Antonov design bureau unveils updated An-178 for Ukrainian army
Ukrainian state enterprise Antonov, an aircraft manufacturing and services company, has unveiled its first military transport aircraft, the An-178-100R, the press service of the Ukroboronprom State Concern reported on Dec. 28.
The new plane, which uses some of the latest digital technologies, will soon undergo flight certification tests. According to Ukroboronprom, the An-178-100R is equipped with “hundreds of electronic components integrating all aircraft systems and sensors, automating and optimizing control of their performance.”
The aircraft can be used to transport personnel, goods, or deliver weapons and light military equipment.
Over 30 Ukrainian enterprises, and equipment suppliers from Europe, the United States and Canada were involved in the creation of the An-178-100R. Several Ukrainian design bureaus developed and implemented the latest electronic aircraft control system and wing mechanization control system.
Speaking about the launch of the new plane, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said he hoped the Ukrainian armed forces would order more An-178-100Rs in the future. The company’s current contract with the military is for three aircraft.
According to the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, flight personnel and aviation engineering specialists must be well trained to fly the aircraft.
“The Air Force has been waiting for the first plane for the Ukrainian army for 30 years,” he said.
“And it’s great that it will be a Ukrainian-made aircraft – the An-178!”
Antonov received a state order for the construction of three aircraft in late December 2020.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this was the first such order since Ukraine’s independence.
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