66 AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/NOVEMBER 3/10, 2014 AviationWeek.com/awst
Antonov An-140 The Antonov An-140 is a twin-engine transport primarily used as a commercial regional airliner
seating 52 passengers, but it is also employed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The aircraft is powered by Motor
Sich TV3-117VMA-SBM1 turboprop engines, 2,500 shp each, although Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127A s (also
2,500 shp) may be used as alternatives. First An-140 f ight occurred in 1997, and an estimated 31 units have
been built to date. The Aviacor plant in Samara, Russia, also manufactures the An-140, and Iran’s HESA offers a
license-built An-140 “Oghab” maritime patrol aircraft variant.Antonov An-148/An-158 The An-148 is a twin-engine regional jet designed to serve the 70-80-seat market.
First f ight of the An-148 took place in 2004, with type certif cation by Russia and Ukraine following in 2007. Power
for the aircraft comes from two Ivchenko-Progress D436-148 turbofan engines. Three test aircraft and approximately
15 production aircraft were manufactured through 2013, and an additional 62 are forecast through 2023. A
stretched, 99-passenger An-158 version powered by D436-148 engines f rst f ew in 2010. Cubana leased three An-
158s through South America Aircraft Leasing in 2013.ATR 42/ATR 72 The ATR series are turboprop-powered regional transport aircraft f rst developed in 1981 by
the European joint venture formed by Aerospatiale (now Airbus Group) and Aeritalia (now Alenia Aermacchi, part of
the Finmeccanica group). The ATR 42’s f rst delivery occurred in 1985, followed by the ATR 72 in 1989. The latest
versions are the ATR 42-600 and the ATR 72-600. Both -600 variants are powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney
PW127M engines, rated at 2,400-2,750 shp each. Through 2013, ATR delivered 429 ATR 42s and 678 ATR 72s.
Production of 667 ATR series aircraft is forecast for 2014-23.Avic Xian MA60/MA600 The 52-60-passenger MA60 twin-turboprop transport aircraft is a stretched version of
the Xian Y7-200A, which in turn is a variation on the Antonov An-24. The aircraft is powered by two 2,750-shp Pratt &
Whitney Canada PW127J engines. Initial f ight and delivery of the MA60 took place in 2000. A freighter version, the
MA60-500, is also marketed. In May 2010, a new variant, the MA600, was awarded certif cation by the Civil Aviation
Administration of China. The MA600 features reduced weight, an upgraded cabin, new avionics (the Rockwell Collins
Pro Line 21 suite) and a host of other improvements. Through 2013, Xian produced 91 MA60s and f ve MA600s.
Forecast International expects 128 MA60/MA600 aircraft to be built for the civil market in 2014-2023.Avic Xian MA700 Xian’s parent f rm Avic formally launched full-scale development of the new MA700 turboprop
airliner in December 2013. Program plans call for preliminary design review by the end of this year, f rst f ight in
2016, Chinese certif cation in 2018 and service entry in 2019. Certif cation from the European Aviation Safety
Agency or the FAA also will be pursued, achievement of which would enable the MA700 to penetrate markets beyond
those currently served by the MA60 or MA600. Avic envisions a family of three MA700 versions. The lead variant will
seat 78 passengers. A stretched version would accommodate 90 passengers and a smaller version, 50. Maximum
takeoff weight of the baseline 78-seat er is 58,423 lb. Range with 78 passengers is 918 nm, although Avic has indi-
cated the aircraft is being positioned for use primarily on 432-nm routes. The MA700 is to be built mostly of aluminum;
composites will probably account for less than 10% of the structure. The aircraft is to be equipped with f y-by-wire f ight
controls. In July , Avic selected the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150C turboprop engine to power the twin-engine MA700.Beechcraft King Air Beech launched the King Air series of 8-12-seat, twin-turboprop aircraft in 1963. Since
then, numerous variants have appeared. Total production amounted to 6,449 aircraft through 2013. Beechcraft,
which Textron acquired last March and operates along with Cessna in a new segment called Textron Aviation, markets
the King Air C90GTx, King Air 250 and King Air 350i. The C90GTx is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135s
producing 550 shp each. The 250 is powered by PT6A-52 engines rated at 850 shp each and the 350i is equipped
with two 1,050-shp PT6A-60A s. Some 1,302 King Airs are expected to be produced in 2014-23.Boeing 737 The 737 series is a family of twin-engine, narrowbody commercial transports. Seating capacity varies
depending on the model, though the most typical two-class conf gurations are 126 passengers for the 737-700,
162 for the 737-800 and 180 for the 737-900ER. All three models, which are the current production versions, are
powered by two CFM56-7 turbofans. The f rst 737 f ew in April 1967 and received FAA certif cation in December 1967.
Through January 2014, Boeing delivered 7,900 aircraft in the 737 family, including 140 Boeing Business Jet s and
19 737-based T-43 navigation trainers for the U.S. Air Force. In response to the Airbus A320neo, Boeing launched
its reengining program, dubbed 737 MAX, in August 2011. The MAX program involves f tting the current 737 models
with new CFM Leap-1B engines. These models will be redesignated the MAX 7, MAX 8 and MAX 9. Boeing will use
eight aircraft for testing, including four MAX 8s and two each of the MAX 7 and MAX 9. First f ight is planned for 2016.
Service entry is scheduled for 2017 with launch customer Southwest Airlines, which has ordered 30 MAX 7s and 170
MAX 8s. In September , Boeing launched the 737 MAX 200 with a commitment from Ryanair for 100 airplanes. A variant
of the MAX 8, the MAX 200 will accommodate up to 200 seats. Boeing is projected to manufacture 5,291 737s in
2014-23. The 737 competes directly with the Airbus A320 family and the Bombardier CSeries.COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT UPDATE圀漀爀氀搀䴀愀最猀⸀渀攀琀圀漀爀氀搀䴀愀最猀⸀渀攀琀
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