Ukraine's aircraft manufacturer Antonov to participate in Airshow China

Ukraine' s state-run aircraft manufacturing company Antonov said on late Monday it would participate in the international air show in China' s southern city of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province.

"The An-178 and An-132 models of advanced transport as well as An-158 passenger aircraft will be displayed at Antonov's booth," the company said in a statement on its website.

During the show, Antonov plans to hold a series of meetings and talks with Chinese partners on the extension of cooperation between Ukraine and China in the aviation field, the statement said.

Among the most promising projects for bilateral cooperation, Antonov named the newly-designed transport aircraft An-178 and the world' s largest cargo plane An-225 Mriya.

The An-178 is a medium-sized transport aircraft capable of performing takeoffs and landings on unpaved runways. The plane, which made its first flight last year, has a payload capacity of up to 18 tons with a maximum speed of 800 kilometers per hour.

The An-225 Mriya, designed by Antonov in late 1980's, is the longest and the heaviest airplane ever built. It is capable of carrying up to 640 tons of cargo.

The six-day 11th biennial China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, known as Airshow China, opened in Zhuhai on Tuesday. Endi