Russia and Ukraine Carry on with An-70

Work has been completed on the repair of the crashed An-70 medium military air lifter at the Polyot manufacturing facility at Omsk. The aircraft flew again on June 5, and returned to the Antonov facility at Kiev two days later.

Ironically, the emergency landing of the An-70 experimental prototype at a high angle of attack proved the aerodynamic qualities and reliability of the craft. The machine did not bank away when two of its four engines failed, and practically all its onboard systems and engines remained undamaged, Leonid Terentiev, general manager of the consortium 'Medium Transport Aircraft' (MTA) told Show News.

Nevertheless, the accident threw the test program four months behind schedule, and as a result An-70 program managers have decided not to show the aircraft at Paris. The number one job now is to restore the schedule of flight certification and state trials for the An-70, which is to enter service with the Russian and Ukrainian Air Forces. To make up for the loss in time, the trials schedule will be significantly intensified in the second half of 2001.

The final choice of Russian-Ukrainian An-70 project participants and of series producers of aircraft components is due to be made by mid-2001. The main criteria are cost and the degree of the company's involvement in work, including the amount invested by the bidder. Cooperative participation of several companies in series production is also a possibility.

As in the West, teaming saves money. Savings on the engines alone has reached $400,000, while the total cost of the aircraft has slimmed down from the originally stated $50 million to about $40 million. Another possible means of cutting the cost of the aircraft could be tax benefits to companies which participate in An-70 manufacturing.

As plans stand, the various Russian and Ukrainian companies will cooperatively manufacture one An-70 military transport this year. By 2006, there will be five aircraft, at which point production will ramp up so that by 2018, Ukraine and Russia will procure 65 and 164 machines, respectively, for their national air forces.

After Western Europe refused to accept for service the An-7X based on An-70 and adapted to meet NATO requirements, the "Medium Transport Aircraft" consortium is promoting the advanced military air lifter on other export markets where Russian and Ukrainian aviation systems are traditionally welcome, Terentiev said.

A number of potential customers have expressed interest, among them the UAE, China, and Southeast Asian nations. In November 2000 the first demonstration of the craft in Southeast Asia took place at the Zhuhai air show. An-70 has been favorably assessed by Chinese military experts, in a preliminary examination. During the Zhuhai show the MTA consortium conducted talks on possible supplies of the aircraft to the Chinese market and possible license manufacture in China, Terentiev said.