On October 29, in Warsaw, the heads of the Industrial Development Agency of the Republic of Poland, the Polish enterprise PZL Mielec, and the Antonov Aeronautical Scientific and Technical Complex signed an Agreement on long-term cooperation.
One of the projects planned for implementation under this Agreement is a program for the joint development and production of a light multi-purpose aircraft to replace the An-28 (M-28), which has been produced in Poland in various versions since 1984.
The new aircraft has received the working name AN-M128 Skytruck Plus. It will be created on the basis of digital information technologies using the latest achievements in aerodynamics, materials science, and avionics. The development will be carried out according to a certification basis founded on the European and American airworthiness standards JAR-25 and FAR-25. In all technical parameters, the AN-M128 Skytruck Plus will surpass the An-28 (M-28) aircraft.
For reference: The An-28 (M-28) is designed to transport 17 passengers, mail, and cargo with a total mass of up to 1750 kg on local airlines over a distance of up to
650 km. The passenger cabin seats of the aircraft fold quickly against the sides when cargo needs to be transported. The dimensions of the cargo hatch and the onboard cargo-handling device allow for rapid loading and unloading of various cargoes.
In addition, there are variants of the An-28 (M-28) for carrying out patrol service for forest protection, aerial photography, conducting geological, ice, and fish reconnaissance, training parachutist athletes, as well as a medical variant.