The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and state-owned enterprise (SOE) Antonov signed a memorandum of cooperation in the construction of aircraft for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The memorandum was signed with the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the press service of the head of state said.
At the first stage, this is about three new military transport aircraft An-178, which will receive the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They can be used for the delivery of personnel, weapons and light military equipment by landing and parachute methods, as well as for the transportation of goods.
“These new aircraft will be constructed by Ukrainian citizens, from Ukrainian components, for Ukrainian interests. Actually, the way it should be,” Zelensky said before the document signing ceremony, which took place at SOE Antonov.
The Antonov State Enterprise (Kyiv) plans to enter the final stage in terms of testing, certifying and creating a new configuration of the An-178 medium cargo transport aircraft without Russian components, State Enterprise President Oleksandr Los has said in an interview with the Ekonomichna Pravda edition.
“Beginning from January 1, 2023, we are to expand the production of An-178 to 12 aircraft per year alongside developing financial framework, expanding markets, and processing state orders from Ukrainian companies,” he said.
“This is what we obtain from the potential marketing analysis that is needed by Ukrainian state authorities and meets the demands of our potential customers,” he added.
Los explained that due to the historically existing dependence on Russian components, the An-178 is the only immediately prepared serial production to date.
“Passenger An-158 aircraft is in order, since both models are related in terms of equipment. We are also starting to work on the aircraft under the working name of An-188,” the Antonov president said.
According to him, three An-148 and ten An-158 aircraft are currently in the Antonov serial production workshops at different stages of completion.
The president of the state enterprise said that for the time being COVID-19 pandemic complicates the work of Antonov, but plans are implemented as scheduled.
“As soon as I tried to increase the number of employees, the number of COVID cases immediately increased,” Los said, adding that the chief engineer of the enterprise had recovered from coronavirus.
A Ukrainian National Guard’s Antonov An-26 aircraft has delivered medical items to deal with the coronavirus infection from China to Lviv, a report posted on the Lviv International Airport’s Facebook account says.
“Arrived! Express tests for diagnosing coronavirus, medical facemasks of various level of protection, coverall suits and other articles necessary for countering epidemic spread,” the report says.
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.
Kyiv-based Antonov State Enterprise, a leading Ukrainian designer and manufacturer of aircraft, will showcase its new projects at the 12th international Aero India Show 2019, which will be held in Bangalore, India, on February 20-24.
The An-132D lightweight multi-purpose aircraft will be shown at the static parking lot and in demonstration flights at the air show; it will become one of the new aircraft of the air show, the enterprise said on Facebook on Tuesday.
The new plant, which was developed on the basis of the An-32, a well-known transport plane in India, boasts a weight-lifting ability of 9.2 tonnes, and in future may be an effective replacement for the famous “Silver Horse” [An-32] in the Air Force of India. “Also, Antonov State Enterprise is ready to continue the program of cooperation with India for extending the resource of the existing An-32 fleet from 40 to 50 years,” the company said.
As part of India’s national programs to provide regional passenger airports and passenger transportation, Antonov will present the Regional Wings project, based on proposals for the use of An-148/158 passenger aircraft. They can work effectively in the climatic and landscape conditions of the region.
The new projects that will be presented at the air show also include a program for the creation of the An-188 military transport aircraft for short take-off and landing, the company said.
The presentation of the An-132D multi-purpose aircraft at Aero India Show 2019 is planned jointly with the Saudi partners in the project – King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and TAQNIA Aeronautics Co. Currently, the partners are negotiating the development of the project and the conclusion of a contract for the finalization of the An-132D to the serial sample, Antonov told Interfax-Ukraine.
Antonov State Enterprise is the leading Ukrainian developer and manufacturer of aircraft, the world’s recognized leader in the niche of transport aircraft. By decision of the Ukrainian government, Antonov in 2015 became part of state-run Ukroboronprom Concern.
India is among the long-standing and promising partners of Ukraine, as the parties have been cooperating in the field of aircraft manufacturing and repair services for 20 years. In 2009, the parties concluded one of the largest contracts in the field of bilateral military-technical cooperation in the amount of about $400 million for the repair and retrofitting of 105 An-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
AERO INDIA SHOW, AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER, ANTONOV, NEW PROJECTS
Antonov state enterprise (Kyiv) intends to ensure the assembly and delivery of two regional An-158 jets for 97 passengers to the Ukrainian airline Fanair by the end of 2020. An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent said the relevant cooperation plans are enshrined in a memorandum of intent signed by the parties within the framework of the 11th international aerospace show Aviasvit XXI held in Kyiv on October 9-12.
The signing of the memorandum is the basis for signing a firm contract. According to the memorandum, the aircraft are to be delivered within six months after the activation of the contract under the scheme of financial leasing. The approximate delivery time of the aircraft is the end of 2020.
Antonov state enterprise is the leading Ukrainian developer and manufacturer of aircraft equipment, a recognized world leader in the niche of transport aircraft of the widest use. By decision of the government, the company has been part of Ukroboronprom state concern since 2015.
