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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1731.PDF
Ukraine STATE OF CHANGE Ukraine's aerospace industry is shaking off the legacy of the Soviet era with new products, developed since independence, coming onto the market VLADIMIR KARNOZOV/ MOSCOW Ukraine's aerospace industry is often overshadowed by Russia's huge military-industrial com plex, but its contribution to the world history of aviation and space is enormous. Some 25,000 aircraft and 400 spacecraft have been manufac tured there, including the world's largest transport, the Antonov An-225 Mriya. The Ukrainian industry has survived the break-up of the Soviet Union and a deep crisis in the 1990s. It is now well on the way to recovery as new products, devel oped after the country's independence, come to the market. They will be show cased at the forthcoming Aviasvit air show in Kiev. First held in 1999, Aviasvit aims to send a message to the more than 60 coun tries where Ukrainian-made aircraft and engines are operated that the country is back as a major player in world aerospace. The show has been popular with visitors from Muslim countries. Iran has ordered 12 Antonov An-74 transports and launched a project to locally assemble 100 An-140 regional turboprops. Libya has taken delivery of two An-124 Ruslans and four An-32 tactical transports. Last year Air Libya ordered five An-140s, and the United Arab Emirates acquired one Ruslan. This year Egypt, Libya and Sudan have ordered a total of 10 An-74TK200/300s. The Ukrainian aerospace industry struc ture is broadly similar to Russia's. One dif ference is that most enterprises are still state-owned, including the three flagships: the Antonov design house and aircraft manufacturing plants in Kiev (Aviant) and Kharkov (KSAMC). The industry is export-oriented because local customers are short of funds. At first, the Ukrainians tried their luck in Europe, offering NATO members the An-7X, a Westernised An-70 airlifter. Hopes were high, with Antonov general designer Piotr Balabuev forecasting orders for more than 300 airlifters. But then Airbus won the competition with its A400M, a "paper" air craft with performance broadly similar to the already-flying An-70. The final blow to Antonov's pride came when the UK chose the Boeing C-17 after a tender in which a Rolls-Royce-powered An-124 came first in the technical assessment. Unhappy with both decisions, Ukraine blamed politics and turned to the East. Export policy Today, 50 countries use Ukrainian military products, according to state arms trade agency Ukrspetsexport. General director Valery Shmarov says military exports rose by 20% last year to an estimated $550 mil lion, with the CIS states taking 55% and South-East Asia 32%. An increase of 10% is forecast for 2004, with the main customers being China, India, Libya, Russia and Turkmenistan. Iran and Syria are also viewed as promising markets. Most Ukrainian exports to Russia are weapons and equipment for aircraft. For instance, Ukrainian missiles (including the R-27 medium-range air-to-air missile pro- Egypt, Libya and Sudan have placed orders for the Antonov An-74TK200 duced by Artyem) and sensors (such as the N-019 Novator radar) equip Mikoyan MiG- 29s and Sukhoi Su-27/30s. Shmarov sees future Ukrainian exports in air defence systems, radar, reconnais sance sensors, precision-guided munitions (PGMs) and countermeasures systems. Ukrspetsexport is funding development of the Kombat and Stugna laser-guided mis siles, and improved Kolchuga radar and Mandat jamming systems. Foreign investors funded development of the Adros KT-01AV countermeasures system, effective against the Sidewinder, Stinger and other infrared-guided missiles. Foreign investments also helped development of the 36D6-M air surveillance radar and Mandat-M jamming system. Domestic market The Ukrainian armed forces, currently 350,000 strong, are to be reduced to 200,000 personnel, with 80,000 cut in 2004 and 70,000 next year. The air force and air defence force are merging, with the loss of 30,000 personnel. With Ukraine's annual defence budget at $1 billion, about 0.5% of the country's gross national product goes to defence research and development, but there are plans to increase this to 1.5-1.7%. The air force is focusing on developing low-cost upgrades for the vast inventories of aircraft inherited from the Soviet Union. Funds have been allocated to upgrade S-300 SAMs, MiG-29, Su-27 and Su-24 tactical aircraft, Aero Vodochody L-39 jet trainers and Mil Mi-24 combat helicopters. Other Soviet-era aircraft will not be upgraded and used until the end of their useful lives. The upgrade focus is on MiG-29 fighters, of which there are 200 in the inventory. These will be given a multi-target capability and additional radar modes to allow the use of PGMs, including radar- and TV-guided air-to-surface missiles. The search for cost- effective solutions began in 2000, and Israeli proposals were rejected in favour of co-oper ative efforts with Russia. The work will be performed in Ukraine at Lvov repair station, with heavy involvement by Novator, Arsenal and other local manufacturers. The cost of pilot training has been cut by introducing the Yakovlev Yak-52 as the ab initio trainer before the L-39. Both types are set for upgrade at the Odessa-based Odesaa- viaremservis site. The Yakovlev trainer will become the Yak-152 after the installation of new avionics and replacement of its Vedeneyev M-14 piston engine with the ZMKB Progress AI-450 turboprop. The L-39 upgrades are being developed with Israel Aircraft Industries (L-39MU) and Russian companies. The Ukrainian air force has 100 L-39s in service. The air force will receive two An-70s this 40 14-20 SEPTEMBER 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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