Volga-Dnepr Group / Motor Sich announced establishment of Managing Company for AN-124-100 freighter resumed production

Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Group and Motor Sich of the Ukraine have formed a new joint venture company, Cargo Aircraft Managing Company, to manage the relaunch of serial production of the AN-124-100 freighter aircraft.

Representatives of Volga-Dnepr and Motor Sich signed a Memorandum of Association in Kiev on December 15th, 2006. In the future, the remaining partners in the project – Aviastar-SP, Antonov Corporation and Progress Design Bureau – will also become shareholders of the new company.

The project to relaunch serial production of the AN-124 is part of the strategy of the Russian aviation industry and the Federal Targeted Programme: The development of civil aviation technology in Russia in 2002-2010 and up to 2015. The decision to form a managing company for the project was taken during the first meeting of the sub-committee for aviation industry co-operation of the interstate Russian-Ukrainian committee in October 2006. Signing association documents was an important milestone in the development of the programme.

The partners are committed to making the AN-124 modification and production relaunch programme the most successful project in the history of Russian-Ukrainian aviation.

The aim of this joint initiative is to develop and produce a new version of the aircraft, the AN-124-100M-150, and to increase the operating life of existing AN-124 aircraft.

In order to improve the economical and operational efficiency of the AN-124, the project aims to significantly enhance the aircraft’s performance, notably increasing the freighter’s payload capacity from 120 to 150 tonnes and increasing resource prolongation from 60 and, later 80 flight hours. The aircraft’s flight control system will also undergo significant improvements.

The maximum flight distance, when carrying 120 tonnes payload, will be increased up to 5,000 km while the crew required onboard the aircraft will be reduced to four persons. The aircraft’s power-plant and engines will also be modified in compliance with the existing and future ICAO requirements.

Within the joint venture, Motor Sich and Progress Design Bureau will be in charge of the D-18T engine modification and production for the AN-124-100M-150. The D-18T 3 engine version will be upgraded into the D-18T 4 version for the new aircraft and the project will modify the reverse control and engine control systems using the FADEC system. Improvements in the fan and turbine design will increase thrust up to 25,000 kilogram-force while maintaining fuel consumption at the current level.

The new aircraft will be built at the Aviastar-SP facilities with the technical support of Antonov Corporation. Presently, an Ulyanovsk-based representative office of Antonov Corporation is being established at Aviastar-SP. The company will function as a design bureau that will implement improved solutions into the AN-124 series design and create new modifications of the aircraft.

Volga-Dnepr Airlines is the world’s largest operator of AN-124 Ruslan aircraft and the main customer to order the aircraft. It has already placed an order for two AN-124-100M-150 aircraft (serial numbers #08-04 and #08-05) that are being built in Ulyanovsk.