KIEV, June 27 (AVN) - Russian and Ukrainian enterprises started the production of the first serial AN-70 plane, Valery Kazakov, deputy chairman of the Ukrainian state committee on industrial policy, told the Military News Agency on Wednesday.
The plane's fuselage which belonged to the Antonov aircraft research and technical enterprise and was planned to be handed to the Kiev-based Aviant aircraft plant for the production of the first serial plane will be used for construction of the static model.
The Ukrainian producers will make the nose and tail parts of the plane as well as the wing section with all systems and components. The Russian co-producers are to supply the central part of the fuselage. The wing will be bought at the Tashkent Chkalov aircraft enterprise while the engines will be supplied from the Ukrainian Motor-Sich JS.
The Russian co-producers will hopefully choose the leading company for the plane production in the near future, Kazakov said.
The Ukrainian producers already received UAH10m (USD1.86m) for the plane production and they will be used by late 2001. The Defence Ministry and Aviant enterprise signed a contract on the production of five medium transport planes up to the end of 2006. The contract's sum remains undisclosed but the specialists estimate it at some USD200m to 250m.