Within special flight tests the AN−70 successfully overpassed a distance more than 13,000 km

From 22 to 26 September 2015, the AN−70 short takeoff and landing military transport performed an international flight and carried a military cargo within evaluation of transport capacity and widening the operational conditions.

From the Kyiv−Antonov airport, the aircraft flew to Bangui, Central African Republic. This flight endured 9 hours 2 minutes. In Bangui, the AN−70 took on board a cargo weighting 23.6 tons. After that, the aircraft landed in Ndjamena, the Republic of Chad. According to Viktor Goncharov, test pilot of ANTONOV, the crew captain, "from Ndjamena airport we took off under a temperature of +33 Celsius degrees with a take−off weight close to the maximum. The aircraft confirmed designed data of the take off parameters including length of the runway distance. AN−70 also showed good climb rate“. After 6−hour flight, the AN−70 arrived to the place of the cargo destination – to Istres, France. The aircraft returned to the Kyiv−Antonov airport with intermediate stop in Leipzig, Germany.

In this expedition AN−70 was in the air more than 20 hours, flew over 13,600 km. Throughout the route the aircraft demonstrated its high flying, take off and landing characteristics as well as low fuel consumption. On−board handling equipment was tested under actual operating conditions. All the tasks were performed successfully.

AN−70 adopted by Armed Forces of Ukraine

On January 22, 2015, handing of the Order of Ministry of Defense of Ukraine about adoption of the AN−70 military STOL transport by Armed Forces of Ukraine took place at ANTONOV Company. In the enclosure to the order the AN−70 is noted as a transport aircraft of Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is intended for aerial delivery, air transportation of troops and tangible assets, provision of maneuvers and troop’s activity and decisions of special tasks.

Decision about adoption was taken basing on results of tests on the program of Joint State Tests of the AN−70. The act on those results was approved on June 11, 2014. As Mr. Pakholchenko, leading test pilot of State scientific test centre of Armed Forces of Ukraine, noted: “The AN−70 is easy to be piloted at all difficult flight areas, including short take−off and landing. Optimal ergonomic decisions, applied in the crew cockpit, allow teaching an average pilot flying rather easy. The aircraft forgives pilot lots of things, fixing some of his errors, and differs with high reliability. The AN−70 is the best aircraft I used to pilot!”

Mr. Kiva, President – General Designer of the ANTONOV Company, noted that before final stage of Joint State Tests were works on deep modernization of the AN−70 board equipment and power plant. As a result the AN−70 saved advantages over analogous aircraft, including A 400M European aircraft.

Adoption of the AN−70 allows starting up this aircraft serial production and developing its different modifications. Antonov

ANTONOV COMPLETED STATE JOINT TESTS OF THE AN−70

ANTONOV Company has completed state joint tests of the AN−70 STOL widebody military transport.

In the process of ground and flight tests on the modernized aircraft correspondence of the checked parameters and modes to the requirements of the Customer was achieved in:

− functioning of modernized systems and equipment;
− parameters of the STOL;
− precision parameters during fulfillment of navigational tasks;
− strength and service life parameters;
− parameters of systems and equipment reliability;
− possibility to transport all specified cargo nomenclature.

 Flight crew and engineering staff of the State scientific and test center (SSTC) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine jointly with the specialists of ANTONOV Company carried out the State joint tests of the aircraft.
Aleksandr Pakholchenko, leading test pilot of the SSTC on the AN−70 paid attention to the high flight−technical and operational parameters of the aircraft as well as the modern cockpit that corresponds to the world level.                                                                          

By the results of the State joint tests the aircraft is recommended to be added to the armory as well as to be launched into serial production.                                                      

For the inquiry:
The main tasks of the AN−70 are:

− provision of the mobile deployment and airlift of the armed forces in the seat of war, relocation of the combatant forces within the limits and out of combat operations borders;

− delivery of the armed forces, armament, military hardware and means of material logistics directly to the zone of the combat operations including unpaved short sites with length of 600−800 m;
− air dropping of the armed forces, armament, military technique and means of material logistics directly to the zone of the combat operations;

− evacuation of the armed forces, armament, military hardware, wounded and ill out of the theatre of war and directly of the zone of combat operations including those from the sites with length of 600−800 m;

− provision of the humanitarian actions in the zones of regional conflicts, emergency situations and disasters;

− transportation of various cargoes.

 After modernization, which was completed in September 2012, till 31.03.2014 the airplane performed 122 flights and flew 220 hours. In total it carried out 753 flights with total flight duration of 930 hours 48 minutes.

Assembly of the first serial AN−70’s fuselage has been completed

On January 21, 2012, ANTONOV Company completed assembly of fuselage of the first serial AN−70 military STOL transport No.01−04. It was an important stage of this aircraft construction for MoD of Ukraine. 

 N. Azarov, Prime Minister of Ukraine, representatives of the customers – MoD of Ukraine and Russia, Trade Reprehensive of Republic of Tatarstan in Ukraine, heads of the enterprises involved in the AN−70 program took part in the event dedicated to the completion of the fuselage construction.

In his report about the program development D. Kiva, President – General Designer of ANTONOV Company, said: “During two recent years we performed a lot of works on the AN−70 aircraft. Together with our Russian partners we upgraded the aircraft, its engines and equipment. We have completed the first stage of the upgraded airplane tests. Yesterday modernized AN−70 prototype performed the 19th test flight. We have officially presented the aircraft to the customers to continue further joint tests. Within the previous stages of joint state tests, more than 650 flights were fulfilled. Till present, we completed static and fatigue tests, confirmed compliance of the aircraft’s service life with requirements of the tactical and technical task for the AN−70. The stand investigating tests were also conducted. We started transfer of the design documentation to Russia to launch the aircraft production at Kazan aviation plant”.

N.Azarov, Prime Minister of Ukraine congratulated collective of the enterprise with the achieved results. He noted, that Government of Ukraine considers the aircraft industry among priority directions.He appreciated the AN−70 advantages: “This aircraft is much requested on the market. It is pleasure, that we withstood competition with the biggest aircraft corporations. The AN−70 is requested, so, we have work and earned income. It means we provide development of the country and its economics. I have to note, that this program is realized in cooperation with Russia. This is one of the great cooperative projects and example of our interaction as it should be. I congratulate you on this stage, thank you for your labor and great contribution! Together we are creating and developing Ukraine!”