The Antonov An-124 "Ruslan" aircraft / REUTERS
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced that France's Bollore has signed a contract with Ukraine's Antonov plant to transport European satellites and respective equipment.
"An-124 ["Ruslan"] planes will transport European satellites and equipment for them," the president tweeted on December 24.
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"The model is still one of the most popular among the heavy transport aircraft. The confirmation of this is the contract between the Antonov plant and the French company Bollore," he tweeted.
The state-run Antonov enterprise is the only manufacturer of transport, passenger and special-purpose aircraft in Ukraine. Among its most well-known models are the An-32, An-148, An-158, An-74, An-124, An-70 and An-225 "Mriya" aircraft.