Antonov Design Bureau, designers of the Antonov An-124, and a pillar of the Ukrainian economy has struggled ever since the independence of Ukraine in 1991 to establish not only a customer base but also a supplier network which is less subject to political influences. A remarkably difficult task given their intimate business, technical and financial relationships with the Russian aerospace industry.
News Agency Ukrinform posted the following on 22 Oct.
Antonov complex implementing 7 programs with Russia
KYIV, October 22. /UKRINFORM/. Ukraine's Antonov aircraft engineering complex (Kyiv) is carrying out together with Russian partners in that country seven programs on the development and construction of different models of An family planes.
The share of Russian factories in aircraft production is minimum 70%. Minimum 102 and maximum 289 Russian enterprises are involved in those projects. Dmytro Kiva, general designer of the Antonov complex, announced this during Tuesday's plenary meeting of business forum "Ukraine – Russia: cooperation in innovation and investment areas".
Among the joint projects there are passenger planes An-148 and An-124, regional passenger plane An-140, as well as An-38, An-3 and An-70 planes.
According to Kiva, the development of An-70 has already taken from the Russian and Ukrainian parties over USD 1 billion, and its completion needs about USD 120 million. "We distribute and share the risks together. Work on the project with Russian partners is continuing. We are holding talks, and reached agreement on restoration of the project. It is necessary to work, to cooperate. We profit from that," he emphasized.
Russia's macro economic/political strategies would appear to be to undermine the financial pillars of the Ukrainian economy in order to maintain influence over Ukraine and this would no doubt include working to gain control of Antonov, a strategic company for Ukraine. At the same time Antonov is attempting to control it's own destiny by entering into relationships with Russian industry in order to bind their interests together while at the same time saying that it is best to leave the 'head and heart' of the organisation in Ukraine, a foreign country.
One wonders how Antonov Design Bureau's fate will fare in the Moscow decision making process.
The W2M satellite payload for Arianespace’s upcoming Ariane 5 mission arrived today at Rochambeau International Airport in in French Guiana,
The W2M satellite is the product of an alliance between Europe’s EADS Astrium and the ANTRIX commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). ANTRIX/ISRO supplied the satellite bus, and also was responsible the spacecraft’s integration and test before its shipment to French Guiana.
WM2 satellite in container arrives Rochambeau airport, Cayenne
EADS Astrium is prime contractor in charge of overall W2M program management, and the company also designed and built the communications payload.
W2M will join HOT BIRD 9 on the Ariane 5 launcher’s sixth, and final, flight in 2008 and once in orbit will provide television and radio broadcasting across Europe. It also carries one steerable beam that can be re-oriented in orbit according to market requirements.
Weighing approximately 3,460 kg. at liftoff, W2M will typically operate 26 transponders in Ku-band, with the capacity for up to 32 depending on operational modes. It has a designed operational lifetime of more than 15 years.
The Antonov An-124-100 provides the largest available fuselage size to accommodate large space payloads within their environmental containers thereby giving spacecraft designers maximum flexibility.
25 September was marked by Ukraine's Aviasvit XXI airshow at Antonov Design Bureau's operating base and flight test centre at Gostomel.
This nice shot of the heavy brigade shows the long serving An-22 turboprop in the foreground with the even longer serving An-12 workhorse much diminished by an An-124 and the An-225.
Photo courtesy of Oleg Belyakov
MRAP (mine resistant, ambush protected) vehicle
The vulnerability of ground forces to IEDs and landmines has led to a major effort by coalition forces in the conflict areas of the Iraq and Afghanistan to provide better protection for their ground forces.
The MRAP or mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle is part of the US response to this requirement and the 10.000th MRAP was delivered into the region by C-17 Globemaster this week.
Since 2007 some 3,000 of these vehicles have been delivered to Central Command by air while a further 7,000 have been moved by sea.
To move this quantity of vehicles has required a major airlift effort achieved by a combination of US C-5 and C-17 Globemasters supplemented by An124-100 aircraft contracted by the US military.
An An-124 of Polet delivered the first Australian F/A-18 of a series to have completed modifications to the centre barrel section in Canada.
An-124 offloading F/A 18 Hornet
Replacement of the centre barrel section is intended to to extend the life of the Australian F/A-18 Hornet fleet until the arrival of the new Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter.
Ten of the fleet of 71 Hornets have been found to need the modification work. The size of the An-124 allows the Hornet aircraft to require only the removal of the wings before they can be transported. This saves considerable time and cost.
Group Captain Andrew Hayes is the commanding officer of the Hornet Upgrade Project and said the Antonov was the most efficient way to transport the Hornet on such long distances.
Ease of loading and unloading through the nose opening door is such that the An-124 was able to land, unload, refuel and depart in just two hours.
