Antonov An-70 transport resumes flight trials

The Ukrainian aircraft maker Antonov has resumed flight trials of its An-70 medium military transport aircraft. The first three test flights were performed on September 27-30 outside Kiev, and involved the only existing prototype (tail no. UR-NTK) with improved powerplants and avionics.

The An-70 program was launched in the 1980s. It can carry 47 tons of payload to 3,000 km and has a cruise speed of 700-750 kph. This transport aircraft is powered by four D-27 engines with SV-27 counter-rotating propfans. The counter-rotating propeller design produces additional airflow, thus increasing wing lift for better short take-off and landing performance. According to the designers, An-70 can operate from 600 to 700-m unpaved runways with 20 tons of payload.

The development program was hampered by the collapse of the Soviet Union, a protracted lack of funding, and technical problems. The An-70 performed its maiden flight in Kiev in 1994. One of the prototypes was lost in a crash in 1995, another sustained serious damage in an incident in 2001 but was later restored. The program is now being financed jointly by Russia and Ukraine, since the aircraft is being developed in the interest of both countries’ air forces.