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1.
Description of Flying Vehicles "EKIP"
In
the Closed-Stock Company "Aviation Concern "EKIP" the
specialists of aviation and space-rocket branches of industry guided
by professor L. N. Schukin developed the fundamentals of principally
new type of flying vehicles "EKIP".
The "EKIP" aircrafts can carry heavy large-scale loads (100
and more tons) at long distances (thousands of kilometers) at a speed
of 500-700 km/h at the altitude of 8-13 km. These flying vehicles
can move near the surface of ground or water using the air cushion
at a speed up to 160 km/h and glide at a speed up to 400 km/h as a
"screen-plane".
The flying vehicles "EKIP" do not require an airfield. They
can land on airfields of any category, including ground and water
surfaces. The length of the runway for heavy vehicles (several hundred
tons) does not exceed 600 meters, take-off and landing are performed
at steep descent trajectory, which decreases the level of noise affecting
the vicinity.
An air cushion device is used for takeoff and landing of flying vehicles
"EKIP". The profound air cushion research developments made
at the State Scientific Research Center TSAGI (Moscow Branch of Central
Air-hydrodynamic Institute), could not be used in traditional existing
airplanes due to absence of large planer area.
The flying vehicles "EKIP" have large planer area and the
air cushion landing gear ideally fits with the structure of the aircraft.
It is located under the body of the vehicle and ensures that low pressure
is exerted on the vehicle itself and on the runway (ground, water
surface) during takeoff and landing.
This pressure is equivalent to the pressure of a layer of water 220-270
mm thick.
For the flying vehicles "EKIP" with a load-carrying capacity
of hundred tons there is no necessity to build special airfields with
concrete runways 5 km long, as it is necessary for heavy airplanes
like B-777 (Boeing) and A3-XX (Airbus Industry). |
Mock-up
of Passenger Variant of Flying Vehicle
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The
flying vehicles "EKIP" will transport heavy loads and large
numbers of passengers (1000 and more) to the existing airfields of continental
and waterlocked countries.
It should be specially noted that the flying vehicles "EKIP"
may use gas fuel (natural gas and hydrogen). Large volumes of the flying
vehicle permit to locate inside it without changing the external contour
large volume gas fuel tanks. Limited resources of oil (to last for 50
years) require transition of airplanes to gas fuel. However limited areas
of thin wings of existing airplanes do not allow this transition. As the
gas fuel occupies half of passenger compartment on airplane Tu-156 and
in airplane A-310 (DASA project) the fuel occupies the whole area above
the passenger compartment thus changing the external contour of the airplane
and decreasing its lift-drag performances. The flying vehicles "EKIP"
permit due to large volumes to locate the fuel tanks in the lateral part
of the aircraft without changing the external contour of the vehicle.
It
should be noted that with the use of hydrogen fuel the flying vehicles
"EKIP" may increase the range of flight 2-3 times compared to
existing airplanes of the same load-carrying capacity. Operation of flying
vehicles "EKIP" using natural gas and hydrogen will permit to
decrease contaminating emissions of exhaust products, i.e. the flying
vehicles "EKIP" will be more environmentally safe than the existing
airplanes.
It should be specially noted that use on the flying vehicles "EKIP"
of liquid methane will allow to reduce the fuel expenses more than 5-8
times, which should result in a decrease of operating expenses 1.5-2 times
compared with the existing airplanes.
We should pay special attention to the design of the body of flying vehicles
"EKIP". The relative weight of the structure of the vehicles
body (compared to takeoff weight) is 30 % lower than the weight of existing
airplanes due to the use of composite materials according to the estimation
of the DASA special ists. This difference in the weight of the structure
re-
Assembly
of Flying Vehicles "Ekip" at Saratov Aviation Plant
suits
in the increase of commercial load by 30 % at fixed range of flight. The
possibility to use composite materials in the body of flying vehicles
"EKIP" is related to the absence of concentrated loads on the
body as a result of absence of large wings and traditional wheel landing
gear. Under all flight conditions, including takeoff and landing, the
body of the aircraft is under uniformly distributed load, the static component
whereof does not exceed the load of a layer of water 300 mm thick. The
tail unit of flying vehicles "EKIP" is used for location of
aerodynamic control surfaces.
The power unit of flying vehicles "EKIP" is located inside the
body, in the stern part. It consists of two or more thrust high economy
by-pass turbojet engines and two or more auxiliary high-economy dual generator
turboshaft engines. The power units provide for motion of the vehicle,
whereas auxiliary engines provide for operation of air cushion landing
gear and boundary layer control device ensuring steady airflow around
the body of flying vehicles
"EKIP" and decrease
of drag. During takeoff and landing the auxiliary power units operate
in the maximum power mode, whereas during the cruising flight they operate
in maximum economy mode.
The location of thrust bypass engines inside the body of the aircraft
permit to create afterburners for the by-pass ducts providing substantial
increase of thrust under takeoff condition.
The location of thrust bypass engines inside the body of the aircraft
permit to create afterburners for the by-pass ducts providing substantial
increase of thrust under takeoff condition.
The power units and the auxiliary engines operate under all flight conditions,
the flying vehicles "EKIP" have no unnecessary complicated elements
like the wheel landing gear, the failure whereof is currently the cause
of 70 % of accidents. The deviation of flat nozzles ensures pitch control.
The gas power jets of flat nozzles are more quickly damped in the environment,
which results in decreased noise in the regions surrounding the runways.
"Ekip"
Flying over the Saratov Airfield
The
power units and the auxiliary engines operate under all flight conditions,
the flying vehicles "EKIP" have no unnecessary complicated elements
like the wheel landing gear, the failure whereof is currently the cause
of 70 % of accidents. The deviation of flat nozzles ensures pitch control.
The gas power jets of flat nozzles are more quickly damped in the environment,
which results in decreased noise in the regions surrounding the runways.
To ensure directional and roll control at low speeds of flight pulse control
engines are mounted on wing tips, using the main fuel (and natural gas)
and compressed air taken from main power units.
The flying vehicles "EKIP" ensure elevated level of flight safety.
When (all) power units are de-energized the flying vehicle may perform
a safe landing on the ground or water surfaces. In order that the auxiliary
engines become disconnected it is necessary that all (minimum four) gas
generators fail. This is hardly probable. In case even one gas generator
is in operation
it should be transferred to the
maximum power mode, thus the steady airflow around the body of the vehicle
is ensured and the landing is safe even in case ,of failure of power units.
The basic design feature of flying vehicles "EKIP" is the new
vortex control system (UPS) of the airflow in the boundary layer mounted
on the stern surface of the aircraft. This system ensures steady airflow
around the body of the vehicles and decreases its drag by creating a set
of aggregate of consecutive cross vortex. The vortex boundary layer airflow
control system is patented in Russia and abroad in Europe, USA and Canada.
It allows at low level of power consumption (6-8 % of the thrust of power
engines) to ensure steady airflow around the vehicle body during the cruising
flight and during takeoff and landing at angle of attack up to 40°.
With the use of the vortex boundary layer airflow control system and the
control engines the flying vehicles "EKIP" may perform a "bird
landing" at high glide slope at landing speed decreased down to 100
km/h.
Tests
of Flying Vehicles "Ekip" at Saratov Aviation Plant
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