OREANDA-NEWS. On December 18th,2013 Rosoboronexport, a subsidiary of the Rostec State Corporation, Aviakor aircraft plant, a subsidiary of the Russian Machines Corporation, and Italian company Elettronica S.p.A. signed a set of agreements on cooperation in equipping the An-140 type aircraft with modern electronic and radio systems.

At the signing ceremony deputy head of 3rd Devision of the Rosoboronexport's Air Force Department Konstantin Grek stated that the An-140-100 aircraft fitted with the new equipment would become even more competitive in many regional markets.

“The Russian Ministry of Defence and civil aviation companies are successfully operating different modifications of the An-140-100 aircraft. Moreover, thanks to its advanced technical characteristics this aircraft is in demand in Vietnam, India, Nigeria, Philippines and other countries of South-East Asia and Africa”, - underscored Konstantin Grek.

Aviakor's director general Aleksei Gusyev added that fitting the An-140s with Elettronica up-to-date electronic and radio systems would make the aircraft more attractive to potential customers.

“The Aviakor aircraft plant has been serially producing the An-140-100 aircraft in Samara since 2006. Today we are interested in making different modifications of this aircraft, including transport, cargo, sanitary, patrol, mapping and environmental monitoring aircraft, - stated Aleksei Gusyev. - Besides, the agreements that we have signed today provide for the participation of other enterprises of the Samara region, such as the Ekran research institute, in this project”.

“Elettronica S.p.A. is a key player on many marketsin such areas as electronic warfare systems development, production and integration. The agreements signed by Rosoboronexport, Aviakor and Elettronica ensure efficient promotion of the Russian-made An-140-100 aircraft to the world market and improves our company's standing”, - stressed Gianni Maratta, Elettronica business development manager in Russia and CIS.

The An-140-100 is a multi-purpose turboprop aircraft designed to carry out passenger, cargo-and-passenger regional flights at the range of up to 2,500 km. The aircraft is efficiently operatedin highlands, in hot and cold climates, on poorly equipped airfields with short runways, including unpaved ones. Its design life is 50,000 flight hours or 25 years of operation. The aircraft fully meets international standards on flight deck instrumentation, low noise and vibration levels, air pollutants emission. The An-140-100 aircraft in its basic configuration features a comfortable 52-seat passenger cabin.

Rosoboronexport, a subsidiary of the Rostec Corporation, is the sole state-owned arms trade company in the Russian Federation authorized to export the full range of military and dual-purpose products, technologies and services. Rosoboronexport is one of the leading world arms exporters to the international market. Its share in Russia's military exports exceeds 80 percent. Rosoboronexport cooperates with more than 700 enterprises and organizations in the Russian defence industrial complex. Russia maintains military technical cooperation with more than 70 countries around the world.

The Russian corporation Rostec was established in 2007 with the purpose to render assistance to industries in the development, production and export of high-technology military and civil-purpose products. It comprises 663 enterprises grouped into eight holding companies in the defence industrial complex, and five holding companies in civil industry branches. The Rostec subsidiaries are located in 60 regions of the Russian Federation, and export their products to more than 70 countries worldwide.

For more than 60 years the Italian company Elettronica S.p.A. has been engaged in research, design, development, production and integration of the complete range of defence electronic systems and technologies intended for ground, maritime and airborne platforms. Its corporate headquarters is situated in Rome, Italy. Elettronica supplies its systems to armed forces in 20 countries. The company efficiently collaborates with the world-class enterprises manufacturing airborne platforms and electronic systems.

JSC Aviakor aircraft plant makes part of the Russian Machines Corporation. The enterprise manufactures and repairs the An-140-100 and Tu-154 aircraft. At present its major client is the Russian Ministry of Defence.