Antonov An-70
| An-70 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | Military transport aircraft |
| Design group | Antonov |
| Built by | Aviant |
| First flight | 16 December 1994 |
| Status | completed state tests |
| Produced | 1994–1996 2012–present |
| Number built | 2 prototypes |
| Unit cost |
€67–70 million
|
The Antonov An-70 is a four-engine medium-range transport aircraft, and the first large aircraft to be powered by propfan engines. It was developed in the late 1980s by the Antonov design bureau to replace the obsolete An-12 military transport aircraft. However, the dissolution of the Soviet Union prevented the mass production of the type. The maiden flight of the first prototype took place on 16 December 1994 in Kiev, now independent Ukraine. Within a year the prototype plane had suffered a mid-air collision. A second airframe was produced and tests continued but numerous further attempts to start production have been unsuccessful.
Work on the An-70 began in Soviet Union in 1970s as the country sought a replacement for its An-12 and a complement to the Ilyushin Il-76. The military, with a new emphasis on air mobility, specified an aircraft with short loading and unloading times and the ability to operate from short unprepared airfields. The initial contract to build the An-70 was concluded in May 1989. The Soviet government had shown interest in purchasing 160 planes for its military, but in the post-Soviet days of reduced military budgets in Russia, funding for the An-70 was cut. Antonov decided to proceed with self-funding. There were plans to establish serial production of the model at the Kiev Aircraft Production Plant, which was associated with but separate from the Antonov Design Bureau, and at the Samara Aircraft Production Plant in Samara, Russia. Since Russia was showing reluctance at supporting the development of the An-70, Uzbekistan sought, unsuccessfully, to establish a final assembly plant in the capital at the Tashkent Chkalov Aircraft Production Plant, where the production of the An-70's wings and the Il-76 were taking place.
The maiden flight of the aircraft had originally been scheduled for 1992. However, due to financing and design issues, this was pushed back until 1994. In particular, the weakened condition of the national currency diminished the firm's ability to pay for the aircraft's equipment, especially those sourced from Russia, and workers' salaries. In addition, engineers discovered numerous design and manufacturing deficiencies during the final ground checks, thereby necessitating lengthy corrections. In the end, the aircraft made its maiden flight on 16 December 1994.
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