First Ukrainian AF An-178 fuselage completed

摘要

MANUFACTURE OF the fuselage for the first Antonov An-178-1 OOP for the Ukrainian Air Force has been completed. The fuselage was rolled out of the company's production facility at Kiev-Sviatoshyn Airport on May 20. The completion of the fuselage came only five months after a contract had been signed on December 29, 2020, between Antonov and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence for the purchase of three of the type for operation by the air force. This marked the first domestic military aircraft order since Ukraine gained its independence in 1991. The wings, tail unit and systems for this aircraft are currently in production and Antonov says that final assembly of the first aircraft is scheduled to be finished by the end of this year and then delivered to the Ukrainian Air Force in 2023. Manufacture of components for the second and third aircraft is already under way.