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The An-124-300 aircraft, capable of lifting up to 150 tonnes, is being created on the basis of the Russian Air Force's An-124 "Ruslan" aircraft and An-124-100 used by commercial airlines. www.i-mash.ru Moscow, March 9 (Interfax-AVN) - New avionics are being developed for the upgraded heavy transport aircraft Antonov An-124-300, the serial production of which is due to resume at the Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar joint-venture, a source in the defense industry told Interfax-AVN.

"The new avionics will be developed on the basis of the technical task (TT) signed recently between the Russian design bureau Antonov Aviation Scientific Technical Complex and a number of companies," the source said.

In particular, the TT will involve development of a navigation system and radio equipment for the An-124-300 aircraft," he said.

"The said on-board systems will be developed by those companies that were involved in creating the basic An-124 "Ruslan" aircraft," the source said.

The TT data were agreed upon with the potential buyers of An-124-300 - airline companies Volga-Dnepr, Polyot and Antonov Airlines," he said.

The An-124-300 aircraft, capable of lifting up to 150 tonnes, is being created on the basis of the Russian Air Force's An-124 "Ruslan" aircraft and An-124-100 used by commercial airlines.

The new aircraft will have more advanced flight characteristics, a smaller crew and the most advanced on-board equipment. The flight range of the aircraft will be increased to 4,000 kilometers with a maximum payload and 15,000 kilometers without a payload. The crew will be almost halved, to three or four members.