The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Peru has chosen Aero Express FZE (UAE) as the winner of the tender for the purchase of a transport aircraft for the National Police of Peru. The Arab supplier offered to purchase a used An-74 (NATO codename Coaler) for $63.9 million, writes Defensa.
The last An-74 was produced in 2004. The main disadvantage of the purchase is the lack of agreements on aircraft maintenance. At the same time, an important condition of the tender was violated: the aircraft must be "new from the factory" or "new from the warehouse", but no more than 2 years old.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Peru did not take into account that Aero Express FZE is an intermediary in the purchase, and not the manufacturer of the aircraft.
Moreover, during the tender, they ignored the report of the aviation authorities of Peru, which indicated that the An-74 does not meet the requirements for operation at airfields or airports located at an altitude of more than 4200 meters.
The An-74 cannot take off with a payload of 8000 kg at the "Inca Manco Capac" airport, which is located at an altitude of 3825 meters. The navigation and control systems of the aircraft are severely outdated. In particular, the An-74 cockpit is equipped with analog instruments that are incompatible with Western radio equipment.
About the An-74 Aircraft
The transport aircraft was developed on the basis of the An-72 at the Antonov Design Bureau. It was created for operation in the Far North.
The An-74 can carry up to 7.5 tons of cargo at an altitude of up to 10,100 m with a cruising speed of 550-700 km/h. Civilian modifications of the An-74 are operated in the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, military ones in Egypt, Iran, Turkmenistan.
