Russian Air Force to get new An-140 plane next year

Russian Air Force will have a new An-140-100 aircraft by the end of 2010, said the Defense Ministry Thursday.A contract for the manufacture of one An-140-100 has been signed between Russia's Air Force and the Samara-based aircraft-building plant Aviakor, said Vladimir Drik, a ministry spokesman for Air Force Affairs.

"It is expected that the new plane will be delivered and handed over to the customer in the fourth quarter of 2010. It will be used for special purpose missions, such as airlifting of personnel in rigorous Arctic conditions," the spokesman told the Itar-Tass news agency."This is going to be the first-ever plane of this type the Russian Air Force will operate," he added.The An-140 is a regional aircraft that can carry up to 52 passengers.

Posted in: Russia,transport aircraft