Russian-Ukrainian-German Group Says
An-7X is Better Solution Than A400M

The sole An-70 transport aircraft will take a break from flight testing to appear here at ILA.

ILA 2000: Only a political decision can stop the joint Russian-Ukrainian-German An-7X being selected instead of the Airbus A400M as the next transport for Germany, program executives believe.

But the An-7X will go into production even if Germany and other NATO states do not choose it, according to Leonid Terentyev, Director General of the international consortium STS (the Russian acronym for "medium transport aircraft").

Germany stands alone among the seven nations in the Airbus Military Company in not officially endorsing the A400M, although German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping reduced hopes for the An-7X with qualified support for Airbus just before ILA -- the qualification being Russia and Ukraine must be involved.

Earlier, Germany broke ranks with the Airbus members in deciding to evaluate the An-7X. "That was more than political," Terentyev told Show News. "The massive involvement of Germany's industry in the project is a convincing proof of it," he said.

Members of the German AirTruck Consortium in the An-7X include Rolls-Royce Deutschland, Liebherr Aerospace, VDO-Luftwahrgerate Werk (engine controls /maintenance) and Bodenseewer Geratetechnik (flight controls). The German firms joined the An-7X project without waiting for an all-European decision on the next military cargo aircraft.

Terentyev believes the total cost of development and procurement of 288 new aircraft for the air forces of the European countries will be some $10 billion less than for the A400M.

The An-7X builds on the An-70 with improved avionics, a two- or three-man cockpit, and new cargo handling equipment that complies with NATO standards. The An-7X is slated to fly in 2001.

Two aircraft will be built this year and will join the flight test program. Russia has recognized the importance of the An-70 and quadrupled state funding for the program from last year's levels.

Russia plans to buy 164 aircraft and Ukraine 65. Germany has a requirement for 75, Terentyev believes.

By Nikolai Novichkov

©Show News 2000