Ukrainian-Saudi AN-132D Transport Aircraft Rolled Out

Antonov company rolled out the first prototype of its new AN−132 multipurpose transport, AN−132D aircraft -demonstrator, on December 20.

The line of AN−132 transport aircraft will be built in close cooperation with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City Science and Technology (KACST) and Тaqnia Aeronautics Co. In this programme, ANTONOV will represent Ukraine as an integrator of international cooperation.

In a roll out ceremony, Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, thanked ANTONOV’s team for conscientious works and said in particular: “This event is a result of productive, energetic work of ANTONOV Company and dozens of other enterprises of aircraft industry of Ukraine, This is our joint victory! AN−132 is a real international project. For the first time so many leading company of the world aviation field take part in development of the multipurpose transport aircraft. We are obliged to our partners from Canada, Great Britain, USA, Germany, France and other countries, which participate in creation of this new competitive aircraft. So, on the AN−132 platform we gathered cluster the best companies of the world aviation industry”.

Under the contract, Antonov as a developer is to build the first An-132, and the manufacturing process will take place in Saudi Arabia. Two firms signed a contract in February to establish an aircraft manufacturing complex for Antonov aircraft and production of AN−132 transport aircraft in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.