Scientific and technical activities of Volodymyr Alekseevich Lotarev

A well-known scientist, general designer of aviation gas turbine engines, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Volodymyr Alekseevich Lotarev was born on November 15, 1914 in the city of Shakhty, Rostov Region, into a family of a worker.

Lotarev V.O. began his career in 1930, working in repair shops in Shakhty as an electric winder.

Volodymyr Alekseevich Lotarev received his higher technical education at the Kharkov Aviation Institute, graduating with honors from the Faculty of Engine Engineering in 1939.

In 1939, Lotarev V.O. entered the aircraft engine plant No. 29 in Zaporizhzhia as a design engineer and worked as a 1st category designer, head of the design team, leading designer, deputy head of the serial design bureau, participating in the production of engines for LA-5 and Tu-2 combat aircraft.

Since 1945, Lotarev V.O. worked as deputy chief designer, first deputy chief designer of DKB-478.

In 1968, Lotarev V.O. was appointed chief designer – head of the Zaporizhzhia Machine-Building Design Bureau «Progress». In 1981, he was awarded the title of General Designer of Aircraft Engines.

During his work in responsible design positions, V.O. Lotarev made an exceptionally significant contribution to the science of designing, testing and industrial production of new models of aircraft engines.

For successful activities in the field of creating aviation equipment, V.O. Lotarev was awarded:

• in 1948 – the State Prize for the development of the AI-26V helicopter engine;
• in 1960 – the State Prize for the creation of the Il-18 aircraft with AI-20 engines;
• in 1976 – the State Prize for the development and implementation of inert gas generators for extinguishing fires and preventing explosions in mines.

For his enormous contribution to aviation and the national economy, Lotareva V.O. was awarded many orders and medals.

The Zaporizhzhia Machine-Building Design Bureau «Progress» under the leadership of Lotareva V.O. developed, refined, and introduced into the national economy a large number of aircraft engines, each of which was at the highest level of technical progress.

These objects include:

• a family of piston aircraft engines for airplanes and helicopters of various purposes, which were widely produced and used in various sectors of the national economy in the 1950s and 1960s, some of which are still in operation;
• a family of starting aircraft engines and on-board power plants used on both civil and military aircraft;
• a family of main-stroke turboprop engines based on the AI-20 engine in the 4000-5200 hp power class, which are installed on various passenger, military transport, and special aircraft: Il-18, An-8, An-10, An-12, Il-38, Be-12, An-32;
• family of AI-24 turboprop engines in the power class of 2400–2550 hp, installed on aircraft of various purposes: An-24, An-26, An-30;
• double-circuit turbojet engine AI-25 for the unique passenger aircraft of local airlines Yak-40, which for several decades was widely operated in the passenger transportation system and is still part of a number of airlines;
• double-circuit turbojet engine AI-25TL for the Czechoslovak-developed training aircraft L-39 – a universal aircraft for initial training of flight personnel;
• D-36 double-circuit turbojet engine with a high degree of double-circuitity for the Yak-42 passenger aircraft and the An-72 and An-74 military transport aircraft, which are in service with the Air Forces of a number of countries. The D-36 engine project, implemented in the mid-70s, was a «breakthrough» project to achieve a new level of economic and operational characteristics of aircraft;
• the world’s most powerful helicopter gas turbine engine D-136 for the Mi-26 heavy military transport helicopter, which has no world analogues in terms of its payload. The helicopter is in service with the BBC of a number of countries, and is also used in the Ministry of Emergency Situations system;
• the most powerful, created in the USSR, double-circuit turbojet engine with a high degree of double-circuitity D-18T, installed on super-heavy military transport aircraft An-124 «Ruslan» and An-225 «Mriya».

As a far-sighted scientist and designer-innovator V.O. Back in the early 1970s, Lotarev predicted the prospects of turbojet engines with a high degree of double-circuitry, contrary to the opinion of the aviation scientific circles of the USSR at that time, which only discussed the feasibility of creating engines of such a scheme.

Showing initiative and perseverance, he achieved a government decree to create the D-36 engine – the first engine in the USSR with a high degree of double-circuitry, which became the basis for the subsequent creation of a number of modifications for various aircraft, both civilian and military.

Having gained vast design, technological and production experience during the implementation of the D-36 engine project, the company began in the late 70s to develop a large-scale project of a turbofan engine with a high degree of double-circuitity D-18T for the heavy strategic military transport aircraft An-124 «Ruslan». The engine was created in the USSR for the first time, as was an aircraft with 4 engines of unique dimensions and payload. The firm conviction of the General Designer of the aircraft O.K. Antonov and the General Designer of the engine V.O. Lotarev, in that the project was implemented on the basis of the scientific and engineering experience achieved by the teams, led to the implementation of such a complex and grandiose project.

Today, the need and expediency of creating engines with a high degree of double-circuitity is an indisputable axiom; all passenger and transport aircraft of any size are equipped with them.

The priority in the practical implementation of engine projects with a high degree of double-circuitity, of course, belongs to the Ukrainian aircraft engine industry and, first of all, to its leader for many years – General Designer V.O. Lotarev.

A vivid example of the foresight of V.O. Lotarev on the issue of the development of aircraft engine manufacturing in the long term was the decision to develop in the mid-80s a project of a turboprop fan engine D-27 for the medium military transport aircraft An-70 with unique take-off and landing characteristics.

The project went through a difficult path, but was completed with the successful conduct of state tests in 2012. The D-27 engine still has no analogues in the world aircraft engine manufacturing.

During the management of the enterprise V.O. Lotarev created a strong and capable creative team that accumulated extensive experience and knowledge in the field of creating complex equipment and gained international recognition as a full-fledged and equal developer of aircraft engines for various purposes.

The General Designer attached great importance to the development and growth of the intellectual and industrial potential of the enterprise – as the basis for the successful and fruitful work of the team in the long term.

Professionalism and responsibility of designers, technologists, production workers, strict adherence to technological discipline in all areas of activity, loyalty to the task entrusted – the main principles of the personnel policy carried out by V.O. Lotarev.

By the end of the 80s, ZMKB «Progress» represented a close-knit, professional team, which allowed it to survive the economic crisis of the early 90s with minimal losses.

The development of complex and science-intensive projects in the 70s and 80s strengthened and deepened the foundations of its own scientific and design school for the design and creation of gas turbine engines, the foundation of which was laid by the founder of the enterprise O.G. Ivchenko, and which received a new round of its development under the leadership of his successor V.O. Lotarieva.

A characteristic feature of the Zaporizhzhia engineering design methodology has always been a thorough study of all gas-dynamic and design solutions and their optimization in order to ensure: absolute safety, high reliability, resource, economy, operational and production manufacturability, compliance with modern international airworthiness standards.

An extremely important engineering and economic concept that guided the designers of the Progress ZMKB was to consider the possibility of its further development when developing any new engine design, creating various modifications on its basis for different types of aircraft and ground-based power plants.

So at different times, in a short time, a whole range of modified variants was created on the basis of the basic engines: AI-20, AI-24, AI-25, AI-9, D-36, which not only significantly improved the flight and technical characteristics of the aircraft on which they were installed, but also moved into the categories of other types and purposes (helicopter, aerobatic, power plant drives). Deep modifications of the D-36 engine are still needed and are installed on the following aircraft: An-148, An-158, An-178.

For great scientific achievements in the field of creating aircraft engines, V.O. Lotarev was awarded the degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences in 1971; In 1976, he was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, in 1982, by the Decision of the Higher Attestation Commission under the Council of Ministers of the USSR, he was awarded the academic title of professor in the specialty of design and strength of aircraft engines, and in 1985, V.O. Lotarev was elected a full member of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

In 2021, Volodymyr Lotarev was awarded the title of «Honorary Citizen of Zaporizhzhia Region» for his significant personal contribution to the formation and development of aircraft construction in Ukraine.

An outstanding scientist, talented engineer and manager, Doctor of Technical Sciences, full member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, General Designer V.O. Lotarev, at a certain historical stage of the activity of ZMKB «Progress», made a huge contribution to its development and establishment as a reputable enterprise-developer of aircraft engines, as well as to the strengthening of such a high-tech industry as aircraft engine building in Ukraine.