‘Izdelie’ engine will power Russian long-range stealth Tupolev PAK DA

By Boyko Nikolov

MOSCOW ($1=61.53 Russian Rubles) — Russia has already developed and produced several prototypes of a new engine that will have to power the Tupolev PAK DA. The engine is named Izdelie RF. The Tupolev PAK DA is a long-range stealth air bomber system. The Russian news agency TASS reported the news, citing a source in the Russian military-industrial complex.

'Izdelie' engine will power Russian long-range stealth Tupolev PAK DA
Photo credit: Wikipedia

According to the source, the developed engines have passed bench tests and are about to be installed on the PAK DA prototypes. The parameters that the military demanded from the developers have been achieved, the source also said. The engines will be manufactured by the Russian state-owned company UEC-Kuznetsov, which is part of Rostech. For this purpose, the company has built a special bench test facility to test only this type of engine.

The source also says that early next year, Russia will be ready to begin flight tests of the PAK DA with the new engine. In recent years, Moscow has invested significant funds in the development of engines of the next generation – the 5th. The PAK DA is expected to be powered by an engine with similar specs.

Asian sources claim that the advanced development of such engines consists of:

  • Turbine blades have to withstand high pressure, that’s why Russia made them from single crystals. In this regard, the vanes will be cooled by a new cooling system that should guarantee performance even at gas temperatures of up to 2000 ° K;
  • Designers of the new engines have made significant changes to the engine fan blade design. Unlike before, it is now wide and hollow, made of titanium alloy;
  • Last but not least, the combustion chamber is made of an intermetallic alloy to guarantee low emissions. Various composite materials were used to absorb the sound, and the low-pressure turbine was made of hollow blades.
Subsonic: The production of Russian 'flying wing' stealth bomber has begun
Photo credit: TASS

The PAK DA will have to be a complex system, according to the requirements of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Fully automated computer and onboard equipment. According to Vadim Kozulin, a professor at the Academy of Military Sciences, the onboard computer will have to allow unmanned piloting of the bomber.

The Russian idea of ​​PAK DA is to extend flight distance and endurance, not speed. The future bomber will have a low radar signature. However, an Izdelie engine should allow PAK DA pilots a high penetration and escape speed to enable a close approach to enemy shores.

The trend in the design of such bombers follows the same line of technology and purpose. Especially in the three largest military powers in the world – USA, Russia, and China. The American B-21 bomber also has a subsonic flying wing design. Absolutely the same concept is followed by their Chinese competitor H-20.

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