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18-50
Role	regional airliner, business jet
National origin	Russia
Manufacturer	Mikoyan; Aviaprom
Designer	Farukh Muhamedov; Aleksandr A. Yefimov
Status	Cancelled project

The Mikoyan MiG 18-50 (Cyrillic Микоян МиГ 18-50) was a 1990s Russian project to develop an aircraft that could be configured as a regional airliner or as a business jet with intercontinental range.^[2]^[3]^[4] The 18-50 designation reflected these two roles, referring to the 18 seats it would have in business-jet configuration, or its 50 seats as an airliner.^[2]^[3]^[4] Mikoyan did not put the design into production, and by 1993 it was taken up by Aviaprom for further development, first as the Eurasia 18-50 (Евразия 18-50) and then evolved into an 8- to 18-seat business jet as the Aviastayer (Авиастайер).^[1]^[5]

Design

The design of the 18-50 was similar to other aircraft of its type.^[4]^[6] It was designed as a low-wing, cantilever monoplane with a cruciform tail and all flying surfaces swept.^[2]^[4] Two turbofan engines were to be mounted in nacelles on the sides of the rear fuselage.^[2]^[4] It was to be equipped with retractable tricycle undercarriage.^[2]^[4]

In business jet configuration, it was to be equipped with a comprehensive communications suite including telephone and telefax systems.^[6] As an airliner, passengers would be seated four abreast, with a centre aisle.^[4] Mikoyan also considered a 75- to 100-seat version with a stretched fuselage.^[4]

Development

The 18-50 project originated in collaborative design studies carried out in the late 1980s between the Tajik Aviation Association, the Saratov Aviation Factory, and the Riga Civil Aviation Engineers Institute (RKIIGA)^[6]^[7]

During the final years of the Soviet Union, aviation manufacturers came under government konversiya directives that aimed to repurpose Cold War military manufacturing capability to peaceful purposes. Business jets — termed "administrative service" (административно служебными; administrativno sluzhebnymi) aircraft — were a promising and hitherto unexplored market,^[5] and industry research indicated strong international demand for such aircraft.^[6] In 1990, Mikoyan commenced development of such an aircraft as a konversiya project,^[4] based on the previous design studies^[6] and in conjunction with the original partner organisations.^[6]^[7] This would be only one of several such designs from the Russian aerospace industry around this time.^[5] It was distinguished from its competitors not only by its communications suite, but a truly intercontinental range, and a very high level of interior comfort.^[6] Mikoyan presented the business-jet version at the Asian Aerospace 1990 airshow in Singapore.^[8] Aviation trade publication Air International judged the project to be "a good prospect for Western collaboration" in the context of the "fast disintegrating Eastern bloc."^[8]

The following year, the Soviet Ministry for the Aviation Industry created the Aviaprom organisation to co-ordinate activities across the whole aviation sector, and by July, it had become a Joint Stock Company.^[6] Mikoyan shared development of the 18-50 with this new enterprise, where it gained the new name Eurasia 18-50^[7] By the time Aviaprom publicly exhibited the design at the 1993 Paris Air Show, it was named the Aviastayer.^[1] As the Aviastayer, it was configured for 8 to 18 passengers and its range had been extended from 10,000 kilometres (6,210 mi; 5,400 nmi) to 12,000 kilometres (7,460 mi; 6,480 nmi).^[5]

Work on the Aviastayer continued until at least 1994, when the design underwent wind-tunnel testing at TsAGI.^[6] Mikoyan's contribution to the project was conducted from the company's branch office in Dushanbe. The ongoing Tajikistani Civil War contributed to the demise of the project.^[2]^[9]

Specifications (as designed)

Data from Taylor, Lambert & Munson 1993, p.288

General characteristics

Crew: two pilots
Capacity: 18 passengers (business jet), 50 passengers (regional airliner)
Length: 24.90 m (81 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 23.30 m (76 ft 5 in)
Height: 7.55 m (24 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 64 m² (690 sq ft)
Empty weight: 20,200 kg (44,533 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 36,000 kg (79,366 lb) (business jet); 39,000 kilograms (86,000 lb) (regional airliner)
Powerplant: 2 × Lotarev D-36 turbofans, 63.74 kN (14,330 lbf) thrust each

Performance

Cruise speed: 850 km/h (530 mph, 460 kn)
Range: 10,000 km (6,200 mi, 5,400 nmi) (business jet); 8,400 kilometres (5,220 mi; 4,540 nmi) (regional airliner)
Service ceiling: 12,500 m (41,000 ft) (business jet); 11,000 metres (36,100 ft) (regional airliner)

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Muhamedov 2013, p.129
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Gordon & Komissarov 2013, p.185
^ ^a ^b Taylor 1993, p.947
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Taylor, Lambert & Munson 1993, p.288
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Drozdov 2019, p.117
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Muhamedov 2013, p.57
^ ^a ^b ^c Gunston 1995, p.40
^ ^a ^b "Airdata File" p.320
^ Muhamedov 2013, p.56

Bibliography

"Airdata File". Air International. Vol. 38, no. 6. West Drayton, Middlesex: Tri-Service Press. June 1990. pp. 316–20.
Drozdov, Sergey Valerievich (2019). "Между Як-42Д и «Суперджетом" [Between Yak-42D and "Superjet"]. Крылья Родины. No. 5–6. Moscow: KR-media. pp. 106–18.
Gordon, Yefim; Komissarov, Sergey (2013). Unflown Wings: Soviet and Russian Unrealised Aircraft Projects 1925-2010. Manchester: Créey Publishing.
Gunston, Bill (1995). The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875-1995. Oxford: Osprey.
Muhamedov, Farukh (2013). Авиаконструктор XXI век [21st Century Aero-Designer]. Moscow: Russkiye vityazi.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1993). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
Taylor, Michael J.H.; Lambert, Mark; Munson, Kenneth, eds. (1993). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1993-94 (84th ed.). Coulson, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group.