The song of the Russian turboshaft engine: the legend from the TV3-117 to the VK-2500
Turboshaft engine,This unique spiral tube airflow power device symbolizes the level of technology in a country's aviation industry. In this arena of chasing horsepower, the legend of the Russian turboshaft engine began with the successful development of the TV3-117 engine in the 70s of the 20th century, and in the 21st century, the birth of the VK-2500 series engine was ushered in, which is the first generation of 2000 horsepower turboshaft engine. It adopts a simple design concept, is large in weight but economical and practical, suitable for large-scale use, and is widely equipped with Russian *** and is also exported to China in large quantities. Excellent performance in actual combat. However, with the development of the times, TV3-117 has also begun to show signs of "Lao Ji Fu Fang". So in 2000, its new and upgraded VK-2500 engine officially appeared on the stage.
In 2007,The first flight of the VK-2500 engine was successful. On the basis of maintaining the simple and practical characteristics of TV3-117, its overhaul interval, reliability and performance have been greatly improved. Later, the VK-2500M engine was further optimized, with a single power of more than 2200 kilowatts, and the structure and concept were also in line with the modular design of the West. The successful development of the VK-2500 series of engines has directly contributed to Russia's determination to simultaneously develop and equip the Mi-28 and Ka-52 series of heavy armaments
With the help of turboshaft engines, Russian-style heavy armed forces have also begun to take off. Since 2014, the Ka-52*** has been equipped with a single 2,500 hp VK-2500 engine. Under its strong thrust, the Ka-52 surpassed the American-made Apache armed *** and later used for the Mi-28 Nm enhanced VK-2500P engine was also born, completely surpassing the 1300 horsepower turboshaft-9 engine used in China's domestic Z-10 armed ***.
In recent years,China also began mass-importing VK-2500 series engines from Russia. According to industry analysis, this has accumulated valuable experience for China's follow-up research and development of domestic heavy weapons. As a confirmation, at the beginning of 2024, our army's type of heavy armed forces of more than 10 tons have successfully made their first flight. From the first interpretation, the shape design of this model draws on the advanced SB-1 high-speed composite of the United States, which adopts the propulsion system combination of rigid coaxial rotor + propulsion propeller. Considering that China's current reliable high-power turboshaft engines are mainly made in Russia, in the development process of turboshaft engines, China and Russia have a complementary relationship of intertwined interests.
After the publication of the article "The Song of Russian Turboshaft Engines: The Legend from TV3-117 to VK-2500", it quickly caused a strong reaction on the Internet. Many netizens said that the article deeply analyzed the development of Russian-made turboshaft engines, which was eye-opening. Some netizens believe that the upgrading and improvement of turboshaft engines is an endless process, and Russia will launch new products with better performance in the future; On the basis of the VK-2500 engine, China has accumulated experience in the independent development of a domestic version of the turboshaft engine with high thrust. As for the new first flight of our army's heavy armament***, its details have yet to be declassified, I believe that with the passage of time, one day the true face of "bucks and alligators" will be revealed.
To sum up, the development and evolution of turboshaft engines is a spiraling process. In this horsepower race, China and Russia learn from each other, and jointly promote this core power plant to fly towards a higher and farther goal. Looking to the future, let's wait and see a new chapter in the turboshaft engine industry in both countries!
February** Dynamic Incentive Program