The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence (МініÑтерÑтво оборони України) has signed a memorandum with Antonov State Enterprise to procure An-178 medium transport aircraft. The first order represents Ukraine’s first such procurement since the country gained independence in 1991. The delivery of the first serial aircraft will be performed after the completion of certification tests and obtaining a type certificate for the An-178-100R aircraft and is planned for 2023. The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi took part in the signing of a contract between the Antonov State Enterprise and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for the construction and supply of three An-178 military transport aircraft. The event took place on December 29.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that these new planes will be built by Ukrainian citizens, from Ukrainian components, for Ukrainian interests. Zelensky also stressed that in the future such government orders should be the norm, so he expects a full-fledged comprehensive plan from Antonov’s management to restore and strengthen the company’s staff potential, return lost professionals and attract new specialists. The idea of developing a state scientific and technical program for the development of the aviation industry for 2021-2030 and holding a respective meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
The Antonov An-178 (Ukrainian: Ðнтонов Ðн-178) is a short-range medium-airlift military transport aircraft designed by the Ukrainian Antonov company and based on the Antonov An-158 (An-148-200). It was announced on 5 February 2010, rolled out on 16 April 2015 and the first flight was on 7 May 2015. The An-178 is proposed to replace outdated aircraft like the Antonov An-12, An-26 and An-32. The aircraft will have an avionics suite similar to the An-148, and will use Progress D-436-148FM engines. The An-178 is a potential competitor for the Alenia C-27J Spartan from Italy, EADS CASA C-295 from Spain, Lockheed Martin C-130J from the United States, Embraer KC-390 from Brazil and the Ilyushin Il-276 from Russia.
An-178 is a high-wing transport aircraft with moderately swept wing, winglets and a T-tail. The airframe is made of aluminium alloys and composite materials. The fuselage is semi-monocoque with a circular cross-section. The retractable landing gear consists of two main wheel bogies and a dual nose wheel. The flight control system is dual duplex fly-by-wire system, consisting of two parts: FCS-A and FCS-B, each of which is responsible for two control channels. The powerplant consists of two Progress D-436-148FM turbofan jet engines, mounted on pylons under the wings and an auxiliary power unit. It can shift 18 tonnes over 1,000 km, or 10 tonnes over 4,000 km.