Steve Lynes
November 12, 2021 at 10:59 PM
Photo: Ukroboronprom
According to journalists, tests will begin next spring. The reason for this is the unavailability of the aircraft: it has no avionics and no engines installed.
The first test flight of the An-178 aircraft, which is now actively being built for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was postponed from the original date. It is reported by Defense Express.
During a press conference, Antonov Logistics SALIS Director Andrei Chernyavsky said that the first test flight will begin in the spring of 2022 . At the same time, the portfolio of orders for the An-178 is complete.
"The portfolio of orders for the construction of the An-178 aircraft is full. One has only to complete the construction of these three An-178s ordered by the Ministry of Defense," Chernyavsky said.
As the newspaper writes, the general director of Ukroboronprom, Yuri Gusev, said in May that the test flight would be in 6-8 months . It turns out about November - January 2022. At the same time, the general director of the state concern mentioned that the aircraft fuselage was assembled in a record 5 months. His words were supported by the general director of Antonov.
A month later, the general director of Antonov, Sergei Bychkov, also shifted the timing of the first flight from November-January to the first quarter of 2022. At the end of next year, it should already be transferred to the Ministry of Defense.
Reporters also note that as of September 2021, the aircraft does not look ready for flight tests. At the moment, according to Gusev, the plane is "about 80% ready." At the same time, the airframe, engines, avionics and a significant part of the internal systems were not even completely assembled from the aircraft.
Avionics and aircraft control systems in the An-178 cockpit are invisible inside the aircraft.
Recall that all tests will be carried out on the first An-178. To certify an aircraft, you need to make about 600 flights . It is also emphasized that all three aircraft will be built without Russian parts, the share of which reached 54%.
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