Ukraine’s defense industry concern UkrOboronProm (UOP) announced on August 14 that it had won the tender launched by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Peru for the purchase of a military transport aircraft. As a result, the Antonov An-178 short-range, medium-airlift military transport will replace the Ukrainian-made An-32B in the Latin American country. The General Director of UOP, Pavel Bukin, said that for the Peruvian tender the An-178 faced competition from the Leonardo C-27J and the Airbus C295.

The CECEE (Comité de Evaluación de Contratación con Estado Extranjero), the relevant Peruvian state committee, evaluated the offers and decided in favor of the Ukrainian bid worth approximately $65 million (a package including one aircraft). CECEE considered the technical specifications, terms of reference, operational characteristics, delivery times, extended warranties, personnel training as well as social and industrial offsets. The An-178 achieved a score of 80.02 in the multi-faceted evaluation, out-pointing its rivals.

The proposal was handled by the Ukrainian SpetsTechnoEksport, a state-owned foreign trade company specializing in the export-import of military and dual-purpose products and services. Peruvian press reports say that the An-178 is going to replace the Peruvian National Police’s only An-32B (side number 2502), which has been in service since 1991. Details of delivery schedule were not disclosed.

According to the press office of Antonov the An-178 has received interest from several countries in Asia and Latin America. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense plans to acquire 15 aircraft, while the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs expressed interest for 13. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered by the end of 2021.

The An-178 is a relatively new aircraft, its first flight being conducted in 2015. The certification process of the aircraft is ongoing. “Peru can be the first export ground for a new aircraft created by Antonov,” said Bukin. “In our case, both the professionalism and perseverance of the contractors of UkrOboronProm and the legendary reliability of the Antonov brand played a role.”