Ukraine, Russia plan to launch Ruslan plane joint venture

The Ukrainian and Russian governments are currently working to establish a joint venture to produce the An-124 Ruslan aircraft, the world’s largest serial cargo plane, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy Boyko said on July 17. He expects the charter documents for the JV will be signed in September during the Ukraine-Russian Economic Cooperation Summit. The agreement’s terms, required investment and list of participating parties have not been disclosed.

The An-124 in standard modification is capable of carrying up to 120 mt of cargo and is equipped with four D-18Tturbofan engines produced by Motor Sich (MSICH UK) at an estimated price tag of USD 7 mln per unit.

Roman Dmytrenko: We are cautious about the announced plans since the first attempt to restart mass production of An-124s in 2007 failed. Similarly, a Ukraine-Russia JV to produce An-70 cargo planes is currently on hold due to a lack of orders from the Russian Defense Ministry.