KYIV, Ukraine, June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ —Ukraine is going to showcase a new generation passenger regional jet An-158 at the 49th International Paris Air Show Le Bourget on June 20-26, 2011. The key features of the new exhibit include the ability to land on the various types of ground under zero visibility conditions.
The main Ukrainian exhibit to participate in the demonstration flights at Le Bourget Air Show will be the An-158 passenger regional jet (previously referred to as An-148-200). The aircraft with a range of 2,5-3,1 thousand km is an upgraded version of An-148 with stretched fuselage that may accommodate 99 passengers. Also, compared to the previous models, this one received additional wingtip fences. The machine is equipped with D-436-148 engine designed by the state owned Ivchenko Progress and produced by Ukrainian JSC Motor-Sich. The key features of the plane’s design include the placing of the craft’s engines high, making it possible to land even in the snowdrifts and on the ground if there is no runway.
The participating companies from Ukraine are the state-owned AntonovAeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex, Ivchenko Progress, JSC Motor-Sich, PA Yuzhmash, Yuzhnoe SDO, the State Space Agency of Ukraine, State Corporation Vector, state company Ukrspecexport.
An-158 is certified by International Civil Aviation Organization to land under zero visibility conditions (ICAO category III approach). The plane also acquired an Interstate Aviation Committee certificate. The first flight of the plane was successfully completed on April 28, 2010.
About 20 units of the new plane have already been preordered by a number of international companies. Currently, AntonovAeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex is launching a serial production of An-158, with an aim to hit the market by the end of the year and build over 100 planes by 2020.
The Paris Air Show, officially titled Salon International de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, Paris-Le Bourget, is considered to be the biggest world air show while being the oldest one (established in 1909) at the same time. It is held at the Le Bourget Airport in Paris every odd year in June and is dedicated to aeronautics and space conquest. Every other year hundreds of thousands (estimated 390 thousand visitors in 2009) attend the show where the latest achievements in the aircraft industry are displayed.
