Antonov State Enterprise (Kyiv), part of Ukroboronprom state concern, is expected by the end of the year to receive a firm order from the Interior Ministry for the production of 13 new transport An-178 aircraft with a lifting capacity of 18 tonnes for the State Emergencies Service and the National Guard of Ukraine.
According to the press service of the state concern, within a preliminary agreement of the parties announced by Interior Minister Arsen Avakov at the 53rd international aerospace show Le Bourget 2019 (France), the signing of a contract to build 13 new An-178s for the ministry agencies is scheduled for autumn.
According to President of Antonov State Enterprise Oleksandr Donets, in the near future the enterprise plans to complete the design and certification of new An-178 airplanes, which is expected to be equipped with Ukrainian, American and European equipment. The transfer of the first aircraft to the customer is preliminarily scheduled for 2021-2022.
Head of Ukroboronprom Pavlo Bukin noted the production of aircraft for the domestic customer is considered to be the key condition for the resumption of serial production of aircraft in Ukraine.
