The Antonov 132, a twin turboprop developed for multipurpose military and civil use by a Saudi-Ukrainian partnership, flew for the first time on Friday. The airplane took off from Kiev, Ukraine, and flew for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The aircraft is intended for operation on short- and medium−haul routes, the company said, and will perform various tasks including cargo transport, emergency response and evacuation, and air-dropping paratrooper rescue teams. Oleksandr Kotsiuba, president of Antonov, said testing will continue, and then the aircraft will be flown to Saudi Arabia for demonstrations.
The airplane can carry up to 9.2 tons, and fly at speeds up to 300 knots for 690 NM, at altitudes up to 28,000 feet. The program was launched in May 2015.
