How Saudi Arabia's KACST redesign Antonov-132 for Manned and Autonomous Aircraft Design

“Its range will be doubled or more and the kingdom will participate in developing new specifications for the aircraft to co-own this technology with the Antonov company. The new Saudi-Ukrainian aircraft will be designed with Western engines from Canada, navigation systems from American company Honeywell, as well as other parts that will be acquired from the UK”

Chairman of Taqnia Aeronautics and president of the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed Al-Saud, commenting on the deal with Ukraine to build eight (8) Antonov AN-32 aircraft

If you're an aviation buff, then this bit of News will have you excited on the edge of your seat.

The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has struck a deal with Ukraine's Antonov aircraft company to re-design and build a modernized version of the AN-32 aircraft as reported in the article “Saudi Arabia to build planes with Ukraine's Antonov”, published Thursday May 7, 2015, Reuters. 

The agreement was signed by Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed Al-Saud, Chairman of Taqnia Aeronautics, a subsidiary of Saudi development and investment company Taqnia and President of Antonov, Dmytro Kiva as reported in the article “Saudi Arabia To Build Antonov Cargo Planes”, published May 7, 2015 By Awad Mustafa, Defense News.

Negotiations had begun as far back as 2013 when Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed Al-Saud had visited the Antonov factories with contract negotiations starting some seven (7) months ago in November 2014. 

The Antonov AN-32 had been selected after the Saudis realized that the propeller driven aircraft was the perfect place to start to challenge Western dominance of Aircraft Manufacture for Military and Commercial purposes. Airbus and Boeing are the real players on the international market which demanded transport aircraft in the military and civil sectors and the Antonov AN-32 is a good a place to start as any.

The Ukrainians are quite pleased with the deal, as it will see the big plan finally taking its place on the international stage, to quote President of Antonov, Dmytro Kiva: “This is an important agreement for Ukraine and beneficial for Saudi Arabia as it brings the kingdom in to the aviation development and manufacturing industry”.

So what do the Saudi's know about re-designing and building Jumbo Airplanes for Military and Civilian uses? A lot apparently!

Saudi Arabia’s KACST to redesign the AN-32 aircraft - King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology to benefit from Knowledge Exchange

Turns out that Mr. Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed Al-Saudis is also President of the KACST (King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology) and will be the main point of interaction between the Ukrainians and the Saudis. 

The Antonov AN-32 is to be re-designed using western Components with co-operation from the KACST (King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology) for an undisclosed sum that the Saudi's are keeping close to their chest. Sources close to the deal estimate it at some US $150 million to produce eight (8) Antonov AN-32 aircraft with more being ordered in the future from Ukraine and other potential buyers.

After studying the original blueprints for the Antonov-32, production will begin within two (2) years.

They will redesign the Antonov AN-32 aircraft to improve the aircraft's payload, range and takeoff and develop a full cockpit with sophisticated American-made navigation devices. The redesigned Antonov AN-32 aircraft will be renamed Antonov-132, with Saudi Arabia owning the intellectual property and engineering designs for the aircraft.

Antonov AN-32 aircraft to become the Antonov-132 – Anything is Possible, from All-Electric to Sunfire Gmbh Fischer-Tropsch

This may included the ability to fly the airplane autonomously from the ground, like a drone, based on similar Technology used by the ASTRAEA Consortium as explained in my blog  article entitled “ASTRAEA Consortium makes first Inaugural flight of an Autonomous Passenger Aircraft in April 2013 - Greek Goddeses Daughter of Zeus are now The Kings of Summer”. 

It may even be possible to control the Antonov-132 using your brainwaves, licensing technology from TEKEVER as noted in my blog  article entitled “@TEKEVER Brainflight Drone using Beta Waves – How Autonomous All-Electric Airplanes are controlled with Windmills in your Mind”.

Being as Fuel-efficiency is now a big part of vehicle and aircraft design, they may also develope the aircraft to fly using a combination of Battery Power from Li-Ion Batteries similar to the Airbus Twin-Engine Airbus E-Fan All-Electric Airplane as reported in my blog  article entitled “@Airbus Group and the E-Fan – EU's Flightpath 2050 heralds All-Electric Aircraft as Fischer–Tropsch Process makes Kerosene Renewable”.

Even better, if for such an aircraft, if it had the capability to make its on fuel onboard using Sunfire Gmbh Technology that converts Carbon Dioxide and Water into Kerosene using the Fischer-Tropsch Process as reported in my blog  article entitled “@Boeing and @Cambridge_Uni Hybrid Engine Airplane - How Sunfire GmbH Power to Liquid Technology can make airplane refueling unnecessary”.

Design possibilities are endless, and the appearance of the aircraft may be dramatically different from anything we've seen before, fitted with Solar panels to provide Electricity in flight to power super fast 1 Gigabit Wi-Fi Internet as predicted in my blog  article entitled “AT&T launching 4G LTE powered Wi-Fi and expanding AT&T U-Verse - AT&T offensive as Google sprouts 1 Gigabit IEEE 802.11ac Wi-Fi Protocol as Jamaica catches up”.

However, more valuable than any sums of Gold or Oil or money derived from the sales of planes or intellectual property is the knowledge that will change hands relating to aviation industry technology and training by Ukrainian experts.

So aside from the money and training, why is Saudi Arabia and Ukraine suddenly doing deals to construct military aircraft? It's not about war but Diversification.

Saudi Arabia diversifies away from Oil – Arab Spring for Manned Aircraft Design and UAE Drones for Good

Saudi Arabia has overtook India as the biggest weapons importer in 2014, importing some US$6.4 billion in weapons as reported by analyst IHS in the article “Saudi Arabia Replaces India as Largest Defence Market for US, IHS Study Says”, published Saturday, March 7, 2015, IHS.

In doing so, they beat out India’s US$5.57 billion spend on weapons including helicopters, missiles and drones and “Saudi Arabia Has Become The World's Biggest Arms Importer [Infographic]”, published MAR 10, 2015 by Niall McCarthy, Forbes.

Ukraine now seems to be their latest supplier of technology know-how, as this co-operation will see them sharing knowledge about Ukraine's Antonov AN-32 aircraft. This partnership between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia would possibly see Antonov transferring expertise in aircraft design that allowed them to build the Antonov 225 Mirya, the aircraft that currently holds the Guinness' Record for the largest Aircraft in the World. 

Saudi Arabia is trying to diversify their economy away from Oil for quite some time. But now it has become especially urgent, being as the low price for Oil will remain this way for quite some time thanks to US of A creating a supply glut as explained in my blog  article entitled “Lower Oil Prices Good for Jamaica - How All-Electric Vehicles Sales benefit as Electricity Prices trend lower”. 

They've decided to make a push into manufacturing and making Commercial aviation harder such as Drones seems to be the direction they're taking.

In essence, they’re following in the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates who had launched a Drone competition called Drones for Good in July 2014 to spur the developement of Drones for commercial purposes other than warfare as noted in my blog  article entitled “United Arab Emirates starts Drones for Good Competition - How Jamaica can jumpstart Drone Designs as UAE pursues Lazy route to the Google of Drone Design and Application”.

So Saudi Arabia as an aircraft building superpower? They have the cash and the interest in diversification to do it over the next five years as the Oil Market continues to crumble.