United to win: American Boeing and Ukrainian Antonov aviation companies sign MOU for joint production of drones and defense projects
Photo: Boeing
On July 23, the American Boeing Corporation and the Ukrainian Antonov company signed a memorandum of understanding, paving the way for collaboration on defense projects and the potential joint production of drones in Ukraine.
Boeing reports this.
The agreement outlines possible areas for collaboration, such as:
- teaching;
- provision of materials and technical support;
- maintenance and repair services for tactical UAVs used by the Ukrainian Defense Forces, specifically ScanEagle.
Furthermore, the parties will also explore the option of supplying engineering assistance to the Boeing company for Antonov State Enterprise.
"We are pleased to continue cooperating with Antonov State Enterprise to support Ukraine's development and economic growth. This agreement demonstrates our ongoing efforts to find new opportunities for cooperation with Ukrainian industry, which was highlighted by our signing earlier this year of the Agreement on cooperation with the defense industrial complex of Ukraine," Ted Colbert, President and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said.
It's worth mentioning that the United States sent ScanEagle, a small, long-range unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Insitu (a subsidiary of Boeing), to Ukraine as part of military aid packages.
"This agreement opens up a completely new level of opportunities for implementing the latest and most effective solutions – in addition to the possibility of future projects with Boeing in the aerospace and defense industry," Yevheniy Havrylov, CEO of Antonov, said.
As Rubryka previously reported, the Ukrainian company Antonov is diversifying its main business from producing cargo planes to strengthening the production of drones.
The new "Antonov" center offers:
- experimental aerodynamic studies,
- creation of fully functional simulators for training drone operators,
- development of component standards.
In total, the center has 26 functions.
Antonov's experience in cargo aircraft will also help Ukraine produce long-range drones that can strike deep into Russian territory.
Previously, Antonov designed and produced drones, particularly the "Horlytsia" model, but cargo planes have long been the company's main activity.
Although cargo aircraft production will continue, the new UAV center can now better serve Ukraine's military needs and give Antonov engineers more work.
For reference:
The Joint-Stock Company Ukrainian Defense Industry (Ukroboronprom) suspended Serhii Bychkov from performing his powers as the general director of the Antonov State Enterprise.
The Security Service of Ukraine later announced that Antonov's former experts were suspected of obstructing the preparation of the Hostomel airfield.
Rubryka also reported that the Ukrainian An-124 "Ruslan" cargo plane from the Antonov airline company's fleet delivered to Poland the first installations of the American HIMARS jet artillery system.
