Sukhoi Su-80

Sukhoi

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1939
Headquarters	Moscow , Russia
Products	Aircraft, including the Su-80 transport aircraft

The Sukhoi Su-80, initially designated as the Sukhoi S-80, is a Russian-designed twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft featuring a twin-boom configuration and capable of short takeoff and landing (STOL).

Design and development

Originally planned to commence in the late 1990s, the Su-80 project faced multiple delays due to financial constraints. Although a prototype of the combined freight and passenger version, the Su-80GP, was constructed with an anticipated maiden flight in early 1998, the schedule was postponed repeatedly. Ultimately, the prototype's inaugural flight occurred during the 2001 MAKS event in Moscow, at Zhukovsky.

On 4 September 2001, test pilot Igor Wotinzew conducted the first flight of prototype number 82911. By early 2006, production of the Su-80 had commenced at the KnAAPO facility located in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

The initial turboprop transport variant, Sukhoi S-80, was unveiled at the 46th Paris International Air and Space Show in 2005. The aircraft has been developed collaboratively by the Sukhoi design bureau and the Komsomolsk-on-Amur manufacturing plant under the "konversija" initiative. This model aims to succeed older aircraft such as the An-24/26, An-28, and Yak-40, while competing with the Antonov An-38. Its design bears resemblance to both the Scaled Composites ATTT and the Rockwell OV-10. The aircraft incorporates three lift surfaces: main wings; two vertical fins positioned at the rear fuselage linking the booms; and a horizontal stabilizer connecting these vertical fins at the tail end of the booms. Propulsion is provided by two General Electric CT7-9B turboprop engines mounted in nacelles at the front section of each tail boom.

The streamlined fuselage accommodates up to 30 passengers, complemented by a "beaver-tail" cargo ramp situated at the rear, facilitating straightforward loading and unloading operations.

Operational history

File:S-80 rear.jpg

Rear perspective of S-80 at Zhukovski in 2003

A total of eight units from the second production series—the first definitive batch—were designated for delivery to clients.

Commercial orders

Blagoveshchensk Airlines, Chukotavia, Dalavia, the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Air Enterprise, and Polar Airlines each entered into initial contracts to obtain this aircraft model. The factory airline of the KnAAPO was anticipated to become the inaugural operator of the Su-80.

Military orders

The Kazakhstan Border Guards placed a provisional order for ten Su-80 units. Additionally, the People's Liberation Army Air Force of China, along with the air forces of Jordan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Republic of Korea, showed interest in acquiring the type.

However, none of these aircraft entered active military service. As of 2022, there is no evidence that any remain in operational status.

Variants

The Su-80 exists in two primary configurations. The initial four pre-production aircraft featured a shorter fuselage, whereas the fifth through seventh prototypes were lengthened by 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in), enabling an additional row of passenger seating.

S-80PC (Su-80GP)

Mixed passenger and cargo transport

S-80TC

Light troop transport for military use

S-80A

Medical evacuation variant

S-80F

Designed for fishery patrol duties

S-80PT

Patrol transport tailored for the Russian Border Guards, capable of mounting machine guns, light autocannons, rockets, bombs, and surveillance equipment

S-80GE

Geological survey support

Su-80GP-100

Cargo transporter

Specifications (Su-80GP)

File:Sukhoi Su-80 3-view line drawing.svg

File:Sukhoi Su-80 at MAKS-2005 airshow.jpg

Sukhoi Su-80 displayed at the MAKS-2005 airshow.

{{Aircraft specs |ref=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 2002–03, Sukhoi and KnAAPO |prime units?=met |crew=1 or 2 |capacity=30 passengers / 3,300 kg (7,275 lb) maximum payload |length m=18.26 |length note= |span m=23.17 |span note= |height m=5.52 |height note= |wing area sqm=44 |wing area note= |aspect ratio=12.2 |airfoil= |empty weight kg= |empty weight note= |gross weight kg= |gross weight note= |max takeoff weight kg=13500 |max takeoff weight note=

• Maximum landing weight: 13,350 kg (29,432 lb)

|fuel capacity=2,350 L (620 US gal; 520 imp gal) stored in two tanks |more general= |eng1 number=2 |eng1 name=General Electric CT7-9B |eng1 type=turboprop engines |eng1 kw=1305 |eng1 note=

|prop blade number=4 |prop name=Hamilton Sundstrand 14RF-35 or Dowty Rotol fully-feathering reversible-pitch constant-speed propellers |prop dia m= |prop dia note= |max speed kmh= |max speed note= |cruise speed kmh=470 |cruise speed note=max cruise speed |stall speed kmh= |stall speed note= |never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed note= |min control speed kmh= |min control speed note= |range km=1400 |range note=carries 30 passengers

2,450 km (1,522 mi; 1,323 nmi) with a payload of 1,950 kg (4,299 lb)

|max ceiling m=7600 |max ceiling note=max certified altitude |max takeoff weight kg=

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| |max takeoff weight kg=13500

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• Max landing weight: 13,350 kg (29,432 lb)

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External links

• Official Sukhoi website
• Manufacturer KNAAPO’s page