Frigate EcoJet Project Technical Overview

Newsletter – Frigate EcoJet Project
ОАО FPG Rosaviaconsortium

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Contents

Executive summary

History of the Frigate EcoJet project

Technical overview of the Frigate EcoJet project

Cooperation with TsAGI on Frigate EcoJet

Cooperation with UAC on Frigate EcoJet

Frigate EcoJet Airlines Advisory Board Formed

Frigate EcoJet brand

Frigate EcoJet project roadmap

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Executive summary
Over 18 months that have passed since the initiation of the Frigate EcoJet program
have become the most important stage for the development of the project’s
framework, creation of a highly skilled team of managers and designers, as well as
the development of the technical proposals for the new aircraft. Significant progress
has been made in all these areas, allowing us to continue implementing such an
ambitious and innovative project for the Russian and international aircraft industry.
Since its inception the Frigate EcoJet project aimed to incorporate the best modern
technologies in order to develop a breakthrough product for the market. First of all,
it is the remaining elements of the Soviet aircraft design school, once one of the
best in the world. In addition, the project attracts highly qualified young specialists, engineers and
designers, who think out of the box and generate innovative ideas and solutions. The project’s technical
and business management have an excellent understanding of the subject and access to the modern R&D
technologies. They also have a firm grasp on the processes and trends in the country’s economy and
industrial policy.
Another important area in the course of the project is the development of a high-quality empirical base. This
involved wide-scale research and forecasts on the airline market in Russia and abroad during R&D work
and preparation of technical proposals, as well as consultations with airlines; this work demonstrated
significant market potential of the Frigate EcoJet project. The project team has received a positive
conclusion from TsAGI on the technical proposals for the new aircraft in cooperation with the leading
Russian aircraft manufacturers. The specialists agreed that the proposed aircraft configuration is feasible
and allows to achieve 35% higher integrated efficiency compared to the current aircraft. It was the main
achievement of the design team since the project’s inception. Full support from the industry allows the
working group to continue developing the breakthrough project with optimism. Furthermore, all participants
of the project fully realize the lack of innovative solutions and technologies in Russia. Because of that, OAO
FPG Rosaviaconsortium, the project’s initiator, has signed an agreement with TsAGI to use the Frigate
EcoJet project as a foundation for the implementation of innovations developed by the Russian aircraft
industry.
The scope of work on the Frigate EcoJet project is immense. Next steps involve the preliminary design of
the future aircraft and improvement of the project’s financial and economic model. We consider various
financing options, but the most preferable, in our opinion, is the private-public partnership. Our goal is to
develop a clear and precise business model, possibly using an international technological base. At the
same time we are completely open for discussion on various options of the new aircraft’s development.
Large scale efforts have been done since April 2009. The achieved results are exciting. Starting from
scratch, the Frigate EcoJet team managed to bring the project to the next level, scoring victories day by
day. Probably the most important fact is that, having faced the initial difficulties, the working group retained
its optimism and enthusiasm. We continue the work on all planned tasks and hope that the Frigate EcoJet
project will become one of the successful venture projects in our country.

With best regards,

Dmitry Travnikov

Frigate EcoJet General Manager
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History of the Frigate EcoJet project
OAO FPG Rosaviaconsortium, the key participant in the Frigate EcoJet program, is one of the first
companies specializing in civil aviation and aircraft industry project management. The company was
created by the decree of the Russian Federation president #496, May 18 1995, in order to optimize and
facilitate the promotion of Russian aircraft in the national market, first of all the Tu-204 family. The
company’s shareholders comprised private investors, civil aircraft manufacturers (Tupolev ANTK) and OAO
Aeroflot.

The disintegration of traditional and organizational connections in the aircraft industry, civil aviation and
travel industry after the fall of Soviet Union prevented the development of Tu-204 mass production and
commissioning. New realities of the Russian economy required new approaches towards large-scale
aviation projects.

Innovative project-oriented approach towards complex inter-sector projects became the basis of the
company’s operations. During its 15-year history Rosaviaconsortium has successfully implemented a
number of various aviation projects.

Design works headed by Professor Valentin Klimov, celebrated Soviet and Russian aircraft designer and
Tupolev ANTK general designer in 1992-1997, became one of the most important fields for ОАО FPG
Rosaviaconsortium. A design bureau was created at OAO FPG
Rosaviaconsortium, which works on research and development of the
aircraft using a brand new integral aerodynamic and design configuration.
R&D and design projects involve scientists and designers from Tupolev
ANTK, NPO Molniya, TsAGI and SibNIIA. According to the engineers and
designers of the new bureau, traditional aircraft have reached a peak of
excellence, and further development should be conducted using new
aerodynamic configurations. The key goal is the design of a civil aircraft
using an integral aerodynamic configuration (where the wing and the
fuselage comprise a single unit), which was not previously used in civil
aircraft but was rather employed in the development of combat aircraft,
Fig. 1 IS-1 prototype testing in
primarily bombers. Research, calculations and tests initiated by OAO FPG the ADT T-106 wind tunnel at
Rosaviaconsortium in the beginning of the 2000s have led to the TsAGI
development of the IS-1 integral configuration aircraft prototype. The tests
conducted in ADT T-106 wind tunnel at TsAGI have shown high aerodynamic qualities of the model and
high prospects of the proposed integral configuration aircraft.

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Fig.2 Frigate EcoJet exterior

The research done on the IS-1 project helped to create a comprehensive design base for the Frigate
EcoJet project, featuring a breakthrough design solution – an oval fuselage configuration without struts in
the passenger cabin. In earlier projects, use of oval fuselage configurations led to extra pressure, which
was compensated using struts inside the passenger cabin, negatively influencing the aircraft’s weight and
passenger comfort. The project implementation was started in March 2009, when OAO UAC and OAO FPG
Rosaviaconsortium have signed a memorandum of understanding, covering the continuation of marketing
and technical research on the integral configuration widebody short- and medium-haul aircraft.
Another important partner for OAO FPG Rosaviaconsortium in the Frigate EcoJet project is Zhukovsky
Central Hydroaerodynamic Institute (TsAGI), which gave an approval for the aircraft’s technical proposal in
May 2010. TsAGI specialists concluded that the aircraft exceeds its modern Russian and foreign
counterparts in operational, economic and flight characteristics. Moreover, the proposed configuration can
be implemented within the schedule set by the design team.

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Technical overview of the Frigate EcoJet project
Frigate EcoJet has the following technical characteristics:

Capacity 300-350 passengers
Range 3000 – 3500 km
Fuel efficiency Max 14 g/pass/km
Cruise Mach 0,820M
60000/35000/25 (flight hours/take-offs and
Life cycle
landings/years)

The new aircraft’s integrated efficiency is 35% higher compared to the existing aircraft. The integral
configuration provides for a number of important advantages, first of all, large volume for the payload. The
chosen form ensures minimal dimensions for the aircraft with 300-350 passengers in three cabins, three
main aisles no less than 500 mm wide and no less than 810 mm space between seats. In all-economy
layout the number of seats can be increased to 400.

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Fig. 3 Frigate EcoJet fuselage design configuration

The lower deck’s two cargo bays can accommodate up to 20 LD-3 containers or cargo on 95x125” pallets.
Fig.3 Fuselage cross-section

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Fuselage cross-section chosen for the Frigate EcoJet project has allowed reduction of the aircraft wet area
by 4-14% per passenger, depending on the layout, compared to modern widebody aircraft like B-777-200
and A-340-300.

The aircraft can accommodate 302 passengers in the basic three-class layout (business class, premium
economy and economy).

Fig. 3 Frigate EcoJet layouts

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Two-class layout and the freighter option were also developed. It should be noted that the design
configuration using the passenger floor as an element will allow for significantly easier conversion into the
cargo version.
Fig. 4 Frigate EcoJet cargo version

During the technical proposal stage, it was decided that the aircraft is to be equipped with two engines with
total take-off thrust of 80 000 lbf/ 36 000 kgs. The experts have developed the following technical
requirements:

Table. 1 Frigate EcoJet engine characteristics

Fan diameter 2300 mm
Take-off thrust 39 700 lbf/18 000 kgs
Contingency thrust 44 000 lbf/20 000 kgs
Fuel consumption (cruise speed) 0,52 kgkgs*hr
Dry weight 3200 kg

Currently Frigate EcoJet project team is considering various engines from the leading international
suppliers, including new generation turbofan PD-18P developed by UEC( United Engine Corporation),
PS-90A-20 or the latest Rolls-Royce engines.

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Cooperation with TsAGI on Frigate EcoJet
Since the beginning of the Frigate EcoJet project OAO FPG Rosaviaconsortium actively cooperated with
TsAGI. As a result, TsAGI has issued an approval of the Frigate EcoJet technical proposals, confirming the
project quality. TsAGI conclusion states that the proposed configuration is feasible, and its integrated
efficiency is 35% higher compared to modern aircraft. It was preceded by the research made by the project
team and fine-tuning for the existing airline route networks.

Another important achievement resulting from the cooperation between the Frigate EcoJet design team and
TsAGI was the decision to conduct a full cycle of R&D and design activities in 2011 and 2012, and to
create a joint working group in order to develop a general agreement on cooperation between TsAGI and
OAO FPG Rosaviaconsortium on the Frigate EcoJet project up to 2017. Besides, the key participants of the
Frigate EcoJet project have agreed to use the project as a platform to implement the innovative solutions
and technologies.

In the end of August 2010 TsAGI has completed the second stage of research commissioned by OAO
FPG Rosaviaconsortium. The institute’s specialists have conducted the development of the key airframe
nodes, including the joint between the wing and tail fin and the fuselage, as well as the landing gear leg
mounts. The fuselage structural design was thoroughly examined using the finite element method.
Fuselage, wing and tail fin were modeled using the MSC/NASTRAN software suite. The research results
demonstrated that the projected durability can be achieved within the given weight parameters of the
aircraft.

TsAGI participants in the Frigate EcoJet project include: B.S. Aleshin, TsAGI general director, S.L.
Chernyshev, TsAGI executive director, S.V. Lyapunov, TsAGI deputy director on scientific work, V.I.
Chernousov, Frigate EcoJet general designer.

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Cooperation with UAC on Frigate EcoJet
The UAC / Rosaviaconsortium working group was created in spring 2009 in order to adapt the accumulated
scientific and technical experience for the current market realities and business requirements. At the same
time a memorandum of understanding was signed between the parties, covering the continuation of
marketing, technical and economic research of the integral configuration widebody short- and medium-haul
aircraft. The working group had developed the initial technical and marketing requirements, determining the
aircraft’s outlook and market niches where it can be used. Market studies have shown the efficiency of this
aircraft for low cost airlines.

Fig. 5 Memorandum of understanding between OAO UAC and OAO FPG Rosaviaconsortium

The joint work of OAO UAC and OAO FPG Rosaviaconsortium had also led to an agreement to conduct a
whole range of activities in 2011-2012 in order to create the scientific and technical base and develop the
technical proposal, including more precise strength and aerodynamic tests; at the same time technological
feasibility of the project is to be jointly evaluated.

Special attention is to be paid to the development of a system to determine the criteria and standards for
Frigate EcoJet technological accessibility. The system involves structuring the project’s processes and
development of the forecast models allowing for more precise planning and task evaluation. Key advantage
of the system proposed by UAC is the visualization of the project’s lifecycle and the possibility to identify
bottlenecks. The project matrix shown below will be used during the implementation of the project:

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Frigate EcoJet Airlines Advisory Board Formed
In the beginning of September 2010 OAO FPG Rosaviaconsortium management has created a consulting
board with the airlines to facilitate the development of the widebody short- and medium haul aircraft, the
Frigate Ecojet. One of the key goals set before the board is to incorporate the practical experience in civil
aircraft operations in Russia and the airlines’ requirements for the developed aircraft.

The first members of the airlines advisory board are S7 and UTair, the leading Russian regional airlines.
This choice is not random: according to the Transport Clearing House, in 2009 S7 and UTair held the
second and third rating by the number of passengers carried on national routes. Moreover, these airlines
are focused on short and medium range flights (about 3500 km), which Frigate EcoJet is being developed
for. Prospectively, S7 and UTair may become the potential customers for the new aircraft.

On the other hand, participation of the two largest regional airlines in the work on the new aircraft’s
technical design, airworthiness and MRO systems is invaluable for the project’s success. The lack of
serious practical input from the airlines during the development of Soviet civil aircraft created serious
operational problems in the future. During the development of Frigate EcoJet technical proposal, S7
specialists had assisted in the estimation of the new aircraft’s economic efficiency in the actual airline route
network.

All airlines that might be interested in a widebody short- and medium-haul aircraft will be invited to the
advisory board. OAO FPG Rosaviaconsortium also intends to invite financial and leasing companies, that
will provide firm understanding of the regional and international airline market requirements and create a
‘soft’ order for the new aircraft in the future.

The first working group meeting is to be held before the end of September 2010. This session will be
devoted to the development of a working plan and scope of issues for the advisory board.

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The Frigate EcoJet brand
Development of the Frigate EcoJet brand strategy was based on the best international practices of
development and promotion of international industrial brands.

Frigate EcoJet brand mission is the creation of internationally competitive next-generation civil widebody
short- and medium-haul aircraft based on a new aerodynamic configuration, to be introduced in 2014-2016.
Integral efficiency of these aircraft will be 15-20% higher compared to 2010 aircraft. Developed in
cooperation with Zhukovsky institute (TsAGI), Frigate EcoJet is to become a base for the implementation of
innovative solutions and technologies developed by the Russian aircraft industry.

Our vision of the Frigate EcoJet brand involves the following practical tasks:

 Development of an aircraft needed by the market, which will allow the customers to reduce the
basic MRO and fuel costs by several times, and to optimize their route networks. The airlines are
offered not just a new aircraft but rather a new approach towards passenger operations;
 The aircraft must comply with the strictest international noise and emission requirements;
 Frigate EcoJet is an international project, incorporating all accumulated experience in aircraft
design, utilizing full-scale mutually beneficial ‘win-win’ cooperation;
 Frigate EcoJet must become a truly innovative project. It is already based on the innovative
solutions offered by the Russian designers and researchers. On the other hand, the project is
intended to serve as a platform for innovative technologies that can stimulate Russian aircraft
industry as a whole.

The Frigate EcoJet brand strategy is founded on four basic values inherent to a modern aircraft:

 Operational economy;
 Eco-friendliness;
 International cooperation;
 Innovativeness.

These values fully reflect the Frigate EcoJet brand key message – it is a project aimed to develop an
economical and eco-friendly aircraft using innovative technologies and solutions and cooperation with
international partners. This message reflects the values envisioned by the working group. Brand
communications strategy and the visual style fully represent these four basic values. The logo was inspired
by the unusual shape of the aircraft, and real-world counterparts underline the project’s international scope,
its eco-friendliness, operational economy and innovativeness. These images form the basis of the new
aircraft’s logo.

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Depictions of the Frigate EcoJet brand values

Eco-friendliness Innovativeness International Operational
cooperation economy

Frigate EcoJet logo

The name Frigate EcoJet also conveys the base values of the new aircraft brand:

 Frigate – a light and fast, yet capacious, sailing ship;

 Eco – reflects the two base values – ‘operational economy’ and ‘eco-friendliness’ (environmentally
friendly), which are the key requirements for the modern aircraft;

 Jet – a jetliner.

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Frigate EcoJet roadmap
Dear friends,
I am glad to present the first issue of the newsletter devoted to Frigate EcoJet, the innovative Russian
short- and medium-haul widebody aircraft. Many years of research on integral configuration aircraft and
non-traditional designs conducted by ОАО FPG Rosaviaconsortium design bureau have led to the project
that, I firmly believe, is needed by the Russian and international airlines.

As of now, the most important stages of the feasibility study have been completed. TsAGI specialists have
conducted two stages of the crucial research commissioned by OAO FPG Rosaviaconsortium.

The technical proposal stage involved the development of the aircraft layout with the oval fuselage and the
feasibility study for the innovative fuselage configuration providing load accommodation. As a result, TsAGI
has given its approval for the Frigate EcoJet technical proposals, proving serious technical base of the
project. The specialists concluded that the proposed aircraft configuration is not only possible but is also
feasible at the current technological level, and that the integrated efficiency of the new aircraft will be 35%
higher compared to the existing models.

The second stage of design work involved the research of the airframe and structural design of the Frigate
EcoJet aircraft using a thorough finite element model. The research demonstrated that the planned
durability can be achieved using the set weight limits. The aircraft’s flight characteristics will allow it to take
the niche of Il-86 aircraft by passenger capacity. At the same time it should be noted that the calculated
take-off weight of Frigate EcoJet will be 80 tons less compared to the Il-86.

The next step OAO FPG Rosaviaconsortium and TsAGI will take in this direction is the joint program of
experimental research of Frigate EcoJet design elements.

I think we have chosen a correct technical course, which we intend to follow.

Moreover, until mid-2011 working group on Frigate EcoJet project has set the task to form a system of
production. In the next 18 months we are to develop the concept of industrial cooperation, supply chain
management model and identify the list of prime and alternative suppliers. That is, in other words to create
a technological basis for the project.

Another, no less important area of the project is the development of well-grounded financial and economic
model. OAO FPG Rosaviaconsortium intends to finance work on the clarification of marketing requirements
for the Frigate EcoJet aircraft from potential customers, including network airlines and the largest low cost
carriers. In August 2010 airlines advisory board was established, comprising S7 and UTair, the leaders in
Russian air transport market. In the nearest future the advisory board will also include other Russian and
international airlines, as well as financial leasing companies.

Development of a well-grounded financial and economic model for the project will be the first and the most
important step towards finding a strategic financial investor. We want this model to incorporate all basic and
specific risks for this project, and to provide the potential investors with the most complete and accurate
information on the Frigate EcoJet project. We intend to examine the project financing opportunities
provided by the leading Russian and international banks, venture and private equity funds. Before that, the
working group will have to develop an attractive offer with precise ROI calculations. In order to do that, we
will consider both the production risks and the risks related to sales and after-sales support. We want to
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take into account all the parameters and explain to the investors potential benefits from participating in the
Frigate EcoJet project.

Members of the Frigate EcoJet team continue their work with enthusiasm and will keep you informed about
our successes!

With best regards,

Alexander Klimov

Head of the Frigate EcoJet Program

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Frigate EcoJet Project Technical Overview

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