Air International 2021-12
A.Mladenov - Lost in transition
An-70's airframe design life is set at 45,000 hours or 20,000 landings, whichever is reached first
The An-70’s sole prototype, which resumed flight testing in 2013 in a new avionics and powerplant configuration, is considered a much more advanced aircraft than that flown for the first time back in 1994
The An-70 technical specification required the advanced airlifter to be capable of climbing and descending at high rates in an effort to stay within the shortest possible range to counter enemy small arms and shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles
In 2014, the An-70 finally lost its potentially huge Russian military market as Russia annexed Crimea, turning the troubled programme almost overnight into yet another high-profile victim of the severed relationship between Russia and Ukraine
In April 2014, Antonov reported that the An-70 programme had completed its joint flight test and evaluation programme, allowing the type's launch into production
The Y-20 gives Chinese armed forces long sought-after strategic reach
The Y-20’s cargo compartment has a rear loading ramp for a maximum payload of 121,000lb; it was made large enough to accommodate two ZVD-04 infantry fighting vehicles or one Type 99 main battle tank
Equipped with a glass cockpit and a fly-by-wire flight control system, the Y-20 is operated by a crew of four