New Russian and Ukrainian consortium emerges to produce the An-70

Published: 5/24/1999

On May 18th 1999, Russian and Ukrainian officials signed a deal forming consortium to produce the Antonov AN-70 cargo aircraft. (In fact, the consortium has existed since January 1999, when the company was registered with the Russian Federal Securities Commission). The consortium - literally translated as ‘Medium Haul Transport Plane International Consortium" or, more economically, as the Russian acronym, STS - is part-owned by the governments of the Ukraine and Russia, each of whom have a 13 % interest. The principal aim of STS is to develop the hitherto military AN-70 for civilian use. The consortium will also be the sole proprietor of the new aircraft, co-ordinating elements of the design, manufacture and operation chain. The balance of the shares in the consortium will be distributed among the aerospace companies involved in the manufacture of the aircraft. These including Ukrainian companies, Antonov and Aviant, and the Russian producer, Aviakor. Other participants include Ukrainian engine maker, Motor Sich, Russian manufacturer, Ufa and a number of other firms that produce avionics and aircraft systems. These are not mentioned by name, but Concise Aerospace believes they are likely to include Aviapribor, Leninetz and Elektroavtomatika. While it is encouraging to see these aerospace companies addressing some of the structural lines, the project still lacks adequate funding and is reportedly unable to fund the move of the aircraft into serial production (Concise Aerospace 12 April 1999). The German interest in the AN-70 may yet rescue it, but it we suspect that Germany, for the time being, is alone in considering the AN-70. In addition, it still remains committed, in principle at least, to the European requirement for the FLA, which so far has Airbus"s A-400 as its preferred choice.

Article ID: 532