Antonov An-24

The Antonov An-24 (Russian/Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-24; NATO reporting name: Coke) is a 50-seat twin turboprop regional airliner designed in 1957 in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau. Later variants saw other uses, such as military transport and aerial cartography. The aircraft was manufactured by the Kyiv, Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude Aviation Factories. It is still license-produced in China as the Xi'an Y-7. The An-24 was the first of a future family of turboprops by Antonov. The first variant was the An-30, which came equipped with a cartographic configuration. It was then followed by the An-26, which was a more militarized version of the airliner. The final variant was the An-32, which was given more modernized equipment and powerful engines. The An-132 was the result of a joint venture between Antonov and Saudi Arabia's Taqnia to develop a modernized version of the An-24 family, but Taqnia left the project and the only prototype was destroyed, which led to the project being cancelled. Design and development First flown in 1959, the An-24 is powered by two Ivchenko AI-24 turboprop engines, and was produced in some 1,000 units of various versions; in 2023, 93 were still in service worldwide, mostly in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Africa. It was designed to replace the veteran piston Ilyushin Il-14 transport on short- to medium-haul trips, optimised for operating from rough strips and unprepared airports in remote locations. The high-wing layout protects engines and blades from debris, the power-to-weight ratio is higher than that of many comparable aircraft, and the machine is rugged, requiring minimal ground-support equipment. Due to its rugged airframe and good performance, the An-24 was adapted to perform many secondary missions, such as ice reconnaissance and engine/propeller test bed, as well as further development to produce the An-26 tactical transport, An-30 photo-mapping/survey aircraft and An-32 tactical transport with more powerful engines. Various projects were envisaged such as a four-jet, short- and medium-haul airliner and various iterations of powerplant. The main production line was at the Kyiv-Svyatoshino (later renamed "Aviant") aircraft production plant, which built 985, with 180 built at Ulan Ude, and a further 197 An-24T tactical transport/freighters at Irkutsk. Production in the USSR was shut down by 1978. Production continued at China's Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation, which made licensed, reverse-engineered, and redesigned aircraft as the Xian Y-7 and its derivatives. Manufacture of the Y-7, in civil form, has now been supplanted by the MA60 derivative with western engines and avionics, to improve performance and economy, and widen the export appeal. Total production Variants Prototype An-24 These were the first production aircraft, with a total of six built between 1959 and 1961. They were primarily used for testing the aircraft's instruments and landing gear, and also for ground tests and de-icing tests. Produced aircraft An-24 Seventeen were built. This was the first production model, separate from the prototypes built between 1959 and 1961. It was approved for production on 19 August 1961, and test engineering flights with passengers took place in September 1962. It entered service between Kiev and Kherson on 31 October 1962. Later, it was decided to replace them with improved models, and all of them were exported to Cuba and used as military transports by the Cuban Air Force. After being used as transports to replace the An-2, two were released to civilian airlines. An-24A 200 were built (9 in 1962, 191 in 1963) of this improved version, delivered directly from the Kiev factory. It seated 44 passengers and had a larger interior volume. In addition, the APU exhaust was moved to the tip of the starboard nacelle. This was the second time the designation was used. An-24B 400 aircraft were built in the second production version. A passenger version with seating for up to 52. Maximum takeoff weight was increased to 21 tonnes, a window was added on each side, the double slotted flaps were replaced with single slotted flaps, and the centre chord was extended to compensate for the poor performance of the flaps. Some aircraft were delivered with four additional fuel bladders in the centre wing. Production began in 1964. An-24T (Transportnyy – transport) This is the second time this name has been used for a tactical transport aircraft. It is equipped with a ventral loading hatch, a cargo winch, and an escape hatch behind the nose landing gear, and its mission is to transport airborne troops and infantry to frontline bases. An-24RT (Reaktivnyy [Uskoritel'] Transportnyy – boosted transport) Similar to the AN-24T, fitted with an auxiliary turbojet engine. An-24PRT (Poiskovo-spasahtel'nyy Reaktivnyy [Uskoritel'] Transportnyy – SAR boosted transport) The An-24RT was the basis for the search and rescue aircraft, of which 11 were manufactured, and was fitted with rescue equipment and exploration devices in the cabin. Both were considered important due to their ability to stay in the air. An-24RV (Reaktivnyy [Uskoritel'] V – boosted V) Turbojet boosted export version, similar to the An-24V but fitted with a 1,985-lb (8830 N) thrust auxiliary turbojet engine in the starboard nacelle. An-24ShT (Shtabnoy Transportnyy – Staff/HQ transport) A tactical Airborne Command Post for use by commanders, also capable of forming ground-based communications and HQ. An-24TV (Transportnyy V – transport V) The export cargo version of the An-24T. An-24V An export version of the An-24B, equipped with an AI-24T (SrsII) turboprop engine, available in early and late models. The early model has narrow in-chord wings, double slotted flaps, and a single ventral fin. The later model has a single slotted flap, twin ventral fins, and a modified interior to allow cargo to be carried in addition to passengers. Production began in 1964. An-24VSR A navigation trainer aircraft that was operated in 1965 by modifying a single An-24V aircraft and was intended to train pilots in radio communication. Special mission aircraft An-24ALK (Avtomatizeerovannaya [sistema] Lyotnovo Kontrolya – automatic flight check system) A single retired passenger An-24A was converted into a satellite observation aircraft for use in navigation satellite calibration missions. It was renamed An-24LR "Toros" for air defense surveillance, but was later modified again and redesignated An-24ALK. The aircraft was equipped with a phototheodolite and a powerful light source for optical sensors. An-24LL (Letyushchaya Laboratoriya – flying laboratory) A single An-24A, decommissioned from passenger transport duty, was converted into an airborne experimental aircraft. The generic suffix LL can apply to any testbed, but in the case of the An-24, it stands for metrology (the science of measurement), which is used to test the airworthiness of production aircraft. An-24LP (LesoPozharnyy – forest fire fighter) Three An-24RV aircraft converted into fire bombers/cloud seeders by installing a tank in the cabin, optical smoke and flame detectors, provision for a thermal imager, racks for carrying flare dispensers and the ability to carry firefighters for para-dropping. An-24LR-1 'Toros' (Ice Hummock)(Ledovyy Razvedchik – ice reconnaissance) At least two An-24Bs converted to carry the 'Toros' SLAR (sideways looking airborne radar) either side of the lower fuselage, for ice reconnaissance, guiding icebreakers, convoys and other shipping. An-24LR-2 'Nit' (Thread) An observation aircraft type for surveying the natural resources of the earth and oceans of the world, modified from a single An-24B in 1978. Equipped with a large "Nit" SLAR pod on the side of the lower fuselage. An-24PS (Poiskovo-Spasahtel'nyy – SAR) A single An-24B aircraft converted for search and rescue duties, rejected after acceptance trials in favour of a derivative of the An-24RT. An-24PRT A search and rescue aircraft built from 12 modified An-24As. Some equipment was omitted to reduce production costs, but this did not hinder rescue operations. An-24R It was a prototype photo reconnaissance aircraft created by modifying a single An-24A, but since the An-30 was superior overall, it ended up serving as a test aircraft and was used to test the photographic cameras to be installed on the An-30. An-24RR ([samolyot] Radiotsionnyy Razvedchik – radiation reconnaissance [aircraft]) Four aircraft converted as Nuclear, biological and chemical warfare reconnaissance versions of the An-24B, carrying RR8311-100 air sampling pods low on the forward fuselage and a sensor pod on a pylon on the port fuselage side. An-24RT (Retranslyator – relay installation) A few An-24T and An-24RT aircraft converted to Communications relay aircraft. Sometimes referred to as An-24Rt to differentiate from the An-24RT. An-24T 'Troyanda' (Ukrainian – rose) An experimental aircraft created in 1968 by removing the winch and measuring equipment from an An-24T.From the 1960s the Soviet Union was faced with nuclear submarine threats that were virtually undetectable with the technology available. To assist in the development of advanced optical, chemical, sonic, infra-red and electromagnetic detection systems, several aircraft were built or modified as test-beds. One significant aircraft was the An-24T 'Troyanda' which was built new, for the development of sonobuoy and infra-red detection systems. As well as equipment inside the cabin, sensors could be mounted in large teardrop fairings either side of the lower forward fuselage, and extra equipment could be carried in extended wing centre-section fairings. An-24USh (Uchebno-Shturmanskiy (samolyot) – Navigator training aircraft) Seven An-24Bs were converted to An-24USh navigator/air traffic controller trainers with five training stations and four standard rows of seats for trainees in waiting. Outwardly the USh was distinguishable by the bulged windows at each training station. An-24AEW In the early 1990s, North Korea installed N-019 Topaz pulse-Doppler radars on at least one of its An-24A aircraft in an attempt to achieve a rudimentary Airborne Early Warning capability. Ended as a plan only An-24A The aircraft was originally intended to be produced using the Kuznetsov NK-4 turboprop engine, but production was halted when the NK-4 was cancelled. The name was later reused for a production version using a different engine. An-24D A projected long-range airliner version of the An-24B with a single RU-19 booster jet engine in the starboard nacelle, stretched fuselage with seating for 60, strengthened structure and increased fuel capacity. An-24K An 18-seater civilian transport aircraft that was supposed to be operated by a private company's management design department, but it never reached the concept stage. An-24AT A 1962 project for a Tactical transport with rear loading ramp and powered by Isotov TV2-117DS coupled turboprops. An-24AT-RD (RD – Reaktivnyye Dvigateli – jet engines) The An-24AT tactical transport project with two turbojet boosters pod-mounted under the outer wings and a wider loading ramp. An-24AT-U (Uskoriteli – boosters) A projected Tactical transport from 1966 with three or five PRD-63 (Porokhovoy Raketnyy Dvigatel – gunpowder rocket engine) JATO bottles, wider cargo ramp and provision for up to three brake parachutes. An-24T (Transportnyy – transport) (first use) Tactical transport version, rejected due to poor field performance and range, together with inability to load or air-drop vehicles during acceptance testing. Advanced An-26 Tactical transport with cargo ramp. An-30 Survey/photo-mapping aircraft. An-32 Designed to withstand adverse weather conditions better than the standard An-26. An-34 The initial designation of the An-24T production tactical transport. An-44 Projected cargo aircraft developed from the An-24. Ice reconnaissance and transport versions were also planned. An-50 A mid-1960s project for a jet-powered An-24, with four Ivchenko AI-25 turbofan engines in podded pairs, pylon mounted forward of the wings. Not proceeded with due to competition from the Yak-40. Xian Y-7 The Y-7 is a Chinese built derivative of the An-24/An-26 family. MA60 Upgraded and Westernised Y-7. Operators Military operators Cambodia Royal Cambodian Air Force – 2 North Korea Korean People's Army Air Force – 1 (converted to a rudimentary airborne early warning aircraft) Russia Russian Air Force Russian Naval Aviation Ukraine Ukrainian Air Force Former military operators Civil operators As of July 2018, 86 An-24s were in airline service. Following fatal incidents in July 2011 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed the accelerated decommissioning of An-24s, which resulted in a ban for this type from scheduled flights inside Russia. However, later the ban was cancelled and, as of 2023, An-24 are still in limited commercial service in Russia. Kazakhstan SCAT Airlines (7) Moldova Air Moldova (6) Used on flights to CIS states and as charter aircraft Russia Angara Airlines (5) Komiaviatrans (2) ALROSA (airline) (3) IrAero (11) KrasAvia (3) Khabarovsk Airlines (4) Polar Airlines (13) Largest passenger operator of An-24 Yakutia Airlines (4) Thailand Phetchabun Airlines (1) Ukraine Motor Sich Airlines (3) Former civil operators Civil operators have included: Accidents Specifications (An-24V) Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1976–77General characteristics Crew: 3 Capacity: 50 passengers Length: 23.53 m (77 ft 2 in) Wingspan: 29.20 m (95 ft 10 in) Height: 8.32 m (27 ft 4 in) Wing area: 74.98 m2 (807.1 sq ft) Aspect ratio: 11.7:1 Empty weight: 13,300 kg (29,321 lb) Max takeoff weight: 21,000 kg (46,297 lb) Fuel capacity: 5,550 L (1,470 US gal; 1,220 imp gal) Powerplant: 2 × Ivchenko AI-24A turboprop engines, 1,900 kW (2,550 shp) each (eshp) Propellers: 4-bladed AV-72 constant-speed propellers, 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in) diameter Performance Maximum speed: 485 km/h (301 mph, 262 kn) at 6,000 m (20,000 ft) Cruise speed: 450 km/h (280 mph, 240 kn) at 6,000 m (20,000 ft) Range: 2,400 km (1,500 mi, 1,300 nmi) with maximum fuel; 550 km (340 mi; 300 nmi) with maximum payload Service ceiling: 8,400 m (27,600 ft) Time to altitude: 17.5 min to 6,000 m (20,000 ft) 45.2 min to 8,100 m (26,600 ft) See also Related development Antonov An-26 Antonov An-30 Antonov An-32 Antonov An-50 Antonov/Taqnia An-132 Xian MA60 Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Fokker F27 Hawker Siddeley HS 748 Handley Page Dart Herald Related lists List of civil aircraft List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS Notes References Citations Bibliography External links Media related to Antonov An-24 at Wikimedia Commons