OMSK, Southern Siberia, October 13 (AVN) - The local Polyot aerospace enterprise specialising in production of military satellites and Kosmos type rocket boosters is planning to enlarge its aircraft production facilities by means of modernising AN-2 Colt planes into AN-3 version, Alexei Kudashov, chief of the plant's marketing department, told the Military News Agency.
According to him, five AN-2s have been already modernised by the plant. Their engines and on-board equipment were replaced. The Polyot is planning to supply 19 such planes to customers this year and up to 50 - in 2001.
There are good market opportunities to modernise AN-2s, he said. Over 6,000 such planes are used in the world including 2,500 in Russia. Many East European countries, Cuba, Yugoslavia and China applied for modernisation of their Colts. Modernisation of an AN-2 into AN-3 model costs some USD400,000.