hehe, someone missed the Ukrainian ensign on the vertical stabilizer, for that version to be out, we have to wait China and Ukraine to merge into one country.
China's transport, tanker & heavy lift aircraft
- Thread starter Totoro
- Start date
Interesting... this may have the potential to turn out something real then, but I'm still very hesitant because none of the big state players seem to be involved, which you'd think would be necessary for a project as big as this.
Also, the company's name should be "Aerospace Industry Corporation of China" or "AICC" not simply "China Air Space," so I suppose that could have caused the confusion with AVIC being incorrectly written in that Janes article.
And the cooperation agreement has been posted on Antonov's FB page as well, for further confirmation:
ANTONOV COMPANY SIGNED COOPERATION AGREEMENT ON THE AN-225 PROGRAMME WITH AICC.
On August 30, 2016, ANTONOV Company included into Ukroboronprom SC and Aerospace Industry Corporation of China (AICC) signed Cooperation agreement on the AN-225 programme. In such way, the parties expressed their intensions as for long-term cooperation. The first stage of this interaction consists in construction of the second modernized AN-225 Mriya at ANTONOV Company and delivery of this aircraft to AICC. The second stage – organization of the joint series production of the AN-225 in China under licence of ANTONOV Company. Both stages will be realized in accordance with proper contracts.
Photo: fuselage of the second АN-225 at ANTONOV Company’s production facility.
A big heavy lift aircraft like that, particularly if it was designed for good access front and back, would be very valuable to the growing PLA, PLAAF, and even the PLAN.Nice one Jeff!
Heck, the C-5 has been a very valuable asset for the US Armed forces since 1970...45 years ago! About 130 were built, and we still operate about 60-65 of them and they are all being upgraded to the Super Galaxy (if they haven't finished already) status.
I could easily seeing the PLAAF building 30-40 of these for military lift.
Hehehe...do a refresh...I noticed it and removed it.hehe, someone missed the Ukrainian ensign on the vertical stabilizer, for that version to be out, we have to wait China and Ukraine to merge into one country.
I agree with your hesitation. Without AVIC it is almost impossible for a company without prior aircraft building expertise to have An-225 roll out from a Chinese plant in 2019.
One possibility is that Ukraine will have a substantial number of engineers and workers moved to China. That massive "migration" happened in the 1990s after the collapse of USSR, though on individual level. But now considering the situation in Ukraine and Antonov's financial condition, I think these Ukrainian people would prefer to work and live in China at least for a long while.
That other possibility would be that AICC is a front company of AVIC or other Chinese state fund who can mobilize and provide personnel to the project. Unfortunately, we don't have any information about the background of AICC, specifically who owns it.
kwaigonegin
Colonel
China and Ukraine agree to restart An-225 production
Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
31 August 2016
China and Ukraine have signed an agreement to recommence production of the Antonov An-225 'Cossack' strategic airlifter, media from both countries have reported.
The agreement signed between the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and Antonov on 30 August gives China access to the aircraft's designs and technologies for the purposes of domestic production, according to China's STCN news organisation and the Ukrainian Business Channel (UBR).
Powered by six Progress D-18T engines and having demonstrated a world-record payload of 253.82 tonnes, the An-225 (named Mriya in Ukraine) is the largest transport aircraft ever to have flown. Having been originally built to carry the Soviet Buran orbiter, the aircraft made its maiden flight in 1988. Only one aircraft was ever finished to an airworthy standard and flown, and while work on a second example was begun it had become clear by mid-2001 that funding would no longer be provided and the project was shelved. The sole aircraft to be completed is now chartered by Antonov Airlines to fly outsized cargo throughout the world.
According to the reports, China now plans to fly the first of an unspecified number of An-225s in 2019.
Just as I was saying China earlier doesn't have an indigenous C5 equivalent I read this news! LOL
I'm a frekin wizard I tell ya
This would be a good move and would give them basically exponential improvement in military airlift capabilities.
Imagine a few hundred Y20s and a few dozen An-225s in the tool shed. That combo would rival AMC's heavy lifting capabilites!
See
Here:
https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/ch...heavy-lift-aircraft.t197/page-273#post-413057
...and here:
https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/ch...heavy-lift-aircraft.t197/page-273#post-413066
Watch that baby take off here on youtube:
On day we will see these in the air for the PLAAF:
See my two posts above:
Here:
https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/ch...heavy-lift-aircraft.t197/page-273#post-413057
...and here:
https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/ch...heavy-lift-aircraft.t197/page-273#post-413066
Watch that baby take off here on youtube:
On day we will see these in the air for the PLAAF:
superdog
Junior Member
Good investigation. If that is the case then this is not a fraud. But I still have serious doubts that they will be able to domestically produce and fly An-225 in less than 3 years. Building manufacturing facilities, sorting out supply chains, and getting all the personnel and training in place would already take years to complete.I don't think it is a fraud. The meeting and photo seems legitimate. Here is why I think so.
Antonov management team
President, Oleksandr A.Kotsiuba
China Air Space news
Oleksandr A.Kotsiuba in the middle
Unless someone can tell the photo is doctored otherwise.
Regarding the real production line, I don't see it a problem really. Antonov has a full production line, what is so difficult to move that line to China? D-18T is owned by Ivchenko of Ukraine just like An-225 itself and factory in Ukraine has a working production line. Also the production line will be inside China (AVIC/XAC?). Remember how fast Geely started a new Volvo production line in China after acquiring Volvo? It is not like starting from scratch, but more of a restart of a working car after well preserved for years.
I am inclined to agree with you that "China Air Space" is sort of front company in this possible deal though. If so, then it is even more likely that the China production site is likely.
As to the purpose of it. Cargo transportation of course. "China Air Space" does say their vision is "logistic" / 物流. For that business, An-225 is probably the best for commercial cargo, after all in this kind of business, the bigger the better, like ocean going manmathes.
You can't compare this with car assembly lines. The Ukrainians most likely do not have an efficient assembly line for the An225 because it is not a serial production aircraft, only one has been produced and the production has stopped for many years. Even if they do have such a system, it will still be very different from the mass production of cars. Because for cars many parts are highly interchangeable with small customizations, and the supply chain has been matured in China. For the An225 it is not the case, the system, the standards, the technical requirements, these would be quite different from what the Chinese are doing, and it will take time to sort out (adapt to the Antonov standard or change it to Chinese standards). Not to mention the whole thing is orders of magnitude higher in complexity than cars.
I also doubt that China would want to mass produce this thing as-is. The tech is a bit old, and this is not the most practical class of strategic lifters, as compared to the C5 or An124. Afterall It was designed to carry a space shuttle. It is reasonable if they want a couple of these for special needs, but I don't see them building this in the dozens. Yet if they only want one or two the most economical way is to just buy from the Ukrainians. So I believe there will be more to it, the manufacturing base, if built, will not be just for making the An225 as is.