一张图展示了KC-390与其最接近的竞争对手的比较。来源:IHS
2月3日巴西航空工业公司生产的KC-390运输机在圣保罗北部完成首航。首架原型机（有两架）飞行持续了1小时25分钟，在此期间工作人员评估了飞机的特点和性能。首飞完成之后，公司将准备在未来几周内试验第二架原型机。“绿”飞机预计在2015年底取得认证，2016年中期取得最后的操作许可。
官方宣传KC-390能够携带23吨（26吨的最大有效载荷）货物，速度470 kt（0.8马赫），达1300 n英里。通常负载可容纳80名普通士兵或64名伞兵，三辆悍马装甲车或一架西科斯基UH-60黑鹰直升机。尾舱坡道比同类大多数飞机要长，这样更方便限重4.5吨的车辆进出。除了基本的货物/部队运输规格配置之外，KC-390还具备空中加油能力，以及光电/红外吊舱，用于二次搜救。
虽然宣传竞争对手是洛克希德·马丁公司的C-130 J大力神（22吨有效载荷），KC-390的其他主要竞争对手还包括安东诺夫-70（47吨）以及空客军用运输机A400M阿特拉斯（37吨）。
巴西空军已订购28架KC-390运输机（加上两架原型机，试验完成后将翻新），这样可维持生产运行到2023年。巴西航空工业公司也收到了来自哥伦比亚的订购意向书（12架）、此外还有阿根廷（6架）、智利（6架）、葡萄牙（6架）及捷克共和国（2架）。
评论
最初宣传KC-390首飞是在2014年底。研发和生产日程安排这么紧，能树立这样一项重要的里程碑，项目官员特别高兴。尽管目前巴西航空工业公司有30架来自巴西空军的订单，然而出口方面，只有32份意向书。相比，C-130J-30已经完成操作验证并准备交货，而A400M军用运输机最近延迟了交货日期，该平台也已准备部署。而安-70由于俄乌关系破裂，为双方合作带来了很不利影响。
因此，在全球销售争夺战中，如果巴西航空工业公司想占得先机，需要尽快完成KC-390试验，进入批量生产。这也意味着，此项目获益不菲，2014年10月的官方启动仪式上，就有来自32个国家的高级军官和政治代表出席。
原文：
Update: KC-390 airlifter makes maiden flight
Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
04 February 2015
An infographic showing how the KC-390 compares with its closest competitors. Source: IHS
The Embraer KC-390 transport aircraft made its maiden flight from the company's Gavião Peixoto production facility, north of São Paulo, on 3 February.
The flight of the first of two prototype platforms lasted for 1 hour and 25 minutes, during which time the crew evaluated the twin jet's handling characteristics and performance.
With the first flight now completed, the company will work to prepare the second prototype for trials in the coming weeks. Certification of the 'green' aircraft is expected at the end of 2015, with the final operational clearance set for mid-2016.
The KC-390 is billed as being able to carry 23 tonnes (or a concentrated maximum payload of 26 tonnes over the centre of gravity) at 470 kt (Mach 0.8) out to 1,300 n miles. A typical payload would include 80 regular troops or 64 paratroopers, or three Humvee-sized vehicles or a single Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopter. The ramp, which is longer than that of most aircraft of its class in order to ease access for vehicles, is limited to 4.5 tonnes.
In addition to its baseline cargo/troop transport configuration, the KC-390 will be equipped to perform aerial refuelling and will have provisions for an electro-optic/infrared pod for a secondary search-and-rescue role.
Although billed as a competitor to the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules (22 tonnes payload), the KC-390's other primary competitors include the Antonov An-70 (47 tonnes) and Airbus Military A400M Atlas (37 tonnes).
The Brazilian Air Force has ordered 28 KC-390 aircraft (plus the two prototypes, which will be refurbished after trials are complete), with production set to run through to 2023. Embraer has also received letters of intent from Colombia (12 aircraft), Argentina (6), Chile (6), Portugal (6), and the Czech Republic (2).
This story, first published on 4 January, has been updated with an infographic
COMMENT
The first flight of the KC-390 was originally billed to have taken place in late 2014. With the development and production schedule being so tight, programme officials will be especially relieved to have got this major milestone under their belt.
Although Embraer has 30 firm orders for the Brazilian Air Force, it currently only has letters of intent for the 32 export aircraft. The C-130J-30 is already operationally proven and ready for delivery and, while the A400M programme has been experiencing some delivery delays of its own lately, that platform too is ready for fielding. While production of the An-70 has been approved, poor relations between the partner nations of Ukraine and Russia will almost certainly have a detrimental effect on that programme.
Embraer, therefore, needs to complete trials and get the KC-390 into serial production at the earliest opportunity if it is not to lose too much ground to its competitors in the global race for sales. That said, interest in the Brazilian airlifter is high, with high-ranking military and political representatives from 32 countries attending the official roll-out ceremony in October 2014.
http://www.janes.com/article/486 ... makes-maiden-flight
作者: zbzb 时间: 2015-2-6 12:50
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