The Ukrainian company Antonov has rolled out the first serial military transport aircraft AN-178. It became one of three winged vehicles that will be built under a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukraine has presented its main aviation novelty of recent years — the first serial military transport aircraft AN-178. Its roll-out was carried out at the Antonov enterprise.
The AN-178-100R will be used for flight certification tests. The car became part of a government contract involving the construction of three AN-178s for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Rolling out the serial AN-178 / ©Ukrinform TV
The aircraft is positioned as a new generation machine created using the most advanced information technologies. He received hundreds of electronic calculators that allow integrating all systems and sensors, as well as automating the monitoring of their operability and optimizing management. The car can be used for the transportation of personnel, as well as the delivery of various goods, including equipment and weapons.
Serial AN-178
Image source: Antonov
The AN-178 became part of the AN-148 and AN-158 family. The novelty is a platform on the basis of which it is possible to create a whole range of modifications of civil and military vehicles. These can be military and civilian cargo planes, search and rescue and medical, as well as a car for emergency situations.
The maximum flight altitude of the AN-178 is 12.2 kilometers, the range with a cargo weighing ten tons is 3680 kilometers. The aircraft can reach a maximum cruising speed of 825 kilometers per hour, and its payload capacity is up to 18 tons.
The AN-178 is positioned on the market as a replacement for the outdated Soviet AN-12 transport vehicle. Ukrainian aviation experts noted that the AN-178 sales market could reach about 800 aircraft within 10-12 years. The average price of one car indicated in open sources is about $ 40 million.
A memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Antonov enterprise on the construction of aircraft for the needs of the Armed Forces was signed last December. At the same time, an agreement was concluded for three AN-178s. The first of these cars will be delivered in 2023.
The outgoing year has also become a landmark for the Russian aircraft industry: specialists assembled and lifted into the sky the first MS-21-300 airliner, which received a new composite wing. In addition, the first Russian-Chinese wide-body CR929 aircraft began to be assembled in Kit. The year 2023 was named as the date of its first test flight.
