An-70. Photo courtesy of Antonov
Ukrainian aircraft maker Antonov has told visiting U.S. members of Congress that it wants to cooperate with America in developing a new medium-weight, short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft based on its four-propfan An-70 tactical military transport, the company said.
A delegation of members from the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure visited Antonov in Kiev Monday, where they heard a call from company leaders for cooperation between Ukraine and the U.S. aviation companies.
Specifically, the Antonov officials said they proposed joint development of the An−77, an upgraded version of the An-70 that they said fill a gap between Lockheed Martin C−130 (which has a payload of 44,500 pounds) and the Boeing C−17 (with a payload of about 171,000 pounds). The An-77 would have a payload of about 103,000 pounds, they said.