The Ukrainian state aviation concern Antonov has appealed to the country's government with a request to provide $703 million to establish the production of aircraft without Russian components, Kommersant reports.
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The publication recalls that in September 2015, Antonov left the Ukrainian-Russian joint venture UAC-Antonov, and in January 2016, the enterprises that were part of the concern were transferred to the management of Ukroboronprom.
At the same time, the publication indicates that the refusal to purchase from Russia involves the replacement of about 5,4 thousand components, primarily for on-board radio electronics.
“For the concern to be able to mass-produce aircraft, it needs a full-fledged plant, which Ukraine does not have,” says Infomost head Boris Rybak, explaining that Antonov is not a full-cycle enterprise, but a design bureau and “not a very good pilot plant.” Its aircraft consist of 50-60% Russian components and are poorly accepted by Western analogues. The expert believes that it is unrealistic to create a new production facility for $700 million; billions of dollars will be required. Meanwhile, even the Russian civil aviation industry, which has serial factories, constantly requires state support for the production and sales of civilian products,” writes Kommersant.