Antonov Unveils Fuselage of the first An-178-100P Transport Aircraft Developed for the Ukrainian Air Force

Antonov Company has completed assembly of first three AN-178 aircraft ordered by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

The contract for the planes was signed in December 2020.

The delivery of the first serial aircraft will be performed after the completion of certification tests and obtaining a type certificate for the An-178-100R aircraft and is planned for 2023.

“These new planes will be built by Ukrainian citizens, from Ukrainian components, for Ukrainian interests. In fact, as it should be,”Zelensky stressed adding that many international partners are showing significant interest in the Antonov family of aircraft, in particular in military transport models.

The An-178-100R is the first Ukrainian military transport aircraft with turbojet engines, which in the future should replace the An-26, which is mostly equipped with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The contract for three aircraft under state guarantees is the first state order for the construction of domestic air carriers for the Armed Forces.

In early December this year, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine allowed the Ministry of Defense to advance this agreement. Earlier, the contract for the supply of An-178 was signed with a foreign customer.

The An-178 aircraft is designed to deliver personnel and light equipment, transport material, mail and other cargo. In emergency situations, it can be used to evacuate the population from the disaster area, transport the wounded, land rescue teams and more.

The aircraft can land and take off from any aerodrome and has a payload of up to 18 tons. The maximum cruising speed of the machine is 825 kmph, the maximum flight altitude is over 12 km, and its maximum range is about 5 thousand km. The aircraft is equipped with two domestic turbojet engines D-436-148FM, created by OJSC “Motor Sich” and SE “Ivchenko Progress,” which is part of “Ukroboronprom.”