Samara-based AVIACOR aircraft maker will build six Antonov An-140-100 light transport planes under a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry by the end of 2012, the regional government said on Wednesday.
The An-140-100 was developed by Russia's Antonov design bureau as a replacement for the An-24 and An-26 series aircraft. It can carry up to 6 metric tons of cargo to a range of over 2,000 kilometers, and can be used for patrol, military transport and spec-ops missions.
“The plant could reach stable rates of production making An-140s,” Governor of the Samara Region Nikolai Merkushkin said.
The Russian Defense Ministry ordered a total of 11 An-140s in 2011.
The Russian Air Force took delivery of the first An-140-100 plane in January.
The delivery of the remaining five aircraft is expected in the next two years.
AVIACOR also has a substantial portfolio of orders for a civilian version of the An-140.
