Ukraine has handed over the last batch of five Indian Air Force An-32 airlifters that has undergone life extension and upgrade in the ...
Ukraine has handed over the last batch of five Indian Air Force An-32 airlifters that has undergone life extension and upgrade in the country.
Designated the An-32RE, the repair and upgrade was carried out at Ukrainian “Plant 410 Civil Aviation” in Kiev, under a $400 million deal signed in 2009.
According to the agreement, the remaining 64 aircraft will be upgraded in India, at IAF's BRD-1 aircraft repair facility in Kanpur with all the required technology transfer.
The mid-life upgrade will extend service life of the aircraft by another 15 years, extending the 25 year life to 40. The An-32RE features modified cockpit layout, upgraded avionics, reduced noise and vibration, and improved reliability and maintainability.
The upgraded aircraft is equipped with Honeywell supplied Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), satellite navigation system, aircraft rangefinders, modernized height finders, weather radar, new oxygen equipment, and modernized crew seats.
The AI-20 turboprop engine is also being upgraded under a parallel contract signed with Motor Sich JSC worth $110 million.
The An-32RE will be able to land on an ICAO category II approach. Whereas, fuel consumption and the mass of the empty upgraded aircraft will be lower than earlier model. The payload will be increased from the 6700 kg to 7500 kg.
The An-32 has been the backbone IAF's tactical transport fleet, and entered service in 1984. The fleet has clocked more than 8,00,000 flying hours during various military and humanitarian missions.
The program was conceived in 2005, to overcome maintenance issues due to ageing and obsolesce of fleet, while the airframe had considerable life left and less no of landings.
The An-32 military transport is an improved variant of the Soviet era An-26 optimized for operation in high altitude and hot conditions, featuring a powerful 5100 hp engine.
IAF's An-32 fleet is supplemented by the tactical Lockheed Martin C-130J airlifter and IL-76 and Boeing C-17 Strategic airlifters.
