMS-901 Baikal aircraft began at the turn of 2018-2019.

The decision on the VK-800C project was made in the spring of 2018, its reconfiguration for the Baikal required a significant redesign of the turboshaft VK-800B. UZGA carried out this work together with LLC “Research and Production Centre Blades. Compressors. Turbines”. On the part of UZGA, the VK-800SM was developed by specialists from its St. Petersburg propulsion division, the backbone of which was made up of the former staff of the Pratt-Whitney Russia branch (PWRus), which was closed in 2014 by overseas sanctioners. Having analysed the design documentation for the VK-800B, the design engineers came to the conclusion that for the aircraft version, the project required a complete redesign, which was done in the shortest possible time.

In September 2019, TsIAM issued approval for an advance design for the use of the VK-800C engine as the aircraft’s propulsion system, with a recommendation to develop both twin-engine and single-engine versions of the aircraft. In the same month, the technical documentation of the VK-800C engine for adaptation to the Baikal was transferred to UZGA.

The VK-800SM is designed according to the traditional scheme for engines of this size: a compressor with one highly loaded high-efficiency centrifugal stage and a single-stage turbine. The free turbine is a two-stage turbine.

A distinctive feature is the use of film cooling in the design of the VK-800SM combustion chamber, which reduces the cooling air consumption and significantly increases the engine efficiency. Modern technologies of casting turbine blades using heat-resistant alloys will contribute to the improvement of resource characteristics. The most careful attention is paid to engine reliability, given its use as part of the propulsion system of the single-engine LMS-901 Baikal.

At the end of 2022, UZGA delivered the first prototype VK-800SM to the TsIAM bench. In the period from 15 January to 17 March 2023, the autonomous engine combustion chamber unit was successfully bench tested as part of the development work. The tests were conducted to confirm the calculated parameters of the combustion chamber operation and to verify its ignition in the entire range of operating altitudes. The results obtained during the tests showed a serious exceeding of the launch altitude in relation to the technical specification. Reliable ignition of the combustion chamber at altitudes up to 8000 m was confirmed. During the tests of the gas generator on the test bench, UZGA and CIAM specialists performed more than 100 launches with testing of ignition from a single spark plug and with reduced mains voltage. All of them were successful.

It was planned to transfer the VK-800SM for flight testing as part of the Yak-40LL flying laboratory to SibNIA at the end of 2023. In the third quarter of 2024, the first flight of the Baikal aircraft with the new engine should take place, and the completion of certification of the VK-800SM is scheduled for the end of this year. However, so far there have been no reports on the start of flight tests either from Novosibirsk or Yekaterinburg, which may suggest that the certification of both the engine and the Baikal aircraft will be delayed, and the start of serial production of the aircraft will also be delayed.

In addition to the LMS-901 Baikal, the VK-800SM engine is awaiting the projects of the joint Russian-Belarusian aircraft LMS-192 Osvey and the UTS-800 training aircraft, which makes this propulsion system key for the further development of both small aircraft for regional air transportations and the prospective training aircraft.