Iran-140 (Antonov 140)
Iran Air, the national airline of Iran, had under way a massive fleet renewal and expansion plan and had been expected to expend an estimated $7 Billion on aircraft purchases. In light of such demand, local manufacturers, by capitalizing upon technological incentives offered by international manufacturers to win sales, had been able to formulate production outsourcing and joint partnering ventures. The outcome of these steps led to the launch of a joint venture for the manufacture of the Antonov 140, a 60-70 seat passenger aircraft.
HESA, the center of excellence in Aeronautics in Iran is responsible for manufacture, co-production, export and managing the marketing, sales and support of Iran-140 Aircraft (a license produced version of the Antonov An-140). According to the manufacturer, advanced technology, superior design features, excellent reliability and performance combined to make Iran-140 one of the most successful regional prop-jet in the world at the time. The Iran-140 is a pressurized, twin turbo prop, high wing aircraft, which combines a rapid transit speed (310Kts, 575 Km/h) with outstanding performance in "Hot and High" climates. Its added ability to operate from unprepared airfields makes it an ideal aircraft for any regional network.
The Iran-140 fuselage provides for an excellent passenger/cargo loading capability, which along with high wing, permits ample clearance for ground servicing vehicles. Other features: Exceptional pilot visibility from the cockpit, very good low speed handling, aregged fuselage structure with an economic life of 20,000 landings, carefully placed passenger and service doors, plus a range of gross weights to meet operator requirements.
A six bladed swept back advance technology propellers is composed of a metallic spar embedded in a composite sheath. Iran-140 power plant, with millions of flying hours it is a reliable engines that integrates propeller and engine controls into a propulsion system that is ideally suited to the Iran-140 Aircraft.
Maritime patrol, including roles such as electronic warfare, anti-ship missile firing and long range missile guidance relay, emphasizes a need for at least 7 hours endurance. The An-140 does not have such a capability yet, but some modifications were being planned to enlarge aircraft's fuel tanks, and by adding additional tanks to the outboard wing section. The Iranian Navy had expressed its willingness to operate the An-140 in offensive and patrol roles, equipping it with a 360-deg surface search radar. Other equipment options would include an infrared/ultra-violet line scanner (IR/UVLS), forward looking airborne radar (FLAR), side looking airborne radar (SLAR), laser fluorescent sensor (LFS), microwave radiometer (MWR), forward looking Infra-red (FLIR), magnetic anomaly detector (MAD), electronic support measures/radar warning receiver (ESMRWR), antisurface weapons and a video camera with data annotation.
The Antonov An-140 military AEW version would be equipped with a rotodome and a yet to be determined surveillance radar. Iran had an urgent requirement for at least a dozen of such aircraft due to its diverse topography.
The first Hesa-produced Iran-140 was completed in 2001, but the company had yet to find a domestic customer for the aircraft, which was being seen with scepticism by Iranian civilian operators.
On 22 December 2002 an Antonov An-140 departed Kharkov at 11:23 for a flight to Isfahan, Iran via Trabzon. The passengers, aerospace scientists and executives, were to visit the test flight of the Iran-140, an Antonov An-140 built under license in Iran. At 13:45 the flight landed at Trabzon, Turkey for refueling. About one hour later, at 14:51, the plane took off heading for Isfahan. While descending towards Isfahan in an area of poor visibility, the aircraft collided with a mountain. Iran's civil aviation authority announced that a pilot's failure to correctly use a cockpit global positioning system (GPS) caused the crash.
Another crash, due to engine flameout, was reported in August 2005. The aircraft diverted to Arak airport where it made an emergency landing, running off the runway and sustaining serious damage.
In June 2006 HESA responded to rumors that Iran-140 production had stopped by announcing its planned deliveries to of 4 aircraft to domestic clients. 2 aircaft were delivered to Mahan Airlines. Payment problems, however, prevented the delivery of the two other aircraft, one each, to Safiran Airlines and Iran's Bank of Industry and Mine. Potential foreign contracts to Venezuela and Sudan were also announced.
