An-70 Needs a Billion to Fly

The estimated volume of work and funding required to complete the tests and prepare mass production of the An-70 military transport aircraft in 2004-2006 is estimated at over UAH 1 billion. According to Industrial Policy Minister Anatoly Myalytsia, this is envisioned by the bill approved at the September 10 government session, On the National Program to Build the An- 70 Military Transport Aircraft to Be Sold to the Ministry of Defense. According to the minister, if voted into law this bill would enable Ukraine to independently implement this project without critical dependence on Russia’s participation in the project. Simultaneously, he stressed that “the joint implementation of the project is better in view of the fact that the sooner An-70 appears on the market, the better its market position will be.” According to Interfax-Ukraine, the minister believes the prospects look good for An-70 on the aviation market. Russia, the Czech Republic, China, India, and Arab states have all shown interest in the plane. The program proposed under the bill is designed for the years 2004 through 2022. It is planned as a two-phase project. The first phase lasting from 2004 through 2006 envisions the completion of the development and testing of the plane, its adoption by the Defense Ministry, and preparation for mass production. During phase two planes will be bought by the Defense Ministry. Mass production of the plane is the second phase of the program. Under the bill, the manufacturers are expected to invest their own funds to implement the project. It will be recalled that the program to build the An-70 tactical military transport aircraft is implemented jointly by Russia and Ukraine under international agreements of 1993 and 1999. The plane has been ordered by the Defense Ministries of Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia have committed to buy 65 and 164 An-70s respectively. In April 2001, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry signed a contract to buy the first five An-70s for the Ukrainian Air Force. The plane will be mass-produced by the Kyiv-based Aviant Factory and Russian Polet [flight] Aircraft Factory in Omsk.