Russia and Ukraina are resuming the production of the biggest transport aircraft in the world - An-124 ‘Ruslan’. Airlines’ demand for these aircraft will be 70-80 aircraft till 2030. To start this project $60-70 mln are necessary. But there is no money. However, the first serial ‘Ruslan’ aircraft will be produced not early than in 2007 even on condition of prompt financing.

Russia and Ukraina are ready to resume the production of transport An-124 aircraft, known as ‘Ruslan’.

Yesterday Industry Federal Agency (IFA) informed that the business-plan would have been prepared by the end of 2004. According to the experts ‘Ruslan’ aircraft will be in demand for 15-20 years. Valery Kazakov, Deputy Minister of Industrial Policy of Ukraina, who took part in the conference in IFA, said that the talk was about several aircraft. An upgraded ‘Ruslan’ will have an extended range due to new engines. More over the crew will be reduced and the capacity will be increased. Earlier it could lift 120 tons, now an upgraded cargo aircraft can lift up to 150 tons. ‘Aviastar-SP’ will produce ‘Ruslan’ aircraft. At the Ministry they said that all necessary fixtures and equipment had still been kept at the factory. As for Kiev-based ‘Aviant’ factory, produced An-124 aircraft during the Soviet period, it will supply only parts for new aircraft.

In 2002 ‘Volga-Dnepr’ airline suggested resuming serial production of ‘Ruslan’ aircraft using budgetary funds of Ministry of Defence of the USA. At that time the talk was about supplies of 80 aircraft for military purposes with the total cost of $4 bln. However, the contract was not concluded because of some political motives. Some time later Ukraina-based ANTC ‘Antonov’ offered their American colleagues to operate ‘Ruslan’ aircraft but without result.

The last An-124 ‘Ruslan’ aircraft was produced at the factory in 1992. According to the information from ‘Aviastar-SP’ (the producer of these aircraft) 31 An-124 aircraft was produced in Russia. The same quantity of ‘Ruslan’ aircraft was produced by ‘Aviant’ in Kiev. The analogue of Russia-Ukraina heavy aircraft is American C-5B (‘Galaxy’) aircraft with less capacity to compare with ‘Ruslan’ but American aircraft is not operated in commercial carriages.

Two years ago neither Russian nor Ukrainian airlines had money to realize the project that was so necessary for them. The experts assess the market sector of oversize cargoes at $1 mln and it continues to grow. Though the business is 50 times less than regular cargo carriages, it is stable and divided between Ukrainian ANTC ‘Antonov’ (8 An-124 aircraft) and Russian ‘Polet’ (7 aircraft) and ‘Volga-Dnepr’ airline (10 aircraft).

During last 10 years ‘Ruslan’ aircraft’ fleet has been upgraded at the expense of modernization and completion of military An-124 aircraft which have been at the factory since Soviet times. According to the officials ‘Ruslan’ aircraft’s serial production will reduce both the deficit and cost.

As IFA newspaper informed by the end of the year the business-plan will have been ready and the terms of the project’s realization and financing will have been defined. It is supposed that the first serial upgraded An-124 aircraft will be produced in 2007.

‘It is possible to resume An-124 aircraft production, - said Victor Tolmachev, one of ‘Ruslan’ aircraft’s designers. Oversize cargo carriage business is rather profitable. More over there are no analogues to ‘Ruslan’ aircraft that’s why foreign airlines are interested in Russia-Ukraina aircraft’ – said the expert. As for ‘Ruslan’ aircraft, operated by Russian airlines, they are exhausted by half.

Nevertheless analysts consider the possibility of production resumption skeptically. During last few years Russian aircraft factories produced not more than 15 new civil aircraft taking into consideration that the aircraft had already been launched in serial production. Russian airlines don’t believe in aircraft’s quality, more over there is no money to buy new aeronautical engineering. ‘Ruslan’ aircraft will cost not more than $60-70 bln taking into consideration that some of the technology has been lost and the aircraft will have to be built from nothing.

02.09.2004

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