Short-Takeoff Heavy-Lift Aircraft Development Has Ground To A Halt

Russian planemaker Antonov had been developing a short-takeoff heavy-lift transport aircraft long-sought by the Russian military.

But the plane was being developed at the company's campus in Ukraine, and when Russia abruptly annexed Crimea, the work ground to a halt.

Now, the New York Times reports that the ramps are overgrown, assembly shops are quiet, and flight simulators sit empty.

The aircraft had been a joint project between Russia and Ukraine. The plant had been built in Ukraine when it was still a Soviet Republic state. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Ukraine inherited the Antonov facility, and it is reportedly mired in a legal battle over which arm of of the Ukrainian government actually is responsible for the factory.

The first prototype flight of the AN-179 was to have happened this year, but the engines for the transport plane have not yet been delivered. The struggling company built only four airplanes of any type last year, and has delivered only two small planes to Cuba this year. Six aircraft in various stages of assembly are in hangars at the campus, but there are no buyers for most of them.

The report indicates that despite its troubles, there are still 13,000 employees at Antonov, and an estimated 70,000 more around Ukraine work at other factories to supply parts for the company.

FMI: www.antonov.com/aircraft