Silk Way Airlines (Azerbaijan) cargo carrier and Antonov State Enterprise signed a contract for delivery of 10 An-178 aircraft, LIGABiznesInform reports with reference to the Antonov General Designer, Dmitry Keeva.

Antonov State Enterprise also signed a contract with China for joint production of the aircraft. All the jets will be assembled in Kiev. The value of this contract was not unveiled. Moreover, China signed a contract for delivery of two An-178s. Average price of one An-178 jet is around $40 million.

According to Dmitry Keeva, the order backlog for An-178 aircraft stands at 100 jets. Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf countries are interested in purchasing An-178 aircraft. The jet will be presented at Le Bourget airshow.

An-178 is a medium transport aircraft able to carry a payload of 15-18 tons. Its flight speed is 825 km/h, payload – 18 tons (equals the weight of two standard sea containers), flight altitude - 12 km, range - 5500 km. In addition, it may be operated from any airfields (including unpaved ones), that is why it is also suitable for military units. Experts believe that the jet’s price may vary from $25 to $40 million. This aircraft should replace An-12 turboprops.

Flight testing of An-178 was started in May. Antonov State Enterprise has already started assembly of the second An-178 prototype (production of the jet’s fuselage has already been completed), while the plant is preparing documentation required for mass production of the aircraft.