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DEThe state enterprise “Antonov” produced the first series-produced glider (a fuselage with wings) of the new transport aircraft An-178 without any details from the Russian Federation. The liner is constructed at the request of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Peru.
“The plane as an aircraft is ready. Then, there is the so-called post-fixture phase, which includes equipping with different systems, wiring, ducting, electronic tools… Then the aircraft is sent for testing,” the company’s president Oleksandr Los said.
He added that with the beginning of the Russian military aggression in 2014, “Antonov” lost not only the market but also the supply of critical components. That is why several years were spent on import substitution and finding new suppliers.
According to Los, about 2/3 of the glider’s equipment was made by U.S. corporations, and a third by Ukrainians.
“We carried out design work to replace Russian components at our own expense. Broad international cooperation was envisaged in 2010-2011 during the An-178 project development. In 2015-2016, we just continued this planned work, ” Los said.
The configuration of the aircraft, ordered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Peru, will allow carrying 80 passengers, delivering cargo up to 18 tons and evacuating 40 patients on stretchers with the possibility of providing medical care by doctors on board.
The An-178 has a single flight copy. Its first flight took place on 7 May 2015.
Bohdan Marusyak
