MILAVIA Forum
Military Aviation => Military Aircraft => Topic started by: tigershark on July 09, 2007, 02:16:26 AM
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Looks like and interesting military cargo aircraft I wonder if Russia's pulling out because what happen with the transport and tanker being produced for China. I think Russian fail to meet time tables set and lost money of the deal as well. I wonder if Russia/Ukraine had any prospect customers line up? Russian transports always seem so capable to me and generally cost much less then western built aircraft. Maybe United Nations could work out a contract with Ukraine since heavy transports are always needed. Maybe it's time for even NATO to form general all purpose transport Wing and share the cost? Like the countries fighting in the two war zone could tap into this Wing for aircraft. African and other relief UN projects could benefit from a pool of transports too. It's a crazy idea the governments would just fight over which transport got pick right?
The AN-70 story I found
http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/index.php?id=148&listid=47970
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They had seriously reliability problems regarding the Russian engines, I recall. Russia already pulled out, but I guess they can either get back in business with the Ukrainians or develop their own (possible together with India). Ukraine can't bring it to market alone, because of the lack of good engines, without Russia they have to turn to the West for engines which seriously limits its export potential... putting it in direct competition with C-130J and A400M.
NATO has already An-124s on lease, the aircraft and pilots provided by one of those UK/Ukrainian commercial companies. Actually, production was started again. Furthermore some NATO countries are ordering C-17 transports to create a transport pool for them. Actually the coordination of these and other NATO/EU transport capabilities is stationed near me at Eindhoven AB in the Netherlands at the European Airlift Centre...which has now merged with the Sealift Coordination Centre into the Movement Co-ordination Centre Europe´ (MCCE).
As you can see the shortage really lies in the strategic/heavylift capability, not really the An-70's class. That's why you see the UN chartering An-124s and Il-76s and not L-100s (commercial C-130s)...
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Thanks webmaster I guess for Ukraine western engines make or break the aircraft type. A big change for them would be forming some sort of joint agreement with Boeing or some other large western aircraft maker. I wonder if they were after a Russian market with the An-70, I guess its a moot point now.