Antonov State Enterprise does not intend to resume cooperation with the Russian side for the production and modernization of An-124-100 Ruslan aircraft.
“The question of the resumption by the specialists of SE Antonov of mass production of An-124-100 Ruslan aircraft together with the Russian side is not on the table,” Antonov press service stated.
On the possibility of Russia to independently manufacture and modernize the Ruslan aircraft, the press service reported that an industrial complex Aviastar had been set up in Russia’s Ulyanovsk precisely for manufacturing Ruslans. With the help of Antonov State Enterprise, the batch production of these aircraft had been launched and 36 aircraft had been eventually manufactured.
“When it comes to modernization, changes are required to the typical design. At the same time, it is only the aircraft developer, Antonov, which has all the technical data and necessary information on the design, properties of the resource, service life and airworthiness of the AN-124-100 aircraft, including the data of tests and analyses required to preserve the integrity of the design. Thus, the production of An-124 aircraft under the Antonov brand without the participation of Antonov SE is impossible,” the report said. (UNIAN/Business World Magazine)