Antonov-124. Image: nasa
Especially the Bundeswehr served the Antonov machines of Soviet design to transport vehicles armored by Leipzig / Halle Airport, heavy device and utilities
The Bundeswehr has a problem again. Back to the transport capacity, but this time it is not about embarrassing weapons and aerate to the new NATO border in Eastern Europe, but in far away applications such as Afghanistan in Central Asia or Mali in West Africa. So far, Antonov machines of Soviet design were used, which transported from Leipzig / Halle Airport and armored vehicles, heavy device and supplied goods.
The Antonov machines come from Ukraine and Russia and are rented. But now the Russian side has linked cooperation contractual contract at the end of the year. It is probably allowed to ame that the western sanctions Russia have not just encouraged to continue to play logistics service providers for the Bundeswehr. That is now in front of a problem and must be made clear with fewer transport capacity.
Antonov in the crisis
The Russian Volga-Dnepr Airlines and the Ukrainian Antonov Airlines have been preparing Leipzig / Halle Antonov-An-124 aircraft for Nato-Lander at the Leipzig / Halle Airport, with two Antonov machines standing steady. The huge aircraft can even transport armored vehicles and helicopters, whereby the bugnase with cockpit is folded up during loading and unloading.
Collaboration is under the name Salis (Strategic Airlift International Solution – International Solution for Strategic Air Transport). The big manner is Germany, but also Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia use Salis.
But in 2017, the contract was disconnected, Antonov and Volga-Dnepr ended their cooperation because of the conflict of their countries around the Ostucraine and the Crimea. Ukraine wanted to take over large parts of the contract, but Russia made a favorable offer: only 23.341 Euro per flight hour instead of 37.509 euros.
Ultimately agreed that Russia in 2017 973 flight hours, Ukraine completed 629 flight hours. In 2018, a total of only 980 flight hours are planned. The Lowenant part of this was accounted for in 2017 on Germany with 1080 hours, with the Russians 682 and the Ukrainians 398. Germany pays 101 million euros for both years, what "However, much less than acquisition and operation of own aircraft of this coarse order" costs, reported the ARD correspondent Christian Thiels. At that time, the project name was also changed: from Strategic Airlift Interim Solution to Strategic Airlift International Solution. One now introduces itself to a permanent use.
Follow the sanctions or tactics?
But nothing became. Maybe because of the western sanctions against Russia? "Among the defense politicians in the Bundestag, there is all the inspiration that the contested contract termination by Volga Dnepr was an answer of the Russian Prasident Vladimir Putin to the continuing sanctions of the EU and the United States against Russia", reports the FAZ.
In fact, according to the CARGOFORDERDERDER GLOBAL specialist, Volga-Dnepr has greeted the jerking with the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions ACT, which Trump continued in 2017 and filed the sanctions against North Korea, Russia and Iran. Volga-Dnepr Wool Fancy Only Civil Good Transport, Stretched It.
Maybe it is still renegotiated. At any rate, the Cargoforwarter Global types: "At the second glance everything looks like a tactical decision", Write the specialist service. For Volga-Dnepr-Boss Alexey Isaikin actually started to strongly strong the location Leipzig / Halle for his company and operate its own freight line there. If the aviation federal office gives his ok, then a new German subsidiary of the Russians could resume air transport. In this way, the sanctions against Russia love themselves firstly. Second, a German company could even work together with the Ukrainian Antonov, such as spare parts concern.
Image: Public Domain
Antonov in the crisis …
The Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov has first heavily added the end of cooperation with Russia. "2016 was not completed at Antonov yet a single plane", reported the specialist service aerotelegraph outside and a half years. In September 2015, cooperation with Russian United Aircraft Corporation had been linked – of course from political reasons. Now lacked spare parts. Notign were 12 to 15 aircraft per year after expert estimation to be profitable.
Today, Antonov belongs to the state Ukrainian race company Ukroboronprom. And can now remarrust success: With Chinese partners one agreed to build the on-225 Mriya again. It is the big cargo plane in the world and was once produced in the Soviet Union – in four factories in today’s Russia, in three Ukrainian factories and in a Uzbekistan. However, the cooperation with China was also considered as selling the Ukrainian aviation industry. Antonov himself emphasized that the rights on the plane remained at Ukraine.
From the giant flyer has so far only one copy was built. It was completed in 1988 and today serves for commercial heavy transport. A second copy was finished only 70 percent and is located in Kiev. According to media reports, this aircraft should be completed in cooperation with China.
In Germany, the AN-225 was also visible this year. On the 29th. April at 14 o’clock the landing was expected in Leipzig / Halle, as the airport proud tweeted, which is always an event for aircraft lovers. And afternoon the success message was done that they to 15. Let’s landed.
… and again on the road to success
Antonov also has offered to fill the luck, which leaves the jerking of the Russians in Leipzig / Halle. In addition, the company announced to develop a new militar aircraft together with Turkey. The AN-188 will transport militar vehicles of all kinds, helicopters, up to 300 soldiers or rusts of all kinds.
The corporate balance sheet also looked better again: In 2017, sales were 5.9 billion hrywnja, 1.6 times more than in 2016. The net profit amounted to 180 million hrywnja.
In addition, the company celebrated the development of two new products: the airplane AN-132D and the combat drone Horlytsya. In the AN-132D, cutting-edge technology has been installed, including the company, among others from the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France and Germany. "The AN-132D is the first Ukrainian airplane without Russian accessories", Stresses the company. Also for the transport plane AN-70, cooperation partners have been found for modernization. "The plane will receive a new board electronics and get rid of its Russian components."