Type Seaplane In service 2005 Produced 2005 | Place of origin Vietnam Designed 2003 Used by Vietnam | |
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The VNS-41 is the first amphibious microlight aircraft made in Vietnam. The A41 Factory (officially Aircraft Repairing Company A-41) under the Air Force and Air Defense Department (Ministry of Defense) manufactured the aircraft based on the Russian Che-22 "Korvet" design by Boris Chernov and E.Yungerov. A Che-22 was acquired by Vietnam in the late 1990s from the Philippines.
Technicians began developing the VNS-41 in June 2003. On September 12, 2005, the prototype took off for its final test before being produced for the market.
Fitted with two Rotax engines, the VNS-41 is 6.98 m (22 ft 11 in) long and 2.535 m (8 ft 3.8 in) high, with a wingspan of 11.65 m (38 ft 3 in) and a maximum takeoff weight of 780 kg (1,720 lb). Its entire hull, tail and middle wing are made of high-quality composite materials. It can carry two or three people and can travel at a speed of 120–135 km/h (75–84 mph). It has an 80-litre (21-gallon) capacity fuel tank, permitting it to fly for about four hours, and reach a maximum range of 300 km (190 mi) and a maximum height of 3,000 m (9,800 ft) above sea level. It requires a 50–70 m (160–230 ft) takeoff run on land and a 200–300 m (660–980 ft) run on water.
The VNS-41 will initially be used in forestry (forest patrol) and agriculture but will also be marketed for sport, travel and commercial applications.