An-24 COKE
An-26 CURL
An-30 CLANK
Y-7 / Y-14
Development of the An-24 began in 1960 in response to an Aeroflot requirement for a cheap and simple transport to replace the Li-2 (licensed DC-3), Il-2, and Il-14 aircraft. Two prototypes flew in September 1962, and the An-24 Coke first entered service in 1962. The production version turned out to be a reliable aircraft - An-24 was shown to be able to maintain an altitude of 3000 m with full payload and only one working engine. The An-24RT transport aircraft features an additional RU-19-300 jet engine.
The wings are high-mounted and equally tapered from the engines to the blunt tips. Two turboprops are mounted in pods beneath the wings, which extend beyond the wings’ leading and trailing edges. The fuselage is long and slender with an upswept rear section and a solid, rounded nose featuring a stepped cockpit. The fin is back-tapered with a blunt tip and angular fairing. Flats are high-mounted on the body, back-tapered with blunt tips, and have a positive slant.
The development of this aircraft widely used in the regional airlines and abroad started in 1956, when the long-range Tu-104 and IL-18 went in service. The Aeroflot and AF Li-2, IL-12i and IL-14 did not meet the requirements in terms of load lifting capacities and were obsolete, so the urgent need appeared in the speed gas-turbine aircraft for local lines and for military needs. There existed no serial engines for that type aircraft and the assignments were set for the O.K. Antonov Design Bureau (airframe) and the A.T. Ivtchenko Design Bureau (engine).
The first An-24 piloted by test pilot G.I. Lysenko made its maiden flight on October 20, 1959. The aircraft was very successful as the Ivtchenko engines had optimum power, weight and service life parameters. The An-24 was used as the basis for the An-24T transport version followed by the An-26 and An-32, "Toros" ice reconnaissance aircraft, the An-30 for airphotography and others. A.N. Tupolev told about the An-24: "This aircraft demonstrated its high capabilities and is an up-to-date sample of this type of aircraft."
The Irkutsk factory manufactured the An-24T military transport version with a cargo door in the tail fuselage, overhead-track hoist and airdrop equipment. The An-24T serial production started within a year. It was also facilitated thanks to the organisational restructuring when the narrow-specialisation sub-assembly was introduced which later on, proved to be effective, when the IAIA manufactured the MiG-23UB and the Su-27UB). The IAIA had to master the production of glue-and-welded panels for the nacelles. The technique of the E. O. Paton's Research Institute was improved and adapted to be used in aircraft manufacturing industry. Some issues were solved thanks to the experience of the Factory test pilots, V.S. Prantskyavitchus, E.N. Tcheltsov, V.N. Trubnikov, G,M. Kurkai and others, who tested the An-24Ts.
In 1962, the passenger An-24 started operation on the local lines and soon it became one of the most numerous Aeroflot aircraft. The An-24 was in service with the Air Forces of USSR, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Hungary, East Germany, Iraq, the Congo, Cuba, Laos, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Somali, Sudan, Czechoslovakia and South Yemen.
The Xian Yunshuji Y-7 is a reverse-engineered Chinese version of the Antonov An-24.
The An-26 is a development of An-24RT. One of the main modifications was a rear loading ramp. More than 1,100 of this versatile transport aircraft were built before production ended in 1978. The Coke’s replacement, the An-26 Curl, has many of the same features as the Coke. An-26 by Antonov is designed for tactical transport of passengers and material on short and medium distances. A development of An-24, it was finished in 1969. It has a large rear loading ramp to facilitate loading of cargoes. The engines are more powerful in comparison with the An-24. A pressurized cabin makes it possible to fly at high levels. It has fairly modern navigation and communication devices, an ADF automatic radio direction finder, DME distance measuring system, marker and ILS/GS instrument landing system, and a radio altimeter. The avionics and instrumentation permits all-weather operation and safe landing. The An-26Z version is fitted with special devices and instrumentation for air reconnaissance and control of combat activities.
The An-30 (Clank) by Antonov is a development of An-24RT. The aircraft, whose development was finished in 1974, is modified and equipped for ground mapping and surveying tasks. The main identification feature is the nose, which has been completely redesigned, with glazing and a built-in navigator´s compartment. The inner space of the fuselage has also been remodelled. Its floor area has removable cover plates over apertures for photogrammetrical cameras for vertical, panoramic and lateral photographing. A dark room for handling the films and their storage is provided. The sensor apertures in the underside and in both sides of the rear fuselage are covered by remotely-controlled doors. During flight, cameras are operated by two photographers.
The An-30 can also be equipped with a variety of other devices, including magnetometer and microwave radiometer for long-distance surveys. They can be used to evaluate various situations on the surface, ice or snow cover, development of vegetation etc. for civilian purposes. The devices can be installed in fixed or gyro-stabilised mountings. A navigation computer closely co-operates with the terminal of the NAVSTAR/GPS satellite navigation system, which enables an extremely accurate automatic navigation of the aircraft along the pre-programmed course, at given altitude and speed, including guidance to the point of departure of the photographing. The pressurised cabin permits to fly at high levels. The avionics includes fairly modern navigation and communication devices, an ADF automatic radio direction finder, DME distance measuring system, marker and ILS/GS instrument landing system, and a radio altimeter. The avionics and instrumentation enable all-weather operation and safe landing.
The Russian production run stopped in 1978 after, totally, 1100 aircraft of this type were produced (the Irkutsk factory manufactured 164 An-24Ts out of these within 1967 through 1971).
