The Antonov state aircraft manufacturing enterprise has concluded a contract with Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS, under which the French company will design and supply an integrated air management system for the first An-132D demonstration aircraft. The air management system will include a bleed air system, a cabin pressure control system, and an anti-ice system, among other things. The signing of the contract took place at the ILA-2016 exhibition in Berlin on June 1, the press service of Antonov said.
The agreement provides for supply of an integrated air management system for the four An-132 aircraft that will be used in a test flight program.
The An-132D is the first prototype of the new AN-132 light transport aircraft, which is intended to replace the An-32 and An-26 regional aircraft. Antonov is implementing the An-132 program in cooperation with companies King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Taqnia Aeronautics Co., Saudi Arabia.
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Liebherr-Aerospace is not a new partner for Antonov. The company already supplies automatic cabin pressure control systems for the An-74 and An-140 aircraft and integrated air management systems for the An-148 and An-158 aircraft and the An-178 test aircraft.
Liebherr−Aerospace & Transportation SAS (Toulouse, France) is one of eleven divisional control companies within the Liebherr Group and coordinates all activities in the aerospace and transportation systems sectors.
Liebherr−Aerospace is a leading supplier of systems for the aviation industry. The range of aviation equipment produced by Liebherr for the civil and military sectors includes flight control and actuation systems, landing gear and air management systems, as well as gears and gearboxes.
The new AN-132 multipurpose transport aircraft has a payload of 9.2 tons. According to preliminary estimates, the domestic need of Saudi Arabia and its security forces for multipurpose An-132 aircraft and its modifications is estimated at about 80. The market demand for the new An-132 aircraft in the period until 2025 is estimated at more than 200.
