• Data modification date: 09/03/2013

MODIFICATIONS. An-72A, Ap-72LT - transport aircraft; An-720 - administrative aircraft; AN-72P - patrol aircraft; An-74 (1984) - a transport aircraft for operation in the Arctic, with an increased crew; An-74A - a variant of the An-72A aircraft with new avionics and a more powerful airborne radar; An-74TK, AN-74TK-100 - cargo-passenger aircraft; An-74P-100 - a saloon aircraft also designed for cargo transportation; An-71 - AWACS aircraft (experimental, program terminated).

DIMENSIONS. Wingspan 31.89 m; aircraft length 28.07 m; aircraft height 8.65 m; wing area 98.62 m2; fuselage diameter 3.10 m; cargo compartment length 10.50 m, cargo compartment floor width 2.15 m, cargo compartment height 2.20 m;
sweep along the leading edge of the wing 17╟.

NUMBER OF PLACES. Crew 3-5 people.

ENGINES. Two turbofan engines D-36 (2x63.74 kN/2x6500 kgf) or D.436 (2x73.5 kN/2x7500 kgf) with a thrust reverser system, created by OKB "Progress" (Zaporozhye, Ukraine).

WEIGHTS AND LOADS, kg: maximum takeoff 34500 (An-72P - 32000); normal takeoff when operating from a runway with a length of 1500 m - 33000:
normal takeoff when operating from a runway with a length of 1000 m - 27500; maximum payload 10000 (An-72P - 5000), combat (An-72P) 650; empty 19050, fuel 12950.

FLIGHT DATA. Maximum speed 705 km/h (An-72P - 720 km/h); cruising speed 550 - 600 km/h; patrol speed (An-72P) 300 - 350 km/h; service ceiling 11,800 m (An-72P - 10,100 m); maximum flight range: with a load of 10000 kg - 800 km (An-74 - 1150 km), with a load of 7500 kg - 2000 km, with a load of 5000 kg (An-74A) - 3200 km, with a load of 1500 kg (An-74A) - 5300 km, ferry 4800 km; takeoff distance (takeoff weight 27,500 kg) 620 m, landing distance 420 m; required runway length (An-72P, concrete or soil with a strength of 8 kgf / cm2) 1400 m.

EQUIPMENT. Navigation and meteorological radar, Doppler digital navigation system, radio navigation equipment, moving map indicator. An-71 aircraft is equipped with INS.

The pressurized cargo compartment can accommodate 68 passengers, 57 paratroopers or 24 casualties. There are means of mechanization of loading and unloading operations. On the AWACS aircraft, a radar antenna is installed on the keel, which has a round shape in plan.
The An-72P is equipped with an OTV daytime surveillance television system located in a fairing in front of the left main landing gear (closed with a curtain when not in operation), providing a resolution of 10 m at a distance of 3000 m.

DESIGN FEATURES. Short takeoff and landing aircraft with overwing engines.

WEAPONS An-72P aircraft includes two PAR units on the underwing hardpoints and a double-barreled gun GSh-23, located on the right fairing in front of the main landing gear. Four bomb racks are installed in the cargo compartment above the cargo ramp (ammunition can be dropped in flight when the ramp rolls back under the fuselage).

PROGRAM STATUS. It is in service with the border troops of Russia. It is being built in cooperation with aircraft factories in Arseniev, Omsk and Kharkov.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. Designed to replace An-26 aircraft. The first flight of the first experimental aircraft built in Kyiv took place on December 22, 1977 (eight pre-production An-72s were built at the Kiev Aviation Plant).
An-72P is designed for patrolling territorial waters and coastal economic zones (patrol flights lasting 5.0 - 5.3 hours with ANZ for 1 hour are carried out at a cruising altitude of 500-1000 m).

DEVELOPER. OKB im. O. K. Antonova

Exactly one year after the end of World War II, OKB-13 (an experimental design bureau) was created in Novosibirsk, headed by a young (he was not yet forty years old) aircraft designer Oleg Antonov. Six years later, the Design Bureau moved to Kyiv, which determined its fate in the 21st century. For the high-wing An-12, Antonov was awarded the Lenin Prize and became the general designer. Despite the supposedly unlucky design bureau number, Antonov “raised” the An-72 (1977), An-124 Ruslan (1982) and An-74 (1983) into the sky After the death of Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov, in 1984 The OKB was named after him.

After the collapse of the USSR, Antonov became a state-owned enterprise. On the basis of old developments and personnel, the regional aircraft An-140 (1997) and An-148 (2004) were created. The degradation of the Design Bureau after the death in 2006 of the successor O.K. Antonov is evident. Problems began with the An-158 (2011) model. The world's only commercial user of this aircraft - Cuba, which has only six copies - in 2015 suspended their operation. Over the past two years, Antonov State Enterprise has not done anything and was liquidated in July last year.

History of creation

The uniqueness of the An-72 was manifested in the fact that the initiator of its creation (1972) was the OKB named after O.K. Antonov, and not the military department. The terms of reference prescribed that the aircraft should lift up to five tons of cargo and carry out landings of people, as well as small size and rate of climb for takeoff and landing in poorly prepared places.

Coanda effect

The main "highlight" of the project, the lead designer chose the implementation of the Coanda effect. Without diving into the theory of aerodynamics and technical details, it is enough to say that the engines located in a special way above the wings created an additional (up to 20%) momentum and thrust from the meeting of the gas jet with the wing surface. In an effort to reduce the landing run as much as possible, they introduced a parachute into the braking system, and to reduce instability, they changed the shape of the tail and keel. The cargo hatch was also moved to the tail.

The testers spoke only positively about the prototype, all the characteristics were on top:

• Cabin ergonomics, equipment reliability and relevance.
• Reduced noise level.
• Ease of control and good maneuverability.
• Applied composite materials: glass and carbon fiber.

Everyone was so amazed by the results of the unfinished tests of the An-72 that they launched it into serial production in 1977, without even waiting for their completion (the foreign analogue - the Boeing YC-14 - never went into production). Civil aviation was also interested in such an aircraft, but it needed something different both in terms of carrying capacity and range. As a result, both increased.

It took time to produce a practically new machine, and its first sample was released in 1985. Finally, in 1989, the An-72 took off completely. The first copies were "saddled" by staff officers (in the army this board was called the general's), but it did not take root among the paratroopers (the command vehicle entered the An-72, but the landing one did not). In the rough work of both the military and civilians, this machine proved to be a hard worker, for which it received an additional nickname - Camel.

Description of the An-72 aircraft and its features

Where was this aircraft made? The manufacturer of the An-72 is the Antonov Design Bureau. "Cheburashka", as it is popularly called for two engines towering above the wings, is a high-wing aircraft with a swept wing. He is a unique transporter, who is currently serving in the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

An-72 fully complied with the requirements for short takeoff and landing vehicles (hereinafter referred to as STOL):

• Light weight and decent speed.
• Not a long accelerating track - the quality is average and lower.
• Steady, subject to the prescribed landing speed, and its extraordinary trajectory.
• He literally, not figuratively, "jumps" up.

When landing, it was necessary to follow the rule of reduced speed (up to 165 km / h) and then Cheburashka, or, as he was called in Europe, the Coal Miner, could land on a field with bumps in an area equal to a square kilometer (17 standard garden plots with an area of ​​six acres), and its range on the ground was less than four hundred meters. Half a kilometer was enough for him to take off.

Even during test flights, as well as at the very beginning of operation, three world records for altitude and flight speed were set.

In 1986, an expedition to the planet's Polar Pole was saved. Thanks to a short runway of snow and ice (300 m), the AN-72 took off with 27 passengers - members of the expedition.

In 1987, under the conditions of the polar night, the plane flew over twenty thousand kilometers from Chukotka to Antarctica, landing on a site clumsily prepared by scientists.

Modifications

Collier Mods:

• An-72 is the basic aircraft in the main military direction.
• 72AT. The car is used to deliver the same type of cargo, mainly military.
• 72A is the Arctic variant of the aircraft. It is used for both civil and military purposes.
• 72P is a military reconnaissance aircraft using modern means.
• 72С - "general's" board with an improved interior.
• 72V - export military version.
• 72P. it is operated by border troops to monitor the coastal territory.

An-72 - specifications

What are the characteristics of the aircraft?

• Crew - from 3 to 5 people.
• Length - 28.1 m.
• Height - 8.65 m.
• Wingspan - 31.9 m.
• The minimum weight is 19.5 thousand kg.
• The maximum takeoff weight is 34.5 thousand kg.
• The maximum mass of fuel is 13 thousand kg.
• Cargo capacity - 10,000 kg of something, including 70 military personnel or 25 places for "cargo 300" and persons accompanying it.
• The power plant is two Progress turbojet engines.
• The maximum speed is 720 km / h.
• The usual speed is 575 km / h.
• The maximum flight distance (without cargo) is up to 5.0 thousand km.
• Flight distance with maximum load - up to 1.2 thousand km.
• Altitude limit - 10.1 km.
• Takeoff run - up to 0.8 km.
• Landing run - up to 0.45 km.

Armament:

• small arms and cannon - 23-mm cannon GSh-23L in a universal cannon container on a suspension;
• 2 S-5 unguided rockets (57 mm, range 1.8 km) on suspension;
• 4 FAB-100 bombs on pendants.

Inside

An-72 cockpit (salon) resembles a transformer toy. You can do various manipulations with it, changing the internal space in any way.

And four windows, distributed equally in two compartments of different classes (for the passenger version), can be in one compartment (for the cargo version) of the cabin with a total volume of more than 40 m 3 (9.0 * 2.2 * 2.15 meters) .

An innovative model of the An-72 military transport aircraft can also be called because, for the first time in Soviet transport aviation, navigation systems replaced the navigator.

Also, for the first time, a new design and location of the cargo hatch and ramp was applied. When carrying out loading and unloading operations, the ramp rolled out of the tail of the aircraft, lowering for ease of loading, and in flight it went under the belly of the aircraft. The cabin has a special mooring device, a beam crane and folding seats. Loading and unloading takes 15 minutes, refueling another ten. The crew is placed in one passenger car.

Chassis

Consider the An-72 chassis. During the design, more than three dozen schemes were studied, including "exotic" ones. The chassis ensures that the “coal miner” fulfills its main feature - to land almost everywhere (a field with bumps, a dirt country road, snow cover and even ice floes in Antarctica) with a range of up to half a kilometer. The five-support retractable landing gear was released mechanically in case of hydraulic failure (there are no corresponding locks). An-72 can land without much inconvenience on three main and nose struts if one breaks down. In terms of the load on one wheel, the “binoculars” were inferior to even the more advanced and modern Il-76.

The Arctic version of the An-72 or, as it was later called, so as not to be confused, the An-74 (named precisely, since there were practically no differences from the 72A model) became indispensable for use in all spheres of life in the Siberian expanses and in the harsh climate of the Extreme Northern Russia and Antarctica. It was additionally equipped with places for a navigator and a hydrologist.

Red stripes appeared at the ends of the tail and wings for greater visibility, plus special coloring to control icing. Equipped with a convex streamlined porthole (the review has become better) and a corresponding tipper for cargo, if landing is not provided.

Flight accidents and disasters

This is a fairly reliable aircraft and has been in operation for more than 30 years in both military and civil aviation. But there were also An-72 crashes, including the death of the crew and passengers:

• Autumn 1971 Near the city of Lensk, due to overload and destruction of mechanization, it collided with a hill. All 13 people on board were killed.
• Summer 1994. Emergency landing at the airport in Kurgan. Due to the power failure of the equipment, the landing speed was exceeded - leaving the runway.
• Autumn 1994, Vorkuta. Rolled off the runway due to hydraulic failure.
• Winter 1995, near Gostoml. The plane, which belonged to Ukraine, collided with the An-70. Made an emergency landing.
• Winter 1996. During takeoff from the Mirny airfield, the reverse of the second engine spontaneously turned on, the aircraft collided with an obstacle and burned out.
• Winter 1996. The plane skidded off the runway while landing.
• Winter 1996. Disappeared while flying over the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Angola (possibly shot down). The aircraft belonged to the Republic of Moldova.
• Autumn 1994. A Central African Republic aircraft landed on its belly at Lusamba Airport (Angola). The pilot forgot there was a landing gear.
• Summer 2000. Due to depressurization of the aircraft cabin, the pilots and passengers developed hypoxia and lost their ability to work. Instead of a disastrous fall from a height of 8 kilometers, the plane landed in Rostov-on-Don.
• Spring 2002 Rough landing at Wamena Airport. During landing, the nose strut broke, followed by a fire.
• In the winter of 2012, when landing at the airfield in Shymkent in adverse weather conditions, the plane with border guards fell into a nearby quarry (death of the entire crew).

Conclusion

In total, more than 200 An-72 aircraft of various modifications were assembled, including 80 in the An-74 version. At the moment, more than sixty copies “work” in Russia, both in the military and in civil aviation, and at least twenty models “work” abroad.

Cheburashka today is not only alive, but also in demand. He was also noted in the composition of our troops in Syria. Most recently, the Russian Ministry of Defense placed an order for the development of several An-74s. The order has been placed in Russia and its goal is to increase the aircraft's carrying capacity by another 10%.

Main producer: Ukraine
Name: An-72 NATO designation: COALER
Type: Military transport aircraft
Year of adoption: 1977

Preliminary studies on SKVP were started at Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov Design Bureau in Kyiv back in 1972. The General Designer himself was the initiator of work on an aircraft using an unconventional method of increasing lift. Speaking about the expediency of such a decision, O.K. Antonov figuratively described to the staff how "a powerful stream of gases flowing out of the jet engine nozzle at high speed will pass over the wing, creating additional lift."

This method is based on the so-called Coanda effect, patented back in 1932 and bearing the name of the author, a Romanian by origin, who was engaged in work in the field of physics and aerodynamics in France.

The initiative proposal put forward by the Antonov Design Bureau met with the support of the Air Force Main Staff, which was interested in creating a light transport aircraft suitable for transporting troops and equipment in the front line and supplying airfields for dispersing combat aircraft. Together with representatives of the Design Bureau, the Air Force Orders Department and the MAP, the requirements for the aircraft were approved. The technical proposal of the design bureau provided for the design of an An-26 class front-line transport aircraft with a payload capacity of up to 5 tons, with the characteristics of the SKVP and the possibility of airborne landing. The aircraft had to be small in size (according to the conditions of basing and camouflage), high rate of climb and strength to ensure takeoff and landing on poorly prepared sites. After agreement and approval by the “customer department” and the Ministry of Aviation Industry, the topic of a light front-line transport aircraft was included in the OKB work plan. In accordance with the established procedure, by a joint decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR, funding for the creation of an “aircraft 200” was started (under this code it appeared in the project documentation; An-22 was designated “aircraft 100”, and the projected “Ruslan” - “aircraft 400”) . Ya.G. Orlov was appointed the lead designer for the aircraft. Theoretical calculations were well confirmed by experimental blowing of aircraft models in wind tunnels. The increase in lift was quite significant and reached 20% in some modes. The airflow of the wing became especially effective when the mechanization was released - the "sticking" of the jet provided a non-separated flow around and a significant increase in quality during takeoff and landing. At the same time, the wing, flap and engine were simultaneously involved in the creation of lift, and in order to study their interaction, it was necessary to conduct research on special full-scale stands, modulating the airflow of the wing and mechanization. To increase the blown surface, the engines were placed in front of the center section, and their nacelles were shaped at the back, “smearing” the exhaust stream over the wing.

Essential to the fate of the project was, above all, the availability of a suitable engine. Although O.K. Antonov was a staunch supporter of economical turboprop engines, it was turbofan engines with a high degree of design that made it possible to implement the Coanda effect in practice. D-36, created in the Progress Design Bureau by V.A. Lotarev, provided sufficient air flow, and, which is especially valuable, a relatively “cold” exhaust stream of gases directed to blowing the wing. The D-36 was originally intended for the An-60 aircraft (never built), was well developed and was already used on the Yak-42 passenger aircraft. In terms of efficiency, it was close to the best Western models, and the modular design and high resource simplified its operation. Serial production of the D-36 was launched at the Zaporozhye Engine Plant. The adopted scheme of the aircraft also had its drawbacks: when blowing, it turned out that blowing the wing causes the formation of vortices behind it, especially at the joints with the fuselage, the intensity and distribution of which depend on the angle of attack, flight speed and engine operation. Accordingly, the behavior of the aircraft and its controllability could change in flight. With this in mind, the tail unit was given a T-shape, and large ridges were installed on the sides of the main part, reducing harmful interference (the solution was inherited from the An-26 and An-32). The stabilizer, mounted on the top of the keel, was outside the flow bevel zone behind the wing, and to ensure a wide range of operating angles of attack, it was made adjustable. The risk of stall modes was eliminated by selecting a stabilizer profile with a flat upper surface and installing a deflector along the leading edge. To ensure directional stability, a powerful keel was installed on the aircraft. The rudder had an original two-hinged design, which increased its efficiency at low speeds, and was divided into two sections in height. The lower rear part of the steering wheel was controlled directly by the pilot's pedals, and the rest - by the boosters of the control system. To reduce the effort in the control system in a wide range of flight modes and balances of the aircraft, the rudders had weight and aerodynamic balancing, the lower section of the second link of the rudder was equipped with a trimmer, and the elevator was equipped with trimmers and servo compensators. This decision made it possible for the pilots to fend off the imbalance of the aircraft during the release of the mechanization of the wing (in this case, the flow pattern around the aircraft changes dramatically and at low speeds it literally “hangs” on the engines) and pilot the aircraft manually even if the boosters fail. The cargo compartment of the aircraft with dimensions of 9000x2200x2100 mm provided accommodation for a typical range of transported goods, including up to 32 (later - up to 48) soldiers with weapons, GAZ-66 and UAZ-469 vehicles, aircraft engines, standard containers and cargo pallets. The ramp device had a patented Antonov design: during loading and unloading, it lowered to the ground, and rolled back along the guide under the fuselage to dump cargo in flight.

The aircraft was well received by the pilots, who appreciated its take-off and landing qualities, simplicity and ease of operation, and for the characteristic "humpback" of the outlines it received the nickname "camel" among the sharp-tongued aviators. (At the plant, it is called "Cheburashka" for its characteristic full face with high-mounted large-diameter engines.) In operation, the An-72 proved to be a fairly reliable and unpretentious machine. Serious malfunctions and defects after the elimination of "childhood diseases" were practically not observed. At the same time, its design turned out to be rather “gentle”, and restrictions on landing speed and airfield conditions were introduced during the tests. More complex than previous types of aircraft, the An-72 also needed more thorough maintenance. Particularly inconvenient for work was the high location of the engines, requiring the use of bulky ladders.

The machine has passed intense operational tests in various climatic conditions, including arctic regions, highlands and southern airfields. According to their results, the capabilities and scope of the An-72 aircraft were expanded. In the reloading version, its mass was increased to 34 tons (although test pilots noted a deterioration in controllability, which is why flights with such a mass were recommended only for experienced pilots). In November 1983, test pilots M. Popov and S. Maksimov on the An-72 set world records for maximum flight altitude of 13410 m and horizontal flight altitude of 12980 m for aircraft of this class. In 1985, test pilot S. Gorbin on the An-72 reached a speed of 681.8 km / h on a closed 2000-km route. According to some reports, about 200 An-72 aircraft and its modifications were produced. NATO code designation - Coaler-C (Coal Miner).

Modifications:

An-72A / An-74. For use in the conditions of the Far North and Siberia, the design bureau proposed in 1984 a version of the An-72A (“Arctic”) aircraft. The need for such a machine was very acute - in many northern regions, the aircraft was the only means of transport and communication, and the Polar Aviation could just about be left without suitable equipment. Its main "workhorse" was the Il-14 aircraft, long out of production and physically obsolete. Many Il-14s have already gone through several overhauls, their service life has been repeatedly extended, and they needed a replacement.
An-72A was well suited for this purpose - a modern aircraft suitable for passenger and cargo transportation and use at minimally equipped northern airfields. The range and duration of the flight allowed the An-72A to perform specific tasks - to conduct ice reconnaissance, escort ships, supply polar bases and drifting ice stations. For this, the sixth prototype aircraft was redesigned: it was equipped with navigator and hydrologist jobs, observation blisters and a special tipping device for dropping cargo from the air. Externally, the Arctic variant was distinguished by bright red design elements for better visibility, and black and white stripes were applied to its wing and stabilizer to visually control icing. It was also planned to equip the aircraft with an electrically heated ski chassis and braking devices. In preparation for mass production (and to a large extent to distinguish it from the military transport "twin"), the aircraft was named An-74, although both of them were still listed as "product 72" in the production documentation, differing only in equipment and internal layout . Subsequently, the name An-74 was extended to the entire family of civil aircraft, and the An-72 remained with the military. The start of production was preceded by numerous operational and development tests of a pre-series sample (serial number 0404), during which the aircraft was tested in the most severe conditions. In the process of fine-tuning the aircraft, the TA-8 auxiliary power unit was replaced with a TA-12 of greater power and a new navigation system with a more advanced radar was installed, under the antenna of which the nose fairing had to be increased (in the series, the contours of the bow were also changed). The first serial An-74 (serial number 0706) took off in December 1989. The first produced An-74s were sent to the Yakut civil aviation detachment. The NATO code designation is Coaler-B. On the basis of the basic design of the An-74, which had significant reserves, it was planned to create a whole family of aircraft for various purposes: the search and rescue An-72PS for work at sea, the basic anti-submarine aircraft with a magnetometer produced on a cable, a firefighter and even a seaplane with a fuselage-boat with a side loading door and underwing floats. For basing on the decks of aircraft carriers, ship variants were intended: transport and radar patrol, distinguished by a folding wing.
An-71. AWACS aircraft.
An-72AT. Modification for transportation of standard aviation containers.
An-72S. Administrative version of the An-72 with three cabins separated by partitions. Ahead are the toilet, utility room and luggage compartment; in the central part there are rooms for work and rest, and in the back there are 24 chairs. It is possible to transport cargo or vehicles.
An-72V. Export modification, developed by order of the Air Force of Peru.
An-72P. This name was reused (see An-71) in the development of a patrol aircraft, which was created in agreement with the Air Force and the KGB Border Guard Directorate. The range, flight duration and carrying capacity of the An-72 made it quite suitable for patrol flights to protect the sea border and the economic zone. The equipment of the aircraft was supplemented by satellite navigation systems, long-range radio navigation and an optical-television complex, the telecameras of which are capable of detecting objects at sea from a long distance and in bad weather (they are located in the left chassis fairing and have windows that are closed by shutters in the non-working position). For conducting aerial photography, the aircraft is equipped with a complex of photographic equipment under the sliding rack of the cargo hatch. At night, aerial photography is provided by lighting cartridges SFP-2A. Crew 5 people. The aircraft can take on board 22 paratroopers or 5 tons of cargo. The armament of the An-72P consists of a UPK-23-250 container suspended semi-conformally on the fuselage pylon in front of the right fairing of the chassis of the UPK-23-250 container with a double-barreled gun GSh-23L (rate of fire 3200 rds / min, 250 rounds of ammunition), air bombs weighing up to 500 kg and 64 HAR C- 5 in two UB-32M blocks on two underwing pylons. If necessary, life rafts and buoys can be dropped from the aircraft through the cargo hatch, and additional bombs can be hung on the hoist. The wing of the aircraft was reinforced for flight conditions in difficult weather conditions and stormy weather (later it was unified for all serial aircraft). The first production An-72P entered service with the border aviation in the Far East.
An-74P. aircraft for carrying out patrol service in the 200-mile sea zone adjacent to the coast. Targeting and navigation and flight equipment provides automatic aircraft navigation at all stages of flight, bringing the aircraft to a given point, instrumental search, determining the coordinates of surface vessels, their speeds and courses of movement. To suppress the actions of violating ships, the AN 72P is armed with a GSh-23L cannon with 250 rounds, two blocks of unguided rockets and four 100 kg bombs. The photographic equipment installed on the aircraft provides aerial photography of targets in the daytime and, with the help of SFP-2A lighting cartridges, at night.
An-74D (An-74VIP). Administrative version of the An-74 with the possibility of transporting a car.
An-74T. The successful design of the An-74 served as the basis for the development of the An-74T-100 and An-74T-200A transport aircraft, designed to transport 10 tons of cargo (including 1 ton on a ramp) at a speed of 600-700 km / h at a distance of 1350 km. With a load of 3 tons, the flight range is 4200 km. Aircraft can be systematically operated at airfields with both concrete and pebble soil. Unlike the An-74T-200A, whose crew consists of two people, the An-74T-100 aircraft has a crew increased to 4 people and is designed to perform flights of increased complexity. Both aircraft have airworthiness certificates.
An-74TK. The analysis of cargo transportation carried out by Antonov ASTC showed that it is economically advantageous to carry out cargo and passenger transportation by one aircraft, which can be converted (converted) from passenger to transport and vice versa in a short time. Based on this, convertible versions of the An-74TK-100 and An-74TK-200 were created on the basis of the An-74 transport aircraft. At the request of the customer, the cockpit can be equipped for four people: commander, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer (An-74TK-100 version) and for two people: commander and co-pilot (An-74TK-200 version). Folding passenger seats are placed in the passenger cabin of the aircraft of both variants. Along both sides there are also folding closed luggage racks with lighting and oxygen equipment, speakers, and buttons to call the conductor. In front of the cabin there is a place for a flight attendant, there is also a small kitchen. The aircraft also has a stationary toilet with the necessary set of sanitary equipment. To ensure emergency evacuation of passengers, the aircraft has four emergency exits. Entry and exit of passengers in normal mode is carried out through a cargo ramp, supplemented by a folding ladder. In the tail section of the fuselage there are spacious luggage racks for hand luggage. The luggage compartment is separated from the passenger cabin by a rigid, easily removable partition. The convertibility of the aircraft is achieved thanks to the combined set of transport and passenger equipment installed on it, which makes it possible to switch from one option to another in a short time. When transporting cargo, the seats are folded and fastened to the sides of the aircraft; luggage racks are folded and fixed on the sides of the fuselage in the ceiling of the passenger cabin; partitions and luggage racks are dismantled from the ramp and laid in specially designated places on the aircraft. On lines with a constant cargo flow, the aircraft can be equipped with roller conveyor equipment for loading and mooring pallets and containers. Transportation of goods is possible in containers LD-3, LD-6 or packaged on pallets 2L3P and LD-3 pallet. An-74TK-100 and An-74TK-200 aircraft are equipped with D-36 series 3A turbofan engines, which maintain a constant take-off thrust up to an outside air temperature of +33°C. The presence of an auxiliary power unit, on-board means of loading and unloading cargo, landing gear with low-pressure pneumatics provide autonomous operation of the aircraft both on runways with artificial turf and unpaved airfields. According to the Prime-TASS agency, KSAMC delivered the first 5 An-74 aircraft to the Iranian Ministry of Defense for a total of 62 million USD. The contract, signed in 1995, provides for the supply of 12 An-74T-200 and An-74TK-200 aircraft to this country.
An-74TK-300. As part of the program to update their multi-purpose transport aircraft, OKB im. Antonova is developing a highly economical version of the An-74 transport aircraft. The first prototype of the An-74TK-300 civilian aircraft is being assembled at the Design Bureau plant in Kyiv. It is characterized by lower fuel consumption and should be easy to operate. Instead of D-36 engines, it is equipped with two D-436T1 turbofan engines with a thrust of 7600 kg with a 29% lower fuel consumption. They are installed under the wing on pylons. The maximum speed should increase from 700 km/h to 750 km/h. The An-74TK-300 aircraft will be convertible from cargo to passenger version. In the first version, the maximum payload weight is 12,000 kg, in the second, the aircraft has 52 seats with a step of 75 cm. At the same time, the An-174 aircraft is being designed - an extended version of the An-74TK-300, which should replace the An-12.

MOSCOW, December 25 - RIA Novosti. An An-72 military plane crashed on Tuesday in Kazakhstan; there were 27 people on board, including acting. heads of the republican border service, they all died.

Communication with the aircraft was interrupted on Tuesday at 19.00 (17.00 Moscow time). The plane crashed near the city of Chimkent in southern Kazakhstan and caught fire.

An-72 (according to NATO codification: Coaler - "coal miner") is a multi-purpose light military transport jet short takeoff and landing aircraft.

The aircraft was developed in the Design Bureau. OK. Antonov to replace the An-26 aircraft.

An-72 is designed for airborne landing, transportation of troops, weapons, ammunition and other materiel.

The first takeoff of the experimental An-72 took place from the airfield "Svyatoshyn" in Kyiv on August 31, 1977. The first production An-72 (No. 01-01) was released on December 22, 1985.

The crew of the An-72 consists of two pilots and a flight engineer - the aircraft became the first and only domestic military transport aircraft without a navigator in the crew. An-72 and An-74 are the only jet ramp transport aircraft in the world with a carrying capacity of 7.5-10 tons launched into series.

The An-72 aircraft was designed according to the "high-wing" scheme, its properties as a short takeoff and landing aircraft are due to powerful wing mechanization and increased thrust-to-weight ratio.

A feature of the aircraft layout (as a result of which the An-72 was nicknamed "Cheburashka") is the location of the engines above the wing surface, which practically excludes the ingress of foreign objects from the ground into them, provides an increase in lift during takeoff and landing due to blowing the upper surface of the wing and flaps with gas jets engines, leads to a reduction in noise on the ground and in the cockpit due to the shielding of engine jets by the wing.

A cargo hatch in the aft fuselage, a ramp lowering to the ground or retracting under the fuselage, and a low floor position provide convenient conditions for landing people, equipment, cargo, as well as for loading and unloading them. The pressurized cargo compartment can accommodate 68 passengers.

The aircraft is equipped with a powerful landing gear with independent suspension of the main struts, which makes the An-72 an all-terrain vehicle.

The An-72 airborne equipment provides for the transportation and landing of people and cargo day and night, in simple and difficult weather conditions, and includes: flight and navigation, radio communications and airborne transport equipment, electrical equipment, an automatic pressure control system in the cockpit and an anti-icing system.

Aircraft of the An-72 family have been mass-produced since 1985 at the Kharkov Aviation Production Association (KHAPO, and now the Kharkov State Aviation Production Enterprise (KhSAMC). More than 100 units have been built. The An-72 is widely used by airlines in many countries of the world.

Modifications:

An-74 - deep modification with lengthening of the wing and fuselage;

An-71 and An-72R - deep modifications with special radio equipment;

An-72A "Arctic";

An-72P - patrol with cannon weapons;

An-72V - navigational;

An-72PS - search and rescue;

An-72GR - cargo;

An-72S - "salon" (aircraft to support the activities of various headquarters);

An-72-100 - transport option;

An-72-100D is a business version with up to 14 seats and a cargo compartment for 2.3 tons of cargo.

Flight performance An-72:

Wingspan - 31.89 meters

Aircraft length - 28.07 meters

Aircraft height - 8.75 meters

Wing area - 98.62 square meters

- empty aircraft - 19 tons

- normal takeoff - 30.5 tons

- maximum takeoff - 34.5 tons

Engine type - 2 turbojet engines Progress (Lotarev) D-36 (D-436)

Thrust - 63.74 (73.62) kN

July 13th, 2013

An-72 (according to NATO codification: Coaler - “Coal Miner”) is a military transport aircraft. Developed in OKB im. O. K. Antonov to replace the An-26 aircraft. It is in service with the Russian Air Force and a number of other countries. For the characteristic location of the engines, the aircraft was nicknamed "Cheburashka". It has civilian modifications.

The idea of ​​an aircraft that does not require special airfields is as old as the history of aviation itself. Designers have repeatedly tried to implement it, with more or less success trying to create an aircraft that combines sufficiently high flight qualities with a low landing speed. One of the most famous and successful aircraft of this type was the German Arado Ar-242, designed to transport cargo to unprepared sites. In its design, a wing equipped with effective flaps, powerful engines and a special landing gear were well combined, the device of which provided the aircraft with high cross-country ability. These three "pillars" - an increase in the load-bearing properties of the wing, a high thrust-to-weight ratio, and an "all-terrain" landing gear - still underlie any project of an aircraft of this class.

The main features of the future "two hundred" were determined quite unambiguously: the main emphasis on achieving KVP was made on the use of the Coanda effect. Confidence in the prospects of the chosen scheme was so strong that alternative layout options were practically not considered. Theoretical calculations were well confirmed by experimental blowing of aircraft models in wind tunnels. The increase in lift was quite significant and reached 20% in some modes. The airflow of the wing became especially effective when the mechanization was released - the "sticking" of the jet provided a non-separated flow around and a significant increase in quality during takeoff and landing. At the same time, the wing, flap and engine were simultaneously involved in the creation of lift, and in order to study their interaction, it was necessary to conduct research on special full-scale stands, simulating the air flow of the wing and mechanization. To increase the blown surface, the engines were placed in front of the center section, and their nacelles were shaped at the back, "smearing" the exhaust stream over the wing.

Essential for the fate of the project was, first of all, the availability of a suitable engine - the D-36 turbofan engine with a takeoff thrust of 6500 kg. Although O.K. Antonov was a staunch supporter of economical turboprop engines, it was turbofan engines with a high bypass ratio that made it possible to implement the Coanda effect in practice. D-36, created in OKB "Progress" by V.A. aviation - lose strength already at 150C). The design of the thrust reverser shields of the engines allows the aircraft to move on the taxiways even backwards. Comment vvn52 : "The D-36 turbofan engine was designed at the Progress ZMKB by V.A. Lotarev in 1971. The engine served as a prototype (1/4 thrust) for the D-18 turbofan engine, which was designed for the AN-124, which was designed at the OKB O.K. Antonov also since 1971. In the Ivchenko family of engines, in addition to the basic D-36 for the Yak-42, An-72 and An-74, they also include D-436 for the An-148, Tu-334, Be-200 and Yak-42D. And the turbofan has the abbreviation TVVD - these are D-236 or D-27 engines for the An-70 aircraft.There is also a TVD - a turboshaft gas turbine engine - D-136 for the Mi-26 helicopter.All this family of engines was created on the basis of the D-36 gas generator! ".

About 30 chassis options were considered, including such exotic ones as an air cushion chassis. To assess its capabilities, a kind of flying stand was built on the basis of the An-14 aircraft. The test results showed that the "all-terrain" nature of such a chassis resulted in a more complex design, deterioration in aerodynamics and operational suitability of the aircraft. The air cushion skirt had a small resource, was fragile, and the device itself was considered impractical. Ultimately, the choice was made in favor of a conventional retractable landing gear with a steerable A-pillar and four powerful main struts with independent wheel suspension. The strength and energy absorption of shock absorbers were calculated to overcome a "standard bump" (a term that characterizes the ability to take off and land an aircraft under airfield conditions) up to 35 cm high.

On August 31, 1977, the first flight of the An-72 (USSR -19774, serial number 03) took place. It happened to the same day 30 years after the firstborn of the Design Bureau, the famous An-2, took off into the air. The plane was piloted by the honored test pilot, chief pilot of the Design Bureau V.I.Tersky, the flight engineer was A.L.Kruts. The assessment of the new machine by the crew was unequivocal: "Flying such an aircraft is a pleasure." The testers spoke especially highly of the ease of piloting and ease of control of the An-72. The well-thought-out cabin ergonomics, modern equipment, low noise level in flight were especially noted in the report. But the main ones, of course, were the excellent characteristics of the An-72. The aircraft fully met the requirements of the STOL: with a normal takeoff weight and a load of up to 3500 kg, it took off from the ground at a speed of 185 km / h, and 420-450 m was enough for a run. When landing, the car descended along a steep trajectory, maintaining stability and controllability at speeds up to 165 km/h. In demonstration flights, the An-72 landed on unpaved areas no larger than 1000 m, spending no more than 350 m on the run, and took off with one engine running. In the reloading version, he could lift up to 7500 kg of cargo.

During the tests, some problems were also discovered with the practical use of the "zest" of the project - the Coanda effect. The actual conditions that arise in flight differed from the model and bench ones. The sticking of the jet to the wing was uneven and depended on the flight modes and external conditions (especially the tailwind). In search of a solution that ensures the stability of the effect, the shape of the rear part of the engine nacelles and reverse doors has changed several times. When one of the engines failed, the pilots needed special attention - the plane immediately tried to roll over on its back due to the resulting difference in lift forces on the right and left wings. To compensate for the roll, they introduced the release of spoilers on the opposite wing. Nevertheless, the An-72 concept was rated positively. Faith in the prospects of the new aircraft was so great that the decision on mass production was made without waiting for the end of the tests. The American QSRA and the Boeing YC-14 commissioned by the Air Force, which were being tested at that time, never left the prototype stage.

In 1979, the An-72 was first presented at the Le Bourget air show, where it attracted great attention with its unconventional design and high performance. The large thrust-to-weight ratio of the aircraft (up to 0.42 at normal takeoff weight) in combination with a small wing load made it possible for it to perform spectacular maneuvers that are unusual for aircraft of this class: takeoff with a short takeoff run and a steep climb, turns with a roll of up to 45 degrees, passes at extremely low speed and "point" landing. On one of the prototypes, the wing and fuselage were strengthened especially for demonstration flights, and this "acrobatic" aircraft was able to perform even some elements of aerobatics - rolls and half loops.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MGA), which needed to replace the aging transport An-26 and An-12, also became interested in a promising aircraft. The new machine, unpretentious to the conditions of basing and operation, also required the development of hard-to-reach areas of the North, Siberia and the Far East. However, the requirements of the MGA differed significantly from those for which the An-72 was originally designed. Aeroflot clearly did not like the "grasshopper", designed for a small load and short distances, and the main of its conditions was an increase in flight range. With a normal load and a two-hour supply of fuel, it should have been at least 3200 km. The civilian customer demanded to double the carrying capacity of the aircraft, bringing it to 10 tons.

It was necessary to link the conflicting demands of the Air Force and the MGA. Solving the problem in the simplest way - to increase the range by increasing the fuel supply - would increase the load on the wing and reduce the thrust-to-weight ratio, minimizing the possibility of STOL. The designers chose a compromise path - retaining the basic design, increasing the wing area and its elongation. Initially, it was supposed to keep the old center section and install new consoles of greater length. However, the existing machines did not allow the production of the all-milled panels up to 12 m long necessary for this, and it was decided to build up the wing by docking additional required area to the previous consoles. This made it possible to carry out improvements with "little blood" directly on experimental machines. The converted "troika" became a model for the serial production of the An-72. The wing area reached 98.6 m 2, and its aspect ratio increased from 7.4 to 11.

The mention of the Coanda effect now caused only a smile - its role in creating lift was only 5-7%, and the main bearing properties were provided by the enlarged wing itself. According to the test results, other design changes were introduced: four sections of insufficiently efficient spoilers on the center section were removed (they were in the engine jet, and were obscured by engine nacelles during landing), new radio equipment and a navigation complex were installed.

Specifications:

Crew: 3-5 people
Length: 28.07 m
Height: 8.65 m
Wing area: 98.62 m²
Empty weight: 19,500 kg
Maximum takeoff weight: 32,000 kg
Power plant: 2 × TRD D-36
Thrust: 2 × 6500 kgf

Flight characteristics:

Maximum speed: 720 km/h
Cruise speed: 550-600 km/h
Practical range: 2,700 km
Ferry range: 4,700 km
Practical ceiling: 10 100 m
Takeoff run: 800 m
Run length: 450 m

And finally, ta-dam! Armament:

Shooting and cannon: 23-mm cannon GSh-23L in the container UPK-2-23
Suspension points: 2
Unguided missiles: UB-32M blocks on suspension
Bombs: up to 100 kg on suspension

Incidents:

July 5, 1994 An-72V (72966) flew from Novosibirsk to Kyiv. A delegation of the ASTC was on board, the aircraft was piloted by Honored Test Pilot of the USSR, Hero of the Soviet Union V. V. Migunov. In flight, there was a thermal runaway of the battery, followed by de-energization of the onboard equipment. Including the commands to the actuators for landing gear release and wing mechanization ceased to pass, fuel could only be produced from the third group of tanks. An-72 made an emergency landing at the Kurgan airport at a speed of 340 km/h (normal landing - 220 km/h), during the run, the right rear pneumatic was destroyed and the aircraft rolled out of the runway at a speed of 50 km/h. None of the passengers and crew were seriously injured.

On July 7, 2000, during the flight from Mozdok to Moscow, the aircraft depressurized. The crew did not respond to the warning signal and continued flying. As a result, due to the onset of hypoxia, the crew and passengers completely lost their ability to work. The aircraft began an uncontrolled descent from a height of 8500 meters. Colonel Valery Gennadyevich Shalagin, who was in the cockpit as a passenger, was able to revive the crew members, who managed to restore flight control. The plane landed at the airport of Rostov-on-Don in the normal mode. According to the results of the investigation of the incident, the crew was dismissed

09/16/1991 74002 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: Takeoff with an overload with the destruction of mechanization in the air.
10/23/1994 Vorkuta: Board of the Federal Border Guard Service of the Russian Federation. Failure of the hydraulic system during climb, during landing the aircraft rolled off the runway
02/10/1995 near Gostomel: While escorting an An-70 in a test flight, it collided with it in the air. Made an emergency landing in Gostomel. Decommissioned, cockpit and part of fuselage used for simulator.
12/23/1996 Nagurskoye: Board of the Federal Border Guard Service of the Russian Federation. Rolled out of the runway during an emergency landing in adverse weather conditions. The aircraft was piloted by Colonel V. V. Talanov, who in 1994 made an emergency landing on the An-72 in Vorkuta.
12/22/1997 Atlantic Ocean: Disappeared while flying over the ocean. May have been shot down by an Angolan Air Force aircraft.
10/06/2000 Luzamba: During landing, the crew forgot to release the landing gear, landed on its belly and took off from the runway.
04/21/2002 Wamena: Rough landing with destruction of the nose landing gear and ensuing fire.
12/25/2012 Shymkent: An aircraft belonging to the Border Guard Service of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan crashed in bad weather conditions while performing the fourth turn during the landing approach to Shymkent airport. The plane crashed into the quarry of a local cement plant from a height of 800 meters.