Hello everyone, I'm Mir.
Ukrainian media recently released news that the Cradle of The Great Luck Antonov Design Bureau is facing bankruptcy, although Ukraine wants to save it. However, due to the inability to repay the loan, the design bureau still faced the risk of collapse. After the Madasic incident, will China once again lend a helping hand in the face of Antonov's dilemma?
Just as the so-called, fighters please find Sukhoi, large aircraft please find Antonov, this is the general pattern of the Soviet aviation industry in the 80s, Sukhoi Design Bureau relies on the excellent performance of the Su-27, in the field of fighter manufacturing shines, and Antonov Design Bureau uses a variety of large transport aircraft, occupying most of the Soviet transport aviation, except for an Il-76, the Transport Aircraft of the Soviet Air Force, all hung in the name of the Antonov Design Bureau.
In fact, the loan that the Design Bureau could not repay was also due to the tumultuous operation of the Ukrainian government, not long ago the Ukrainian President and the Antonov Design Bureau signed a contract for the purchase of 3 An-178 transport aircraft, originally to save Antonov, but because the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense will not pay the purchase price until the time of delivery. Therefore, the Antonov Design Bureau can only borrow money from the bank to purchase raw materials to produce aircraft, and the repayment pressure and interest of this loan are somewhat beyond the capacity of the Design Bureau, it is likely that the aircraft has not been paid, the purchase money has not been obtained, and the first insolvency is bankrupt.
The Antonov Design Bureau has been in a slump after 14 years of tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Before this, Russia has been the main source of profit for the Antonov Design Bureau, relying on the upgrading of cooperation with Russia, the resumption of production of the An-124, and the joint development and production of the An-148 and so on, becoming one of the few living enterprises in Ukraine. But after 2015, not a single plane has been delivered, and it is basically stopping work and waiting to die.
Antonov's aircraft is also an old friend of the Chinese Air Force, the Chinese Air Force, Yun 5, Yun 7, Yun 8 Yun 9 are all Antonov's genes, and then count their early warning aircraft, high-tech aircraft and other derivative models, it is not too much to say that Antonov has half of the people's air force.
If in the future, the Ukrainian government really let Antonov fall into crisis, and China has a chance to rescue it, then it is of course worthwhile to take advantage of the fact that Antonov is in the midst of bankruptcy crisis and buy it. It's not that this brain drain is almost the same, or how much value the production facilities such as the pile of dilapidated factories are, those things are really not as good as the production lines used by Xifei and Shaanxifei now.
But another important asset under the Antonov Group, Antonov Airlines, as an airline holding 1 An-225, 7 An-124, 1 An-22, a total of 9 super-large transport aircraft, listen to it and know that the transportation strength is not small. He is probably the most valuable hard asset of the entire Antonov Group for China, and as long as it is acquired, it can immediately acquire so many large strategic transport aircraft. These 9 super-large transport aircraft are even larger than the Y-20, which is a strategic transport aircraft in the strategic transport aircraft, which can instantly improve the strategic transport capability of the Chinese Air Force, even if it costs more than 10 new Y-20s to buy, it is also very valuable.
Of course, the historical accumulation of the Antonov Design Bureau is still worth acquiring, which is the same as Madasic, although he is old, he is still very valuable. Although Xifei Industry has mastered the development and production experience of large transport aircraft through the development of the Y-20, it is still a lot different from the An-124 class aircraft. The experience in the development and production of aircraft of this class of An-124 may be encountered, and the experience is still zero. If they can take their past design data over, they can encounter many fewer problems and take many detours, so that they can get the super-large transport aircraft out faster.
So as long as Antonov is really bankrupt and ready to sell, then China will definitely pay for it to buy it, but unfortunately, after the Madasic incident, Chinese companies have obviously lost confidence and trust in ukraine's related industrial enterprises and sectors. For such a country that has signed a contract and paid money, saying that if the contract is broken, it will be broken, and people will not dare to reach out to help again. Moreover, As a backbone enterprise from design to production to operation, Antonov's status is much higher than that of a Madasic factory that produces hangfa, and Ukraine is probably not willing to sell to China.
What's more, there is also the United States, which is looking for something everywhere, watching from behind, if China really acquires Antonov, an established aviation company. Whether it is the fleet of 9 strategic transport aircraft, or the designer team and design materials, the United States will not want to see China gain a stronger strategic transport capability. It is inevitable that the dead hand will stop such a transaction by any means.
So, Antonov, the precious legacy of the Soviet Union to Ukraine, is likely to end up like many of his colleagues, the Ukrainian government is unable to save, the United States prevents others from saving, and eventually silently becomes a pile of dilapidated factories and machines for adventurers to visit and take pictures.