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Tuesday, Jun 22, 2004

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International - India & World

Sukhoi engine problem overcome: Russia

By Sandeep Dikshit

MOSCOW, JUNE 21. The engine blade problem affecting the Indian Air Force's most modern fighter aircraft has been "practically sorted out," Sergei Fedorov, chief of Irkut, the Russian company manufacturing the Sukhoi-30 MKI, told visiting newspersons here.

"This engine has special requirements. We are communicating and cooperating with the IAF to reduce failures. In fact, we don't want failures at all. We have practically solved the problem and most faulty engines are back in operation,'' he asserted at the Irkut headquarters in central Moscow.

Long-standing ties between Irkut and the IAF hit a rough patch late last year (The Hindu September 6, 2003) after the entire fleet of Sukhoi-30 MKI was grounded due to "nicks'' in engine blades. A stalemate prevailed as the IAF wanted the planes to be repaired free while Irkut maintained that the one-year warranty had lapsed. In turn, the IAF hinted that the long-term business relationship worth Rs. 20,000 crores could be jeopardised.

All is apparently well between the two sides with Mr. Fedorov observing that the "main thing is to work out how to avoid such failures in future.'' The Sukhoi-30 MKI is now the IAF's frontline fighter along with the French Mirage-2000. Over the next four years, 190 Sukhois will patrol the Indian skies, the bulk of them to be indigenously manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Asked why the snags developed in the first place, Mr. Fedorov pointed out that the main cause appeared to be the `foreign object damage' (FOD), the technical term for loose pebbles or birds getting sucked into the engine. "We have provided a screen to stop such objects from hitting the engine blades. The engine will be fully protected if this device is operated correctly. The pilots and technicians need experience and the IAF today has the necessary skills,'' he added.

"The protective device is used during landing when the possibility of FOD penetrating the engine is high. Some problems had emerged but we tried to solve them. We have been using the engine for 20 years and it has proved to be reliable,'' corroborates Michael Pogosyan, Managing Director of Sukhoi Holding Company, the designers of this aircraft. "The IAF does not regret its decision to buy the aircraft. It has been created in cooperation with the Indian side and accommodates all its wishes. This cooperation of international level has taken place for the first time in the world. If you meet your pilots and ask them about their opinion, they will say they have never flown an aircraft of this sophistication,'' says Mr. Pogosyan, standing beside the massive engine testing bay in another part of Moscow.

A hundred miles from Moscow, the world-renowned aircraft engine designer, Viktor Chepkin, provides further insight into how the engine problem was solved. "The damage to engine blades had to be removed by using special tools which were not delivered on time. These tools have now been delivered.'' The Sukhoi-30 MKI engine, he said, has been designed to be user-friendly. Its covers can be removed to provide access to each blade for cleaning or replacement. "Everything has been provided. One should know how to do it.''

The protective screen on the engine cannot protect the blades against small pebbles. The runway, therefore, has to be kept clean and especially trained personnel should handle the cleaning.

The Irkut chief said the company was working on setting up aircraft servicing centres on a stage-by-stage basis. The stages had been decided in consultation with the IAF. The first service facility would be for servicing the engine, the most sensitive part on the plane.

This would be followed by service centres for radars and avionics and aircraft systems and airframe. "The purpose of establishing such repair centres is to provide minor repairs right at the IAF bases,'' added Mr. Fedorov.

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