MARKET SUPPLEMENT
Russian Researchers Expect a Leap in Short-haul Efficiency Russian researchers continue to push forward a proposed medium-haul, widebody aircraft design which has been under development since 2010 in the framework of an expanding joint program involving a number of Russian and international research and consultancy organizations, including the Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute, the International Air Transport Association, the MATs Inter-Sector Analytical Cente), Infomost Consulting, and SH&E/ACF. Widely known as Frigate Ecojet, the project was launched in the form of a self-funded initiative by the private diversified aviation group Rosaviaconsortium, whose activities include the development of civil aircraft in Russia. Over the last 15 years the Rosaviaconsortium team of aircraft engineers has been behind several development programs, including the cargo version of the Tupolev Tu-204 jetliner (several Tu-204C examples have been successfully operated by TNT in Europe) and also the Tu-204-300, a shrink version of the same baseline. Frigate Ecojet is based on a fundamentally new, innovative aerodynamic and structural design. Work on the aircraft is being undertaken in conjunction with the Russian center for aviation science at the Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute. It stands to become a major platform for advanced design technology and innovation in the Russian aviation industry. The main objective of the program is the development of the Frigate Ecojet next-generation wide-
body short- and medium-haul aircraft that would be competitive on the international civil aviation market through the application of conceptually new aerodynamic and structural design. A study of the overall trends in aircraft development and the most advanced Western aircraft design reveals that the conventional aircraft body design has reached the maximum level of aerodynamic refinement, and that future perfection of design stands to benefit most from exploiting the application of new aerodynamic schemes. The completely new design approach of the IS-1 aircraft represents an engineering breakthrough potentially satisfying the needs of next-generation aerodynamics and serving as a prototype for future development in this area. The result of the conceptual design phase demonstrated the feasibility of a new widebody aircraft for short- and medium-haul routes with low technical risks. The aircraft demonstrates a high level of safety and comfort, as well as a high degree of competitiveness. Concurrent with the aircraft development process using an integral aerodynamic scheme, engineers have obtained a wealth of experience and taken out more than 50 patents. Frigate Ecojet is expected to enter series production in 2019-2020. Its operational performance is expected to exceed that of the most advanced civil aircraft of 2010 by 15-20%. The main characteristic of the twin-engine aircraft is an elliptical fuselage which would accommodate 300-350 passengers in a
three-class, triple-aisle configuration. Contemporary studies of the global air transport market have revealed a segment with a flight range of 3,000 to 4,000 km in which the operation of widebody aircraft is very effective. Over 56% of all global flights of widebody long-haul aircraft is actually for less than 3,000 km. In some regions of the world this percentage is much higher. Analysis of the Russian air transportation system provides firm data substantiating a flight range bracket between 500 and 3,500 km as the core for a potential target market segment. Consequently, a key market requirement for the range vs. maximum payload criterion could be set at 3,500 km. Another key market requirement is a single-class capacity of 295 to 300 seats. Analysis of airline route networks has demonstrated that the Ecojet’s 302-seat version operating at ranges of up to 3,500 km will exceed the economic efficiency parameters of all sameclass aircraft currently in operation on these routes by 25%. During flights with 352 passengers to a range of 2,500 km, the economic efficiency gain would reach 30%. Currently the Frigate Ecojet team is gathering an impressive consortium of international consultants including Ernst &Young, ICF SH&E and Infomost Consulting, as well as Russia’s MATs to study scenarios of future development of the project - either as a standalone effort or a part of certain national, e.g. UAC’s potential wide body program, or international venture.