Russia withdraws from Russian-Ukrainian An-70 program

Posted on: Apr. 8th, 2006 || Source: itar-tass.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

ZARYA TOWNSHIP (Moscow Region), April 7 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia withdraws from the programme of the designing of the An-70 plane, which it implemented jointly with Ukraine, General Vladimir Mikhailov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, told journalists on Friday.

“According to the statement made by the Defence Minister – Deputy Prime Minister, the An-70 transport plane falls within the category of heavy planes, while we have our own, similar plane, but with better characteristics. There is no reason to go on with the programme. We are producing a medium plane jointly with India. Besides, the Tupolev Company is also working in this direction. This is why we shall stop our work on the An-70 programme,” General Mikhailov said.

As early as in January 2004 he told journalists that the D-27 engines, to be installed on An-70 planes, have serious design defects. “Specialists believe that it is just impossible to improve the engine and to eliminate all the defects,” General Mikhailov said that time. According to Mikhailov, the faulty design of the air intake creates most serious problems. Ukrainian specialists, who designed the D-27 engine, “could do nothing to improve it,” he explained.

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