Antonov’s latest military transport aircraft touches down in Poland

The prototype of the Ukrainian An-178-100R military transport aircraft has successfully flown to Poland, as reported by Zbiam. According to the Polish airport’s press service, the aircraft arrived at Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport on 9 October.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the An-178’s whereabouts were not publicly known. Its flight from Ukraine to Poland confirms the aircraft survived Russian attacks on airfields over 2.5 years of the ongoing all-out war.

The An-178-100R prototype’s flight originated from Ukraine, but the transponder that allows tracking the flight was turned on only over Poland, Militarnyi notes. At the Polish airport, the AN-178-100R will join another Ukrainian aircraft by the Antonov State Enterprise, which is currently mothballed, awaiting its fate.

The AN-178-100R No. 001 was designed for conducting flight and certification tests for this type of aircraft. In December 2021, the aircraft completed the import substitution of Russian components, with equipment from domestic and Western suppliers installed.

Designed to transport up to 100 personnel, equipment, and cargo, the AN-178-100R can deliver weapons and light military equipment by landing and parachuting, as well as carry out medical evacuation of the wounded and injured.

The Antonov State Enterprise received a state order for three AN-178 aircraft for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on 29 December 2020. Production of these military transport aircraft began in January 2021.

Initially, the first production AN-178 was scheduled to be delivered to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in the spring of 2023. However, the full-scale war has affected the work of the Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer.

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