TsAGI centenary in the history of aviation: the helicopter “Ansat”
22 August 2018
In August 17, 1999 a light multi-purpose helicopter “Ansat” took its first flight. This rotary-wing aircraft was designed and manufactured by the Kazan Helicopter Plant.
The Ansat (translated from Tatar “simple, uncomplicated”) can be produced in transport, passenger, rescue, training and other modifications. According to its technical capabilities and modern constructive conceptual design, the helicopter has a number of competitive advantages.
The Zhukovsky Central AeroHydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) completed a complex of aerodynamic and strength research for the “Ansat” project using the Institute’s test facilities. Scientists changed the rotorcraft’s structural variables after TsAGI vertical wind tunnel tests. Also, they proved airframe design and received data for mathematical modeling of the helicopter’s dynamics.
The full-scale antitorque propeller testing in TsAGI’s large subsonic wind tunnel was another equally important test stage. Scientists obtained the aerodynamic and strength characteristics of the tail rotor in a wide range of flight modes.
The joint work of the Kazan Helicopter Plant experts and TsAGI specialists for body matching delivered the claimed Ansat’s performance: increased maximum speed, decreased fuel consumption, and improved directional stability characteristics.
Specialists of the TsAGI Strength Complex provided much assistance in processing the results of flight test experiments, preparation of certification tests programs, and clarifying the provided calculations. As a result the Ansat was successfully certified following Russian and foreign aviation regulations.