Ukraine, Russia Plan to Build 13 Modernized An-70 Military Transport Planes

Antonov An-70 engine (photo : aviation.ru)
KIEV, (Itar-Tass) -- Ukraine and Russia plan to build 13 upgraded An-70 short take-off and landing tactical military transport aircraft, the president and chief designer of Ukraine’s Antonov state enterprise told Itar-Tass on Saturday.

According to Dmitry Kiva, An-70 flight tests will soon be over, static tests are underway, and the enterprise is getting ready to launch mass production in Kiev. The new version of the plane has been profoundly modernized to be equipped with an upgraded power unit, a new generation secondary power unit, an electronic display system, an electronic environment control system, new aircraft instrumentation, a new radar complex and a fly-by-wire system. All these modifications, Kiva said, will help the An-70 retain its competitive advantages, since in every aspects it is superior to the European A-400M military transport plane.
Antonov An-70 heavyweight transport aircraft (photo : Airliners) According to Antonov experts, the An-70 market capacity is estimated at 700 planes.
Currently, the enterprise is building first two modernized An-70 planes to the order from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. The first plane is expected to be turned out in 2011, the second one – in 2012.It is planned to build two more An-70 aircraft in 2013, fourt – in 2014, and five – in 2015.
The Antonov-70 is a new propfan powered medium-size wide-body short take-off and landing transport aircraft designed as a replacement for the An-12 ‘Cub.’ The aircraft is capable of delivering 20-35 tons of cargo over the range of 5,000-6,600 kilometers at cruising speed of 750 kilometers per hour.

(ITAR-TASS)