Volga-Dnepr and Antonov Design Bureau establish a branch at Aviastar-Sp Aircraft Factory

Moscow (Russia), 17 August 2005: At the Moscow Aerospace Show (MAKS-2005), Volga-Dnepr Group, Antonov Design Bureau and Aviastar-SP Aircraft Factory signed an agreement to establish a branch of Ukraine’s Antonov Design Bureau at the Aviastar-SP Aircraft Factory in Ulyanovsk, Russia.

The move is another significant step towards relaunching serial production of the 150-tonnes capacity AN-124 cargo aircraft. The main activities of the newly established Ulyanovsk office will encompass the designer's support of production and operations of the AN-124 aircraft family.

Under the terms of the agreement, the branch will be responsible for the incorporation of changes into the type design of AN-124-100 aircraft manufactured at Aviastar-SP facilities and the development of further type versions of the aircraft involving the research and development potential of Aviastar-SP and other Russian companies. The scope of activities may be expanded to include the certification of changes and the general designer's support for the production and operation of AN-124 and AN-124-100M-150 aircraft in the Russian Federation.

The parties engaged in the AN-124 project believe that resuming production of this unique aircraft type will revive the Russian aviation industry, significantly enhance the leading positions currently held by Russia and Ukraine in the global air cargo market, widen Russian-Ukrainian ties in terms of implementing large-scale industrial projects and create opportunities for more technological breakthroughs in civil aviation. Resuming production of the AN-124-100 may, along with the Government-supported Quiet IL-76 Modernisation Project currently being implemented, become one of the most ambitious and promising tasks for Russian aviation industry in the years to come.