OREANDA-NEWS. Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Commission has already finished admitting works of the AN-70 program at the ANTONOV Company that were planned in the agreement between ANTONOV and MoD.

The estimates given during the aircraft structural tests showed that the ANTONOV Company performed the whole complex of researches, calculations and tests, provided by normative documents in force. Besides, static tests of the high lift devices, control surface, engine installation, landing gear struts and doors, radome and other construction units were carried out. Tests included loading of the construction with design loads, and in several cases with heavier loads up to destructing loads.

The principal target of structural tests was the AN-70 full-scale specimen. It allowed investigating the construction strength in whole. It wasn’t only about strength of certain units, but of their connections, it allowed researching of interference during loads transfer. Results of researches showed that the aircraft construction met the requirements of damage acceptability, was easy to examine, and that the aircraft could have been operated on-condition maintenance without overhauls.

The aircraft fatigue and static tests were carried out with main standardized loading conditions. Researches on deflected mode of the construction, appraisal of constructional elements replacements, and permanent deformation absence after load application were carrying out during tests. Completed tests approved sufficient structural strength and the right choice of designed models of the AN-70 strength.

Basing on the test results, TsAGI (Centerl Aerohydrodynamic Institute) issued conclusion to static strength of the AN-70 construction. The performed tests allowed removing strength restrictions to complete joint state flight tests.

Members of the MoD commission also familiarized themselves with progress of the aircraft flight test program. After completing the AN-70 deep modernization, the airplane has fulfilled about 30 test flights with total duration of about 50 hours. In sum, the AN-70 model performed about 670 flights with total duration of more than 710 hours.