Monday, March 23, 2009

Ukraine To Finance Two Antonov AN-70s / Ukraine Ready To Provide Full Support To Aviation Branch

Ukraine To Finance Two Antonov AN-70s / Ukraine Ready To Provide Full Support To Aviation Branch
*The Ukrainian and Russian governments would all be very foolish not to capitalize on the problems facing the Airbus A-400M and quickly introduce the An-70 on the market. The timing could not be better for them. If they do not do it, it means that there is a yet-unreleased technical reason that blocks the An-70 production....said by A Taxpayer (DTN Defense-Technology News)
(NSI News Source Info) March 23, 2009: On March 16, 2009 Yuliya Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine, visited Aviant Kiev aviation plant – one of the enterprises of Antonov State Aircraft Building Concern. Y. V. Tymoshenko, speaking at the meeting with workers of the plant, noted that development of the aviation branch is one of the priority direction of activity of Ukrainian government. “AN-148 today is one of the main projects of our aviation industry.The AN-70 aircraft belongs to a new generation of the short takeoff and landing tactical military medium transport. AN-70 is capable to carry practically any item of the military armament and equipment nomenclature with a total weight up to 35-47 t of cargo over the 3,000-5100 km range at cruising speed of 700-750 km/h, air drop of personnel and vehicles, including the single piece of cargoes up to 21 t with both high and low altitudes, delivery of 300 soldiers and evacuation of 206 wounded and sick persons. Maximum service range is 8,000 km. Depending on the type of operation and takeoff weight, AN-70 can be operated both from the concrete runways of the 1550-1800 m length and unpaved strips of the 600-800 m length with a low covering strength. With the short takeoff and landing regime, when operating from the 600-800 m length unpaved runways, AN-70 is capable to carry 20 t of cargo to the 3,000 km range. Four D-27 engines with the SV-27 counter-rotating propfans ensure a high cruising speed and 20-30% fuel economy in comparison with modern turbojet airplanes. The integrated digital system of the airborne equipment provides operation of the aircraft at all latitudes, around-the-clock, in the VFR and IFR weather conditions, the flights over the military dispositions, the takeoff and landing from the unequipped unpaved airfields. Application of the equipment with the multiplex channels of data exchange makes it possible to modify and adapt easily the onboard avionics to any version. The build-in aerial delivery system ensures the autonomous loading/unloading of the wide range of cargoes and their air dropping. The onboard loading equipment consists of four overhead rail electric motor hoists with a total cargo lifting capacity of 12 t, two onboard electric winches with the 1.5-ton tractive effort each. At customer request the aircraft can be equipped with the easily removable upper deck or roller conveyer to automate the container handling operations.
I am ready to conduct personally diplomatic negotiations with the governments of the countries interested in purchase of AN-148”, said Y. V. Tymoshenko.
As Prime-minister said, the government is ready to give funds for production of two AN-70 military-transport STOL aircraft in accordance with the order of MoD of Ukraine.
D.S.Kiva, President of Antonov State Aircraft Building Concern, noted that “recovery of work at the serial plants is the most important factor of revival of aviation industry of Ukraine today. Giving funds for production of Antonov airplanes at Kiev and Kharkov aviation plants is the necessary and timely measure to overcome the crisis”.

2 comments:

Gilles said...

Antonov, the different manufacturers involved in the An-70 production, the Ukrainian and Russian governments would all be very foolish not to capitalize on the problems facing the Airbus A-400M and quickly introduce the An-70 on the market. The timing could not be better for them. If they do not do it, it means that there is a yet-unreleased technical reason that blocks the An-70 production.

Gilles said...

Yesterday, March 24th 2009, Louis Gallois, Chief Executive Officer of EADS, spoke about the Airbus A-400M in Brussels, in front of the Western European Union (WEU)
www.assembly-weu.org/en/presse/cp/2009/09-2009.php

He said that the A-400M had no competitor in its category and would be the reference for the next 40 years. He talked as though the An-70 did not exist. Does he know something we don't or is the An-70 too dangerous to mention?