Antonov’s An-70 four-engine turboprop tactical transport returns to western European skies after a long absence, having last appeared at the ILA show in Berlin in 1998. At that time the aircraft was being touted as a candidate for the European Future Large Aircraft requirement, which eventually crystallized as the Airbus Military A400M that is making its debut in French air force colors here at the Paris Air Show. Two An-70s were built in the early 1990s. The first flight was made in December 1994 but the aircraft was lost shortly after in a mid-air collision. The second aircraft crash-landed in 2001 but was subsequently repaired. It flew again late last summer after an extensive modernization, particularly with regard to its avionics. Antonov is here in Hall 1 Stand H298.
