AN-124 by Boeing!!!
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AN-124 by Boeing!!!
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Hey, please comment on the article below:
U.S. Boeing Co. may conduct the final assembly of Russian-Ukrainian An-124 Condor heavy-lift transport planes for the U.S. market, a Russian business daily said on Friday, citing government officials.
The Kommersant newspaper cited Alexei Fyodorov, head of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation, as saying that Russia had proposed the joint production of the plane to the U.S. government and the White House had been discussing the issue with Boeing.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Kommersant that the issue would be on the agenda of President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the United States later in June.
The An-124 was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in 1982, and was produced in Ukraine's Kiev and Russia's Ulyanovsk plants until 1995. Although there are no An-124s being built at present, Russia and Ukraine have reportedly agreed to resume production in the future.
The plane is similar to the American Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but has a 25% larger payload.
The aircraft has a maximum payload of 150 metric tons with a flight range of around 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles).
An-124s have been used extensively by several U.S. companies. The Russian cargo company Volga-Dnepr has contracts with Boeing to ship outsize aircraft components to its Everett plant.
United Launch Alliance contracts the An-124 to transport the Atlas V launch vehicle from its facilities near Denver to Cape Canaveral.
Space Systems Loral contracts the An-124 to transport satellites from Palo Alto in California to the Arianespace spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
The Pentagon has reportedly contracted An-124 planes for military transport purposes until 2016.
Russian experts believe that the future project could become reality only if a "political" decision is made to manufacture An-124 for the U.S. military. The civilian use of the plane is very limited, while the cost of up to $250 mln would require the production of a large number of such aircraft to make it profitable.
The Russian proposal has already drawn severe criticism from Ukrainian aircraft industry officials. The Antonov design bureau owns the rights for the design of the An-124 and the Motor Sich company builds engines for the plane and the Ukrainians do not want to lose their share of the profits to potential U.S. competitors.
MOSCOW, June 11 (RIA Novosti)
THIS I'D LIKE TO SEE!!!
Article can be found at:
Boeing may assemble An-124 transport planes - paper | Business | RIA Novosti
Hey, please comment on the article below:
U.S. Boeing Co. may conduct the final assembly of Russian-Ukrainian An-124 Condor heavy-lift transport planes for the U.S. market, a Russian business daily said on Friday, citing government officials.
The Kommersant newspaper cited Alexei Fyodorov, head of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation, as saying that Russia had proposed the joint production of the plane to the U.S. government and the White House had been discussing the issue with Boeing.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Kommersant that the issue would be on the agenda of President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the United States later in June.
The An-124 was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in 1982, and was produced in Ukraine's Kiev and Russia's Ulyanovsk plants until 1995. Although there are no An-124s being built at present, Russia and Ukraine have reportedly agreed to resume production in the future.
The plane is similar to the American Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but has a 25% larger payload.
The aircraft has a maximum payload of 150 metric tons with a flight range of around 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles).
An-124s have been used extensively by several U.S. companies. The Russian cargo company Volga-Dnepr has contracts with Boeing to ship outsize aircraft components to its Everett plant.
United Launch Alliance contracts the An-124 to transport the Atlas V launch vehicle from its facilities near Denver to Cape Canaveral.
Space Systems Loral contracts the An-124 to transport satellites from Palo Alto in California to the Arianespace spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
The Pentagon has reportedly contracted An-124 planes for military transport purposes until 2016.
Russian experts believe that the future project could become reality only if a "political" decision is made to manufacture An-124 for the U.S. military. The civilian use of the plane is very limited, while the cost of up to $250 mln would require the production of a large number of such aircraft to make it profitable.
The Russian proposal has already drawn severe criticism from Ukrainian aircraft industry officials. The Antonov design bureau owns the rights for the design of the An-124 and the Motor Sich company builds engines for the plane and the Ukrainians do not want to lose their share of the profits to potential U.S. competitors.
MOSCOW, June 11 (RIA Novosti)
THIS I'D LIKE TO SEE!!!
Article can be found at:
Boeing may assemble An-124 transport planes - paper | Business | RIA Novosti
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Expect it to turn into an updated version with a lot of new engineering
That requires a bottomless bucket of money.
Sounds like it's a one-way discussion coming from Russia.
Expect Boeing to deny it, or ignore it.
Sounds like it's a one-way discussion coming from Russia.
Expect Boeing to deny it, or ignore it.
Well, there's a thing...
Wasn't the An-124 Ruslan originally developed with the aid of 'state funding'? How would that sit with Ol' Bubba Boeing's hysterical rants about such things.......
Wasn't the An-124 Ruslan originally developed with the aid of 'state funding'? How would that sit with Ol' Bubba Boeing's hysterical rants about such things.......
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I dont quite agree with you there. Yes this might be a stunt marketing wise, but it wouldn't require that much money and it certainly wouldn't be stupid business wise (comparing with development of such an aircraft from the scratch).
124 is a proven platform, it flies nice, it can do the job good and it doesn't have a competitor (which makes it the winner any case you cut it).
With the new technologies that Boeing acquired while working on 787 and 747-8 (I'm targeting composite wing, avionics and engines) This would corner the market and it would open up the way towards civilian bulky cargo operations.
Now if the Air force wants to buy few of it than this just makes the business case stronger.
Yes I agree with you all that this is little bit wired, but hey that's why it can be a total winner.
Anyhow lets speculate a little bit on new engines, new wing, winglets, CFRP skin and control surfaces, new avionics and lets see where it gets us.
Regards to everybody!
124 is a proven platform, it flies nice, it can do the job good and it doesn't have a competitor (which makes it the winner any case you cut it).
With the new technologies that Boeing acquired while working on 787 and 747-8 (I'm targeting composite wing, avionics and engines) This would corner the market and it would open up the way towards civilian bulky cargo operations.
Now if the Air force wants to buy few of it than this just makes the business case stronger.
Yes I agree with you all that this is little bit wired, but hey that's why it can be a total winner.
Anyhow lets speculate a little bit on new engines, new wing, winglets, CFRP skin and control surfaces, new avionics and lets see where it gets us.
Regards to everybody!
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I suspect the Russians may have had some very preliminary conversation with Boeing, and have gotten a little carried away.
Still, here is an aircraft that is useable as-is.
It would probably benefit first from some revised production engineering, to bring build cost down to a level that would allow the aircraft to be offered at a price users would be willing to pay.
Boeing has great presence with engine makers, of course, so something more modern and more efficient should fall readily to hand.
I would love to actually see this deal happen, but then I would love to see the Cleveland Indians win the World Series once during my lifetime.
Still, here is an aircraft that is useable as-is.
It would probably benefit first from some revised production engineering, to bring build cost down to a level that would allow the aircraft to be offered at a price users would be willing to pay.
Boeing has great presence with engine makers, of course, so something more modern and more efficient should fall readily to hand.
I would love to actually see this deal happen, but then I would love to see the Cleveland Indians win the World Series once during my lifetime.
