At the beginning of Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion Ukraine evacuated both civilian and military aircraft, primarily transport planes, to stop them falling into Russian hands. Sadly, Ukraine’s An-225 Mriya, the world's largest air transporter could not be evacuated and was destroyed by Russian paratroopers at the Hostomel airport in the early days of the war.
It was assumed at the time that many of the aircraft were dispatched to Poland from where they could support Ukraine’s resupply effort – though neither Kyiv or Warsaw have, up to now, confirmed that one way or the other.
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Recently released satellite images included in the latest Google Maps update, shows a base in Poland where Ukrainian transport aviation is based. Seven Ilyushin Il-76MD and one An-70 were spotted at Dęblin Airport, which is close to the Polish Air Force academy and less than 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The aircraft are currently used to transport equipment, ammunition and weapons in support of Ukraine’s war against Russia. Polish seaports and airports have become key bases for allies bringing much needed materiel bound for Ukraine.
Several military commentators have become excited by the presence of Ukraine’s Antonov An-70 which is believed to be the only working example of the aircraft that still exists. The Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft was a joint venture between Ukraine and Russia with two prototypes being built at the Kyiv Aircraft Production Plant in 1994 as a replacement for the obsolete Soviet-era An-12 military transport aircraft.
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However, one was lost after a mid-air collision after which the Russian partners withdrew and development of the aircraft ground to a halt for financial reasons as customers for the aircraft became disinterested.
The An-70 is a medium STOL transport aircraft powered by four Progress D-27 turbo fan engines. It can carry up to 42,000 kilograms (92,400 pounds) of cargo, 260 wounded on stretchers, or 300 paratroopers. It was designed to operate from unimproved airfields with a length of 600 to 800 meters (2,000 to 2,600 feet) of unpaved runway. For comparison, the Airbus A400M military aircraft has a maximum gross weight of 33,000 kilograms (72,600 pounds) of cargo and requires a runway twice the distance for its takeoff roll.
In October there were reports that another unique Ukrainian prototype aircraft, the short-range medium-airlift military transport aircraft the An-178-100R had been secretly evacuated to Poland. This had also started life as a joint Russian-Ukrainian project which was dissolved after the illegal annexation of Crimea. The prototype was first flown in May 2015 and was presented to the public in late December 2021. However, just as certification flight tests were programmed to begin Russia invaded in February 2022.
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