Ukraine’s contract to supply an An-178 jet to Peru’s police force, praised by politicians and manufacturer alike, might never come to fruition since the country does not actually have the capacity to build it, an MP claims.
Concerns over the deal were voiced by Ukrainian MP Aleksandr Dubinskiy, from the Servant of the people party, from which current President Volodymyr Zelensky came to power. He called the agreement a “cheap PR stunt” by Ukroboronprom, expressing doubt it ever will – or even intends to – actually supply the aircraft to the Peruvian police force.
The $65 million contract to deliver the Ukrainian transport jet to Peru was signed back in August. The deal was lauded by aircraft maker Antonov, Ukrainian politicians, and media alike as a major breakthrough.
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The deal is actually quite “piquant,” as Dubinskiy put it, since Kiev signed an agreement to deliver a plane it does not actually have. While the country has time to try and make an actual plane to deliver, there’s a major obstacle on the production path. Roughly a third of the jet’s components are Russian made – but due to the strained relations between the two countries, all technical cooperation has effectively stopped. In 2018, former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Russian-made parts would no longer be used for the plane – but months later, experts are still asking where Antonov is expected to procure them. (RT)
