The Let L-610 is a prototype aircraft for the Czech civil aircraft manufacturer Let Kunovice made in 1988–1997.
| L-610 | |
|---|---|
 The L-610M X05 in Kunovice museum | |
| General information | |
| Type | Airliner, transport aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Let Kunovice |
| Primary user | Czech Republic |
| Number built | 8 (6 flying and 2 for structural tests) |
| History | |
| First flight | 28 December 1988 |
Design and development
editIn the late 1970s, after the success of the LET L-410 twin engine turboprop, the Soviet airline Aeroflot requested that LET design a replacement for the Antonov An-24 aircraft.
LET's L-610 was designed as a twin engined turboprop aircraft powered by the new Czech engine, Walter M602, with a seating capacity of 40. Flight testing was delayed by engine development taking longer than airframe development. Eventually the 1,358 kW (1,822 shp) turboprop engines were finished and the aircraft first flew on 28 December 1988. No aircraft was ever delivered to any commercial customer, although one aircraft was shown in Aeroflot markings during the Paris Air Show in the 1990s. One Let 610 M was delivered to the Czech Air Force,[1] to support manufacturer's certification and test flights process.
After the Soviet collapse LET tried to westernize the plane in order to widen the aircraft's sales appeal. The result was a new model, known as the L-610G, which had General Electric CT7 engines, Rockwell Collins Pro Line II digital EFIS, weather radar and autopilot. The L-610G prototype flew its maiden flight on 18 December 1992; four years after the L-610M.
During the time that the now-defunct Ayres Corp. owned LET, the aircraft was also known as the Ayres L-610, and for a time was marketed as the Ayres 7000. The customer for the Ayres 7000 was to have been City Connexion Airlines before bankruptcy problems sidelined the program.
On 29 August 2019, the UGMC subsidiary, the Ural Works of Civil Aviation and the Russian regional Polar Airlines signed an agreement to supply ten L-610 aircraft from 2023 to 2025 as part of the regional aviation development program of the Russian Federation. The signing took place at the international aerospace forum MAKS 2019 in Moscow.[2]
Variants
edit- L-610M
- Basic variant with Walter M602 engines.
- L-610G / Ayres 7000
- Variant with General Electric XT7-9D engines.
- L-610 MPA
- Proposed Anti-submarine warfare variant.
- TVRS-44
- 44-seat Russian variant proposed by Ural aviation plant UZGA, powered by 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) Klimov TV7-117 turbprops of the Ilyushin Il-114-300 from Russia’s United Engine Corporation to replace Antonov An-24s, An-26s and Yakovlev Yak-40s.[3]
Specifications (L-610)
edit
Data from Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory[4]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2 (pilot, co-pilot)
- Capacity: 40 passengers / 5,000 kg (11,023 lb) max payload
- Length: 21.72 m (71 ft 3 in)
- Wingspan: 25.6 m (84 ft 0 in)
- Height: 7.6 m (24 ft 11 in)
- Wing area: 56 m2 (600 sq ft)
- Airfoil: root: NASA MS(1)-0318 ; tip: NASA MS(1)-0312[5]
- Empty weight: 8,950 kg (19,731 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 14,500 kg (31,967 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × General Electric CT7-9D turboprop engines, 1,305 kW (1,750 hp) each
- Propellers: 6-bladed constant-speed propellers
Performance
See also
edit
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
edit- ^ "History: L-610 Transport Aircraft (a prototype not recommended to employ)". army.cz.
- ^ "УЗГА поставит в Якутию 10 самолетов L-610 до 2025 года". www.uwca.ru.
- ^ David Kaminski-Morrow (15 July 2021). "Klimov to develop enhanced engine for TVRS-44 turboprop". Flightglobal.
- ^ Taylor, M J H, ed. (1999). Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000 Edition. Brassey's. ISBN 978-1-85753-245-6.
- ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ a b "The Virtual Aviation Museum – Let L 610". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
External links
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