Finally, and after years of controversy and delays, the government of Peru canceled a contract signed in 2019 procuring an Antonov An-178 for the Peruvian Police to replace its aging An-32B.
The contract, riddled with corruption accusations and with an impossible delivery date, fell through red tape and was finally canceled without penalty by the Peruvian government, after a year of delays in which Antonov incurred, despite previous and futile attempts of explanation.
Ukraine (kind of) explains Peruvian Antonov An-178 delays
The information, revealed by Defensa.com, refers to a resolution signed in November 2022 cancelling the contract citing the multiple delays and penalties the factory incurred and the lack of a definition of a delivery date.
The Antonov An-178: Will it ever fly?
The An-178 project, a military version of the controversial An-158, was rolled out in 2015 but has not been certified, and a flight campaign to achieve said certification is practically unfeasible. After Russia’s invasion of Crimea, Antonov was set to replace all Russian components, what led to a restart of the program.
The whole project, amid current Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory, seems to be dead on arrival, as it is lacking key components, national and international authorizations and the factory itself has no resources to move forward.
Ukraine: Russia shells Antonov factory housing second and never-completed An-225
Peruvian Police was named the launch customer of the type and the factory had secured an order for three aircraft acquired by Russian export agency Rosoboronexport. According to Defensa.com, Peru’s government has ordered its national bank to transfer the funds that were separated for the purchase back to the Interior Secretary.
Those funds -about 64 million dollars- would be the starting point for the acquisition of the new aircraft that could effectively replace the An-32B the Peruvian Police operates.
Peru Antonov’s replacement candidates
As the An-178 was effectively discarded, there are elements that led analysts to think that there is an opportunity to adjust the replacement program to an aircraft that really suits its operator needs.
The old An-32B is clearly in a different segment that the one the An-178 -if ever built- would serve. While the An-32 can carry up to 50 troops and has a 6.7-ton payload, the larger An-178 (90 troops, 16-ton payload) was considered by many as a massive overkill.
The Peruvian Air Force operates the Leonardo C-27J Spartan, an 11.5-ton payload aircraft that has proven to be a fine aircraft for the needs of a modern air force. How it would benefit the Peruvian Police to operate such a larger aircraft is a good question that no one has a clear answer for.
There are other options in the market -such as the Airbus C-235 or C-295– that are proven and fit the scale of the Antonov An-32. While there are many investigations around the contract signed with Antonov, one thing is certain: the chances for that aircraft to be seen in Peruvian colors has disappeared. And its chances as a program, are kind of gone too.
