Ukrainian re-engining solution for the An-2 biplane

Ukrainian engine manufacturer Motor Sich is presenting a re-engined version of the venerable Antonov An-2 biplane, powered by the company’s  in-house MS-14 1500-horsepower turboprop engine. The powerplant has completed 150 hours of factory tests, which confirmed that it meets the ICAO noise and emissions standards. The Aviation Register of the CIS-wide Interstate Aviation Committee is expected to certify the engine shortly.

The MS-14-powered An-2-100 first flew on July 10, 2013, from the Antonov factory airfield. The re-engined version will be marketed at $850,000. Motor Sich is planning to install an auxiliary power tank for extended range, and is working to upgrade the cabin with more comfortable seats, cold-proofing, and air conditioning. CEO Vyacheslav Boguslayev says these upgrades will be optional.

In the meantime, Russia’s Siberian Aeronautical Research Institute (SibNIA) is working to re-engine the An-2 with the Honeywell TPE331-12U turboprop powerplant. In 2000, another Russian company — Omsk Engine Design Bureau obtained a certificate for the An-3T variant powered by its TVD-20 turboprop engine. Production of this modification was discontinued in 2009.