| An-32 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Antonov An-32B of the Indian Air Force at Leh Airbase | |
| Role | Transport/Bomber |
| Manufacturer | Aviant |
| Designed by | Antonov |
| First flight | 9 July 1976[1] |
| Status | Operational |
| Primary users | Bangladesh Air Force Indian Air Force Ukrainian Air Force |
| Number built | 361[2] |
| Unit cost | US$ 6-9 mil (2000)[1] |
| Developed from | Antonov An-26 |
The Antonov An-32 (NATO reporting name: Cline) is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft.
Contents |
Design and development
The An-32 is basically a re-engined An-26. The launch customer was the Indian Air Force, which ordered this aircraft partly due to good relations between then USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev and then India leader Indira Gandhi. The An-32 is designed to withstand adverse weather conditions better than the standard An-26. The high placement of the engine nacelles above the wing allowed for larger diameter airscrews, which are driven by 5100 hp rated AI-20 turboprop engines, almost twice the power of the An-26's AI-24 powerplants. The An-32 therefore enjoys excellent take-off characteristics under tropical and mountainous (high-altitude) conditions, where hot or thin air hampers the powerplants tractive effort. The price for a newly built An-32 was quoted as being 6-9 million dollars in 2000. [1]
Variants
- An-32 : Twin-engined transport aircraft
- An-32B : Improved version
- An-32B-100 : Modernised version of the An32B. MTOW increased to 28.5 tons, payload increased to 7.5 tons[3]
- An-32B-110 : New avionics allowing aircraft to be operated by 2 crew members. Metric (Russian) avionics variant[4]
- An-32B-120 : Imperial (Non-Russian) avionics variant of An32B-110[4]
- An-32B-200
- An-32B-300 : Version fitted with Allison AE2100D turboprop engines, providing 4600hp each[5]
- An-32MP : Marine Patrol version[6]
- An-32P Firekiller : Aerial Firefighting version. Special category type certificate granted on 10 March 1995. 8 Tons of liquid can be discharged from the two internal tanks simultaneously or one after the other. Drops are conducted at 40-50m above ground level and 240 to 260km/h. Can be used as a cargo aircraft when not fighting fires[7]
Operators
Military operators
At present more than 240 An-32 aircraft are being operated in the countries around the world.
- At least 6 were delivered to the Afghan Air Force from 1987. 7 now operational.[8].
- Croatian Air Force - 2 units operational, modernized in 2004.
- Indian Air Force - Bought 125 aircraft, 104 are still in service.
Civil operators
In August 2006 a total of 56 Antonov An-32 aircraft remain in airline service. Major operators include: Air Pass (4), Alada (3), Libyan Arab Air Cargo (4), Million Air Charter (3), AERCARIBE LTDA (2), Trans-Charter (3) and Selva (4). Some 29 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type.[9]
Specifications (An-32)
Data from {Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89}[10]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Capacity: 42 paratroopers/50 passengers/24 Casualties on stretcher with 3 medical personnel
- Length: 23.78 m (78 ft 0¾ in)
- Wingspan: 29.20 m (95 ft 9½ in)
- Height: 8.75m (28 ft 8½ in)
- Wing area: 75 m² (807 ft²)
- Empty weight: 16,800 kg (37,038 lb)
- Loaded weight: kg (lb)
- Useful load: 7500 kg (16,500 Lbs)
- Max takeoff weight: 27,000 kg (59,400 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× ZMKB Progress AI-20DM turboprop, 3,812 kW (5,112 ehp) each
- Cargo hold dimensions: 12.48 (11 metres flat) x 2.78 x 1.84 metres
- Cargo door size: 2.40 x 1.91 metres, closed by rear loading ramp
- Maximum hold volume: 30 cubic metres
Performance
- Never exceed speed: km/h (knots, mph)
- Maximum speed: 540 km/h (286 knots, 329 mph)
- Cruise speed: 480 km/h (254 knots, 292 mph)
- Stall speed: km/h (knots, mph)
- Range: 2,500 km (1,350 nm, 1,553 mi)
- Service ceiling: 9,500m (31,165 ft)
- Rate of climb: 6.4 m/s (ft/min)
- Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: W/kg (hp/lb)
- Takeoff run: 1360 metres for max takeoff weight
Armament
More than 22.000 lbs(9.000 kg) bombs
Avionics
UHF/VHF Radio
Major Accidents
On 10th June 2009, an Indian Air Force, An-32 transport plane carrying 13 people crashed shortly after it took off from Mechukha in Arunachal Pradesh, a state bordering China.[11] All the 13 people on board were reported to have been killed. Soon after the crash, India inked $ 400 million deal for AN-32 fleet upgrade with Ukraine.[12]This upgrade as reported will extend the life of these transport planes by nearly 15 years.
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
References
- ^ a b c AeroWorldNet - Renewed AN-32 in Flight Tests (16 October 2000)
- ^ Kiev Aviation Plant 'Aviant' - About
- ^ Antonov.com - An32
- ^ a b Kiev Aviation Plant 'Aviant' Аn-32B–110/120
- ^ Kiev Aviation Plant 'Aviant' - An-32B-300
- ^ Kiev Aviation Plant 'Aviant' An-32MP
- ^ Antonov.com - An32P
- ^ "", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, 15 January 2007.
- ^ Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
- ^ J W R Taylor, ed (1988). Jane's All The World's Aircraft,1988-89. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.
- ^ IAF plane crash over Arunachal Pradesh
- ^ India inks AN-32 upgrade deal with Ukraine
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Antonov An-32 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
