The Ukrainian government is considering the purchase of civilian Boeing 737 to establish cooperation between Ukrainian Antonov and American Boeing company.
The supply and final assembly of American military aircraft in Ukraine may become a reality in the near future. The American aviation giant Boeing was considering the possibility of assembling military aircraft at Antonov’s facilities, said Alexander Los, the former head of Antonov, in an interview with Defense Express.
At the same time, according to a document obtained by GDC, the Cabinet of Ukraine wants to buy Boeing 737 passengers aircraft.
Ukraine appealed to the U.S. government for the possibility of supplying the latest version of the F-15EX multi-role fighter jet, AH-64 Apache and T-7A Red Hawk for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In an exclusive interview with Ukrainian Defence Express, this large-scale project “hung” in the air on the Ukrainian side, said the former head of “Antonov” Alexander Los.
In 2019, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine addressed Boeing with a proposal to obtain combat and training aircraft under the U.S. government Foreign Military Financing program.
In September 2019, representatives of the State Department and the U.S. Department of Defense paid an official visit to Antonov, as Boeing applied for an export license to supply T-7A trainers to Ukraine through Antonov factories. In 2020, the T-7A was not approved by DSCA for delivery to Ukraine, and under the Antonov project, it could become a center for the localization of the aircraft. The next step would be to supply the T-7A version as a light fighter, – Alexander Los told.
The vision was to form a fleet of T-7A light combat aircraft in Ukraine, create a pilot training center for 5th and 4th generation aircraft in Ukraine, and provide training services not only to the Ukrainian Air Force but also to NATO countries. That is, before Ukraine joins NATO, to start actual work towards interoperability in combat aircraft and flight work, Oleksandr Los said.
In general, this proposal allows Ukraine to solve a strategically important task – to replace the entire fleet of Soviet warplanes, which according to the vision of the Air Force, should retire all Soviet aircraft by 2035.
In addition, to enter into cooperation with Boeing, which allows giving impetus to the modern development of the entire aviation industry of Ukraine, gaining access to Western technologies and becoming part of the global aviation industry in partnership with one of the world’s most advanced aircraft manufacturers.
Considering the strong support for Ukraine by the United States of America in so many areas, which was once again confirmed during the recent meeting of Presidents Biden and Zelensky, Oleksandr Los stressed.
Antonov plans to enter a joint production deal for Boeing 737 passenger planes under the financing program.
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