by Vladimir Gordeyev

Dmitri Borodinov

Co-founders, The Poliot Group Ltd.

Kiev, UkraineÑSoviet agriculture has been using ag air spray services extensively. Millions of tons of fertilizers were sprayed over scores of millions acres of crops every season under the nationwide "chemicalization" program proclaimed and pushed forward by "the Party". All ag air services in the former Soviet Union were provided by a huge government-owned enterprise which used the Antonov An-2 planes. The prototype of the An-2, designed to a specification of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the USSR, made its first flight on August 31, 1947. In 1948 the aircraft went into production in the USSR as the An-2, with a 746 kW (1000 hp) ASh-62 engine, which is a 1000 horsepower version of a Wright R-1820 Cyclone. By 1960, more than 5,000 An-2s had been built in the Soviet Union. License rights were granted to China, where the first locally-produced An-2 was completed in December 1957, as the Yunshuji-5 or Y-5. Limited production still continues in China. Since 1960 continued production of the An-2 has been primarily the responsibility of PZL Mielec (Poland), the original license arrangement providing for two basic versions: the An-2T transport and An-2R agricultural version. The first Polish built An-2 was flown on October 23, 1960. Mielec has since built more than 11,950 An-2s for domestic use and for export to the USSR (10,427), Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, France, the then German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Iraq, North Korea, Mongolia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Romania, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, the UK, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. They include 7,777 An-2Rs. In 1989 AICSA of Colombia assembled two An-2s from kits supplied from PZL Mielec via Pezetel.

The ag air spray business nearly collapsed in mid-1990s in the former Soviet Union countries due to numerous economy-related reasons, and much of the market was taken over by ground application providers. Now aviation comes back into business, as the demand for ag air services is growing. This is a market for several hundred ag planes to be filled from nearly scratch, as next to all old Antonov-2 planes and Mil-2 helicopters used here before are now grounded for technical reasons and because of their low efficiency. Since 1998 the situation of the economy in the former Soviet Union and in particular in the Ukraine has started to improve, and an increasing number of farmers are now able to pay for air spray services. The finance and banking system gets more orderly here gradually too. Recently the Law on Land was adopted by the Parliament of Ukraine, which provides for commercialization of the land property. It will enhance further reforms in the Ukrainian agriculture.

Now that the legendary An-2 biplane which earned the nickname "Annoushka" and Mi-2 helicopter are going away into history and museums, who comes in to fill in the market?

The Poliot Group Ltd. (Kiev, Ukraine) has made comparative calculations of several ag aircraft types efficiency, and have come to a conclusion the Air Tractor series ag plane may become the most competitive for this market in the long run. The biggest challenge is its enormous initial cost and local certification hurdles. But, this can be dealt with, and the Poliot Group is working now on a project of fitting Walter M601D engines to AT airframes. These used, but still serviceable, M601D engines are available throughout the former Soviet Union as two of them powered each of about 1,500 Czech Let-410UVP passenger transport planes delivered here before the breakdown of the Soviet Union. Most of these planes are grounded now, but engines are here with a system of maintenance and trained, experienced specialists available.

Several development projects of locally manufactured ag planes are also under way in Russia.

Antonov Design Bureau (Kiev, Ukraine) has done the upgrade of the An-2 plane by fitting to it a Russian 1,430 hp turboprop engine TVD-20. The rebuilt plane is designated as Antonov-3. The upgrade increased its payload up to 1,800 kg. The flight deck is manned by one pilot instead of two in An-2. The An-3 received its type certificate from the Interstate Aviation Committee on August 31, 2000. It is also produced in an agricultural version, but there are only a few firm orders for it at this stage.

The other rather advanced agricultural plane project is being implemented by the Sukhoi Design Bureau (Russia) under the designation Su-38. Sukhoi is better known for its fighter jets. However, during the late 1980s the General Designer (equivalent of CEO) of Sukhoi Mikhail Simonov was visiting Argentina as member of the Supreme Council of the USSR delegation. He found out that there was a huge market for ag planes there. On his return, the first attempt to create a local ag plane was made by Sukhoi Design Bureau. The idea was to fit spray equipment to the aerobatics Su-26 aircraft. It failed. Then in December 1994 two leading design engineers from Sukhoi Design Bureau visited the USA and the NAAA convention. They found out the principles of operating an Antonov-2 as an ag plane were obsolete. Based on this knowledge, they worked out the required specifications of the future Sukhoi ag plane: hopper Ð 500 kg, powered by a Czech M-337 210 hp Walter piston engine.

"The Su-38 will be the main light ag plane in Russia", says Boris Rakitin, Chief Designer. The Su-38 was exhibited at the MAKS Õ2001 Air Show in Moscow in August 2001. Apparently, they are behind schedule now, though the designers are doing their best effort to launch it as soon as possible.

Sukhoi intends to operate the Su-38 initially in the ag air spray business, which is considered very profitable here. It is estimated the investment is returned in the first year of operation. The plane is designed for operating from small airstrips abundant in the Russian countryside, which were previously made for An-2 operations. These airstrips have all the facilities required for the handling of chemicals (storage, tanks, sewage etc.). The Su-38 can also operate from grass airstrips. Of course, it cannot spray fertilizers; it is too small for that.

Says Boris Rakitin: "Once we grow in experience, we will build larger planes".

The Voronej region government in Russia worried by proliferation of pest insects has made a research of the demand for ag aircraft in the region. The market research was made also in the adjacent regions. Rostov, Krasnodar, Stavropol and Volgograd (all these are very important crops growing regions) gave initial requirements of 20-30 ag planes in each region.

The Tupolev Design Bureau (Russia) has a project of their own Ð Tupolev -54 ag plane. Initially it was supposed to be a joint production with Kirguizstan. The plans were to use for manufacturing the facilities of the former submarine torpedo plant, as the size and technology of ag air plane seemed similar, the length of a torpedo being of about six meters. The plant was equipped with top technology tools. But the August 1998 financial crisis cut it short as Kirguizstan has withdrawn from the project. The cost of the plane is estimated by designers to be US$108,000 of which US$75,000 for engine, air-conditioner, and spray equipment. The list price would be US$130,000-$150,000. Hopper Ð 800kg, fuel Ð 150kg. Airstrip length required is 420 meters.

The Krasnodar Aviation Institute (PANH) specialists think the Tupolev -54 is the kind of plane that Russian agriculture needs. The marketing research estimates requirements of 600 planes made by the Voronej (Russia) aviation plant and another 600 more made in Kirguizstan. The Uzbekistan agriculture region would required about 300 Tu-54 ag planes.

Yet another ag plane project - T-517 Farmer - is under way in "Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center" (Moscow, Russia). This huge enterprise has a peculiar background. The Russian-Baltic joint stock company to manufacture Russian automobiles established in 1916. rolled out the first automobile in 1922. In 1923 the plant was handed over for concession to the German aircraft-manufacturing firm "Junkers" and the first 50 aircraft produced were Ju-20s. Since the mid-twenties, the plant started producing aircraft designed by Tupolev, llyushin, Arkhangelsky, Petlyakov, Myasishchev and Mil. In 1962 the production of the satellite launch rocket "Proton" was started and is still under way. The Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is also a manufacturer of multipurpose space stations and various orbital modules. Space stations "Salute" and "Mir", and several modules of International Space Stations (ISS) were constructed in the gigantic shops of the Khrunichev Plant. In 1994 the Aviation Department was established at the Khrunichev Space Center with the aim to develop and produce aircraft in the general aviation category, including agricultural aircraft.

The T-517 "Farmer" is specially designed as an agricultural airplane. It is powered by one Czech turboprop Walter M-601E 750 hp engine. The information flyer by the Center states: "The aircraft design and structure provide for high safety during flights to perform chemical spraying owing to excellent vision from the cockpit and design features enhancing safety during low altitude flights near the ground". Take off weight is 3450 kg, payload 1580 kg, cruise speed 290 km/h.

The MiG Corporation (known for its Mikoian & Goureyev fighter planes) could not resist joining the race. The MiG Design Bureau has designed and manufactured the Aviatica-MAI-890 ultra-light planes, with an ag version designed to carry a 110 liters in its hopper. About 20 ultralight planes "Aviatica-MAI-890" designed at the Moscow Aviation Institute and made by MiG Corporation (Russia) operate in Russia. The Aviatica-MAI-890 price is US$40,000. RotaxÐ912S engine. Thirty Avaitica-MAI-890s were ordered by Kazakhstan. Several of these planes will begin operations in the Ukraine in the forthcoming season.

The 2002 ag air spray season in the former Soviet Union countries will be dominated again by the "guerilla" action of quasi-illegal, but numerous trikes. They perform a sort of "hit and run away" operations of ultra small spraying of crops, on a private basis and at their own risks. But this is a very dangerous job, with great health hazards. For the actual spraying pilots, put on a gas mask and GI chemical warfare coveralls. Some An-2s are being made ready too by private air companies which pop up here and there. It is very hard to determine what is actually going on in figures and statistics. Much of the payment is done in cash. But the situation is gradually improving and becoming more orderly.

One big problem is financing, as many of the businesses have to be started from scratch, and bank loans are very expensive. The establishment of leasing schemes seems to be the most viable way to start up an ag air business activity, but it requires financial skills, initial investment and time. But once started, ag air businesses will flourish in these large and fertile plains of the former Soviet Union, creating many new jobs.

The Poliot Group is will use two small Aviatica planes this season. We are looking also for one low-cost (used or damaged) Air Tractor airframe in order to bring it to the Ukraine and outfit it with a Walter M601D engine. We will operate it initially as a homebuilt aircraft for tests and demo purposes, having in mind to facilitate its certification in the Ukraine for future operations.