PZL M-28

infobox Aircraft
name =PZL M28
Skytruck / Bryza
type =STOL transport and patrol aircraft
manufacturer =PZL Mielec

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caption = Polish Navy PZL M28B Bryza 1R
designer = Antonov/PZL Mielec
first flight = 22 July 1984 (PZL An-28) 24 July 1993 (PZL M28 Skytruck)
introduced =
retired =
status =
primary user = Polish Air Force
more users = Polish Navy Vietnamese Air Force Royal Nepalese Army Air Service
produced =
number built = 176+ (including PZL An-28)
unit cost =
developed from= Antonov An-28
variants with their own articles =The PZL M28 Skytruck is a Polish STOL light cargo and passenger plane, produced by PZL Mielec, as a development of licence-built Antonov An-28. Early licence-built planes were designated PZL An-28. It has also maritime patrol and reconnaissance variants. In the Polish Navy they are named Bryza ("sea breeze").

Design and development

The Antonov An-28 was the winner of a competition against the Beriev Be-30 for a new light passenger and utility transport for Aeroflot's short haul routes, conceived to replace highly successful An-2 biplane. The An-28 is substantially derived from the earlier An-14. Commonality with the An-14 includes the high wing layout, twin fins and rudders, but it differs in having a new and far larger fuselage, plus turboprop engines. The original powerplant was the TVD-850, but production versions are powered by the more powerful TVD-10B, with three-blade propellers.

The An-28 made its first flight as the An-14M in September 1969 in the Ukraine. A subsequent preproduction aircraft first flew in April 1975. Production of the An-28 was then transferred to Poland's PZL Mielec in 1978, although it was not until July 22, 1984 that the first Polish-built production aircraft flew. The An-28's Soviet type certificate was awarded in April 1986.

PZL Mielec has become the sole source for production An-28s. Basic variant, not differing from the Soviet one, was designated PZL An-28 and powered with PZL-10S (licence-built TVD-10B) engines. They were built mostly for the USSR, until it broke up. The plane was next developed by the PZL Mielec into a westernised version powered by 820kW (1100shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65B turboprops with five-blade Hartzell propellers, plus some western (BendixKing) avionics (a distinguishing feature are exhaust pipes, sticking out on sides of engine nacelles). Designated the PZL M28 Skytruck, first flight was on 24 July 1993 and it is in limited production, mostly for export (39 produced by 2006). The type received Polish certification in March 1996, and US FAR Part 23 certificate on 19 March 2004.

Apart from the Skytruck, PZL Mielec developed a family of militarized light transport and maritime reconnaissance planes for the Polish Air Force and Polish Navy in the 1990s, with original PZL-10S engines, named PZL M28B in the Air Force and Bryza in the Navy. From 2000, newly produced M28Bs started to be equipped with five-blade propellers as well.

Description

It is a twin-engined high-wing strutted monoplane of all-metal structure, with twin vertical fins and a robust tricycle non-retractable landing gear, featuring a steerable nose wheel to provide for operation from short, unprepared runways where hot or high altitude conditions may exist. The M28 is best suited for passenger and/or cargo transportation.

*Short takeoff & landing (STOL) capability
*Perfect flight handling at low airspeeds
*High useful load, mission versatility
*Unpaved airstrip operating capability
*Easy access through rear cargo door, fitted with a hoist for cargo loading and relocation inside the cabin
*High-wing arrangement for protection of engines and propellers against damage when operating from unpaved airstrips
*Easy and quick conversion of the cabin interior configuration
*Low operating cost
*PT6 engines of inverted configuration for efficient protection against foreign object ingression owing to inertial separators installed inside air inlet ducts.

While of conventional design, one notable feature of the An-28 is that it will not stall, due to its automatic slats. An engine failure that would usually induce the wing to drop 30° is combated by an automatic spoiler forward of the aileron that opens on the opposite wing, restricting wing drop to 12° in five seconds.

Operational history

176 An-28s and M28s in all variants were built in Poland by 2006. Most numerous users are former Soviet civil aviation and the Polish Air Force and Navy (about 25 as of 2006), less numerous are used by the Polish civil aviation and in the USA, Nepal, Colombia, Venezuela, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Variants

Airframe Variants

;PZL An-28:Original variant build under Antonov licence, with PZL-10S (licence TV-10B) engines.;PZL M28 Skytruck:Development variant with redesigned hull and wings, new Pratt & Whitney Canada engines, new (western) avionics, 5-blade rotors, and some other minor changes.;PZL M28B Bryza:Militarized variants used by Polish Air Force and Polish Navy, similar to Skytruck, but with PZL-10S engines. ;PZL M28+ Skytruck Plus:Prototype of new lengthened variant with more internal space, not in production.

Variants in use by Polish Military

;PZL An-28TD:Basic transport variant. Used mainly for transport and paratroop training (2 built).;PZL M28B:Several similar improved transport variants featuring avionics and airframe upgrades: Bryza 1TD (2 built), M28B (3 built), M28B Salon (1 built), M28B TDII, TDIII and TDIV (2 built of each).;PZL M28B Bryza 1R:Maritime patrol and reconnaissance variant (equipped with: 360° Search and Surveillance Radar ASR-400, Link-11 datalink). Used mainly for sea border patrolling, search and rescue operations and protection of the national economical sea zone (7 built). ;PZL M28B Bryza 1E:Maritime ecological reconnaissance and patrol variant (2 built).;PZL M28B Bryza 1RM bis:Maritime patrol and reconnaissance variant with submarine detection capability, of 2004 (equipped with: 360° Search and Surveillance Radar ARS-800-2, ejection of single-use hydro-acoustic sonobuoys, Thermal Imaging System (FLIR), magnetic anomaly detector, Link-11 datalink). Used mainly for sea border patrolling, search and rescue operations and protection of the national economical sea zone (1 built as of 2006).;PZL M28 05 Skytruck:Maritime patrol and SAR variant for the Polish Border Guard, of 2006 (equipped with Search and Surveillance Radar ARS-400M and FLIR system) (1 built as of 2006).

Operators

;IDN
*Indonesia Air Police;NPL
*Royal Nepalese Army Air Service;POL
*Polish Air Force
*Polish Navy
*Polish Border Guard;USA;VEN
*Venezuelan Air Force;VIE
*Vietnam People's Air Force

pecifications (PZL M28)

aircraft specifications
ref=
jet or prop?=prop
plane or copter?=plane

crew=2
capacity=18 passengers, 12 airborne troops
payload main=3,083 kg
payload alt=6,782 lb
payload more=
length main=13.1 m
length alt=42 ft 11½ in
span main=22.06 m
span alt=72 ft 5 in
height main=4.9 m
height alt=16 ft 1 in
area main=39.7 m²
area alt=427.51 ft²
empty weight main=3,917 kg
empty weight alt=8,635 lb
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=7,000 kg
max takeoff weight alt=15,432 lb
engine (prop)=Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65B
type of prop=turboprops
number of props=2
power main=820 kW
power alt=1,100 shp
max speed main=350 km/h
max speed alt=189 kt
cruise speed main=350 km/h
cruise speed alt=189 kt
range main=1,365 km
range alt=737 nm
range more=with max fuel and 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) payload
ceiling main=
ceiling alt=
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=

ee also

aircontent

related=
*Antonov An-14
*Antonov An-28

similar aircraft=
*de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
*IAI Arava
*Dornier Do 228
*Harbin Y-12
*CASA C-212
*Shorts Skyvan

sequence=
see also=

References

*Wójcik, Sławomir. "Bryzy z Mielca, cz.I" in: "nowa Technika Wojskowa" 7-8/2006

External links

Webs
* [http://www.addison-aircraft.com/site/skytruck/skytruckeurope.htm European seller of SkyTruck]
* [http://www.skytruck.us/ Company that sells SkyTruck in US]

Films
* [http://www.skytruckcompany.com/editlivejava/userimages/skytruck1-1.swf Video with SkyTruck]