Ukraine’s aircraft manufacturer Antonov Company has received a $105 million loan from state-owned bank Ukreximbank to produce three An-178 aircraft for the Ukrainian military, according to Ukreximbank’s chairman Eugene Metzger.
Ukreximbank and UkrOboronProm, Ukraine’s defense production company that owns Antonov, signed a four-year contract on Dec. 29, Metzger wrote on Facebook on Jan. 1. Antonov plans to finish the construction of the planes in 2023.
It is the first time in the last 30 years that the Ukrainian government has ordered Antonov to build aircraft for the country’s military, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement on the presidential website. The soldiers will be able to use the aircraft to transport personnel, goods, weapons and light military equipment, he added.
According to Zelensky, the deal between Antonov and the government will show international partners that Ukraine can use the renowned aircraft for military purposes, which will help attract foreign investment to the company after one of its planes, an Antonov An-26Sh military aircraft, crashed in Kharkiv Oblast on Sept. 25, killing 26 airmen on board.
The An-178 aircraft is one of the company’s most recent developments. This short-range medium-airlift military transport aircraft was designed based on the An-158/An-148 regional passenger jet and became available for orders starting in early 2010. The model has the benefits of Antonov’s successful passenger jets but designed specifically for freight transport.
Having a 32-meter length and a 30-meter wingspan, the Antonov An-178 is capable of carrying up to 18 tons of cargo, including high-capacity maritime containers, at an altitude of up to 12 kilometers and at a speed of up to 825 kilometers per hour.
The plane’s maximum flight range is 5,500 kilometers. When carrying 10 tons of cargo it can travel only 3,680 kilometers, though. Apart from cargo, the aircraft can also be used for transporting military forces, namely up to 90 infantry troops or 84 paratroopers, or for up to 78 injured personnel.
According to designers, the plane can be modified for military and medical purposes and emergency services. The aircraft is capable of landing and taking off at various types of airfields, including dirt runways.
According to UkrOboronProm, the new plane was produced in cooperation with nearly 200 companies from 15 countries.
Earlier in August, Antonov also completed a $65 million contract with Peru’s national police to construct a multimillion dollar An-178 transport aircraft frame. The Ukrainian manufacturer won the Peruvian government’s tender over Italian-American company Leonardo’s Aircraft Division and dutch firm Airbus.
According to UkrOboronProm former director-general Ihor Fomenko, Peru is considering purchasing one more aircraft from Antonov in 2021.
In 2019, according to financial reports, Antonov’s net profit dropped 3.5 times to Hr 448 million ($15.8 million), while overall revenue fell by 33% to Hr 998 million ($35.3 million).
Foreign and state contracts give Antonov an opportunity to finally use its manufacturing capacity and workforce — for many years, most of the company’s revenue has been coming from providing cargo transportation services.
