An-124 may have edge over C-17 according to the Ukrainian media

Published: 3/2/2000

Decision expected soon on UK lift requirement/ Reports have been emerging since the end of February that the UK"s Ministry of Defence (MoD) may be close to a decision on the UK"s Short Term Strategic Airlifter (STSA) tender. The original tender was cancelled in August 1999, owing to the failure to find “ an acceptable solution at an affordable price" according to Baroness Symons, the Minister responsible for defence procurement. The tender was however, almost immediately resurrected as “not a competition, but a series of discussions", according to the MoD, with a decision due in early 2000. The two key candidates comprise a joint bid, by Antonov and UK company, Air Foyle, for the use of the Ukrainian manufactured 120 tonne payload An-124-210 Ruslan and Boeing"s 55 tonnes payload C-17, the latter regarded as “unaffordable" in the first tender and the former “unacceptable". It appears however, that the Royal Air Force still favour the substantially more expensive C-17 over the revised Air Foyle proposal, in what in effect appears to be the same two horse race. Over the past year, Air Foyle and Antonov have emphasised the cost benefits of the An-124. They have also stressed the importance of such an order to help boost the Ukrainian and Russian aerospace industry. (Russia would supply components). The original Antonov bid was apparently rejected owing to concerns over the time involved in integrating a package of new engines and avionics, although the four years estimated at the UK end was disputed by the equipment suppliers, who claimed this, could be achieved in two. Second time round, Antonov proposed a standard An-124-100 loosing the original idea of re-engining with Rolls Royce RB-211s. DERA, the MoD"s equipment evaluation arm, was reported to be impressed by the bureau"s approach to development, during visits to Kiev, the latest reported to have been in January 2000. However, controversy brewed, as rumours emerged that the UK and US Air Forces, combined with their respective governments, were attempting to reduce the price of the Boeing C-17 in order to meet the STSA budget costing. Other sources were more pragmatic, claiming that Britain"s RAF were divided over the relative merits of the C-17 and the An-124, with its proposed leasing structure. Latest media reports in the Ukraine and Russia have suggested that the expected decision may well favour the Ukrainian bid, observing that this option could save the MoD as much as $300m, as well as offering twice the cargo transport capacity. According to Kostiantyn Lushakov, General Director of Antonov, the proposal in response terms of the tender, announced towards the end of 1999, involved the transfer of two Ruslans, together with their crews, under a seven-year lease. According to Air Foyle however, the basis of the second bid was for the aircraft to be British owned on the British military register, with British contractor crews and a UK source of maintenance and spares. While applauding the efforts of Air Foyle to get this aircraft into a broader international market, it seems that the optimism of the local press in the Ukraine is misguided and the chances of the Ukrainian"s winning the bid are extremely small, a fact acknowledged by Bruce Bird of Air Foyle at the end of 1999, despite the fact that the Foyle solution at $200m is well below the most optimistic cost for the C-17s of $500m. Associated articles: www.concise.org. 8th February 1999; 24th November 1999

Article ID: 1502