Xian (AVIC) MA60 (Modern Ark 60)

History

The regional jet market could be lucrative for airlines, which in turn bodes well for aircraft manufacturers. Over the past two decades, with the growing popularity of shoulder-wing turboprop "twins", China's Xi'an Aircraft Industry Corporation (parent brand Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)) has become the global market for such aircraft . In August 2000, Sichuan Airlines launched the "Hyundai Ark 60" or "MA60" series, and has delivered more than 100 aircraft to various operators so far.

Variants of the range have also grown today (2018), including the two main offshoots of the MA600 and MA700 models detailed elsewhere on this site.

The shoulder-wing characteristics of these and similar aircraft allow for excellent control at low speeds and low altitudes, while generating a lot of lift to promote equally excellent STOL (short take-off and landing) qualities. This allows such aircraft to operate on rough/rough runways and reach areas on the map that are normally inaccessible.

Given the vast size of China, it makes sense to develop a strong utility performer with these attributes, the MA60 has proven to be a springboard (and with some success) for the Chinese aerospace industry, with production continuing to this day (2018) despite more than a dozen accidents involving this guy.

The origin of the MA60 sees it as an evolution of the earlier Xian Y7 (specifically the "Y7-200A") with similar form and function, an aircraft based on the operation/maintenance of the Soviet Antonov An-24 and An- 26 Airliner/Transport models (these are also twin-engined with shoulder wings). The Chinese obtained local production licenses for the aircraft, while also importing the aircraft for local operations - which in turn gave Chinese engineers full access to the best technology in the East at the time.

Although only 103 Y-7 turboprops were built, this design plays a major role in Xian/AVIC production today.

The MA60 uses the traditional shape found on turboprops: its cockpit (with two side-by-side seats) is positioned aft and above the short nose cone for excellent cockpit visibility. As expected, the fuselage is tubular and is dotted with rows of windows on each side. There are seats for about sixty passengers.

The main plane is higher along the sides of the fuselage and houses under-mounted engine nacelles (one engine per wing) and two main landing gear struts. The rear wing is conventional, with a large-area vertical stabilizer and low-mounted horizontal stabilizers.

In the front, below the nose section, is a two-wheeled nasal bone.

Dimensions include 81ft barrel length, 95.9ft wingspan and 29ft height. The empty weight is 30,200 lbs and the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is 48,050 lbs. Power comes from 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PW127J series turboprop engines, each delivering up to 2,750 hp. If you're driving closer to 270 mph, it can top out at 320 mph.

The range is close to 1,000 miles, and the plane's service is capped at 25,000 feet.

The first flight of the MA60 prototype was recorded on February 25, 2000, and production began in the same year. Type certification was obtained in June 2000, but the aircraft was only certified to fly in western airspace such as Europe or the United States.

By 2006, nearly 100 aircraft in the series had been ordered, and today (2018) there are still more than 310 on the books, built by operators around the world. The list includes Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, the Democratic Republic of Bolivia, Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Republic of Congo, Tajikistan, Tonga, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe. China is the largest operator of the series, with 24 in service and another 29 awaiting manufacture and delivery.

Some operators use multi-role aircraft at the military level, such as Bolivia, Cambodia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Laos and Zambia.

The MA60 includes the MA60-100, MA60-MPA, MA50, MA60H-500 and the aforementioned MA600 (described in detail elsewhere on this website). The MA60-100 has reduced operating weight for better performance, while the MA60-MPA "Intrepid Albatross" is a proposed military-oriented form of maritime patrol.

The MA40 can accommodate about 40 passengers, while the MA60H-500 is a military transport model with rear loading doors.

Specification

Basic

Production

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Performance

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Changes