The United Aircraft Corporation and Russian Emergencies Ministry signed the contract on construction and delivery of two An-148-100EM convertible passenger/medevac aircraft by VASO on 11 November 2010. According to the governmental acquisition website (zakupki.gov.ru), the contract’s value totalled 2.5 billion rubles, including 24 million rubles for a set of airfield support and checkout equipment. Thus, a per-unit cost accounts for 1.238 billion rubles (about $40 million). 

In line with the customer’s requirements, provision was made for five basic An-148-100EM layouts – two passenger and three combined passenger/medevac ones. The basic 39-seat passenger variant’s cabin is divided into three sections – the VIP enhanced comfort cabin with two armchairs and a three-seat sofa, eight-seat business class and 30-seat economy class. The other passenger version provides for a two-class layout – the VIP cabin and 49-seat economy-class cabin.

The passenger/medevac variants provide for replacing the seats in the third (or the second and third) cabins with two to six special medical modules fitted with resuscitation equipment and four seats for escorting personnel, while the VIP cabin is retained, as is the eight-seat business class cabin (as an option).

The aircraft is to be converted from one variant to another by the operator, with the installation time for a single medical module to be within 10–15 min. To enhance the efficiency of the aircraft, the medical modules, detached extra equipment and some of the economy-class seats can be carried in the luggage compartments under the floor.

The development and delivery of the An-148-100EM passenger cabin interiors is handled by the Rusaviainter company that also is responsible for the interior of the An-148-100EA ordered by the Russian President Property Management Department. The An-148-100EM passenger cabins are fitted with an advanced LED lighting system and a sophisticated integral information and entertainment system. Satellite communications and Internet access are available to the VIP. Provision also has been made for modification to the navigation suite beefed up with the RSBN-85 short-range radio-technical navigation system.

The medical module from the Zarechye close corporation is designed for controlling the state of the casualty in flight, running therapeutic procedures and providing emergency resuscitation aid in flight using cutting-edge medical equipment. The module itself is a base for a stretcher, fitted with a medical instrument rack and an IV transfusion set. The weight of the module plus four oxygen bottles and less the medical gear equals about 100 kg and its operating time on self-contained power supply is 2 h at the least. To fix the casualty in position, the stretcher is equipped with a set of quick-detachable restraining straps.

The first An-148-100EM designed for the Russian Emergencies Ministry (c/n 42-02, provisional reg. 61715) was assembled by VASO late last year. It was rolled out to the in-house flight test facility on 24 December 2012 where it conducted its maiden flight on 5 February 2013.

The modifications to the cabin layout and avionics suite and the introduction of the medical modules setting the An-148-100EM apart from the certificated baseline An-148-100E airliner necessitated a minor number of extra certification flights and ground tests held at VASO’s flight test facility between 25 January and 18 February 2013. The certification test programme completed included evaluation of aircraft layout variants providing for carriage of both passengers and stretcher-ridden casualties. Loading casualties on board and unloading them were tested, including doing so with the use of a special ladder, as were aircraft disembarkation techniques. Three tests were dedicated to evaluating improved systems and newly installed equipment. At the same time, assessment was made of the feasibility o carrying up to six casualties, monitoring their state of health by means of special medical equipment and rendering them medical aid. The tests involved experts with the certification centres of the IAC Aircraft Registry and GosNIIGA and Centrospas staff evaluating whether the aircraft meets the requirements or not, particularly, the requirements to evacuation of casualties from disaster-stricken areas and deployment of search-and-rescue teams there.

With the An-148-100 aircraft standard design main modification certification completed and the An-148-100EM model approved, the IAC Aircraft Register issued Supplement CT264-An-148/D10 to the aircraft’s type certificate on 28 March 2013.

Following three certification flights, the plane was painted in the colours of the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s air arm and given RA-61715 registration and the proper name Alexander Pokryshkin in honour of a legendary ace of the WWII, who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (the top military award at the time) three times.

The representatives of the customer and supplier signed the first An-148-100EM’s acceptance report in Voronezh on 10 April. “Today’s event is very important to the Voronezh Aircraft Plant”, said VASO Director General Vitaly Zubarev in this connection. “The Emergencies Ministry has gotten the unique aircraft version at its disposal – an up-to-date flying hospital meeting all international standards, including those governing the so-called catastrophe medicine, i.e. the branch of medicine designed to render assistance casualties of natural and man-made disasters. We are glad that it is our Voronezh-built plane that will serve the cause of saving peoples’ life and limb”. 

The first An-148-100EM was ferried to its base in Ramenskoye on 17 April by a Russian Emergencies Ministry crew of pilot Valery Kruze and co-pilot Georgy Kochkaryov. The crew also included test pilot Yuri Kabanov with GosNIIGA, who had taken part in the certification test programme.

At present, trials of the second An-148-100EM (c/n 42-03, RA-61717) designed for the Russian Emergencies Ministry are under way in Voronezh. The aircraft was assembled this spring and moved from the final assembly shot to the in-house flight test facility on 9 April. Its maiden flight took place on 24 May 2013. The second EMERCOM’s An-148-100EM is slated for service entry with the air arm of the Russian Emergencies Ministry in July 2013.