Antonov An-70
The Antonov An-70 (Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-70) is a four-engine medium-range transport aircraft, and the first aircraft to take flight powered only by propfan engines. It was developed in the late 1980s by the Antonov Design Bureau to replace the obsolete An-12 military transport aircraft. The maiden flight of the first prototype took place in December 1994 in Kyiv, now independent Ukraine. Within months the prototype had suffered a mid-air collision. A second airframe was produced to allow the flight-test programme to proceed. Both prototypes were produced by the Kyiv Aircraft Production Plant.
| An-70 | |
|---|---|
| The An-70 in flight | |
| Role | Military transport aircraft |
| National origin | Soviet Union Russia / Ukraine |
| Design group | Antonov Design Bureau |
| Built by | Antonov Serial Production Plant Kazan Aircraft Production Association |
| First flight | 16 December 1994 |
| Status | Completed state tests, open for production |
| Produced | 1991–1996 2012–2015 |
| Number built | 2 prototypes |
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the programme became a joint development between Russia and Ukraine. The former compounded the issue of a reduced market with its intermittent commitment to the project. Repeated attempts to start production have had limited success. Western European countries, including Germany, at one stage assessed the aircraft for procurement, but many later decided against it.