Antonov An-72 - WikiHQ

The Antonov An-72 (NATO reporting name: Coaler) is a transport aircraft, developed and produced by the Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov. The An-72 and the related An-74 get their nickname, Cheburashka, from the large engine intake ducts, which resemble the oversized ears of the popular Soviet animated character of the same name.

Design work on the An-72 commenced during the early 1970s, likely as the Soviet Union's response to the American Advanced Medium STOL Transport (AMST) programme that was ultimately terminated. It was developed in relative secrecy as a short takeoff and landing (STOL) transport aircraft and was intended to serve as a jet-powered replacement for the Antonov An-26. The An-72 made the use of the Coandă effect to improve its STOL performance by directing engine exhaust gases over the upper surface of the wing to boost lift. This performance directed numerous other design features across the aircraft, including its use of a T-tail and the specifics of its flight control system. It was also equipped with an automatic navigation system and a robust undercarriage, the latter feature facilitated the use of austere airstrips.

The An-72's maiden flight took place on . Quantity production did not proceed until the late 1980s, although the type did see active service with the Soviet Air Force prior to its dissolution. The An-72's export prospects had been hampered by the airlifter's development being concealed even from Western certifying bodies. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, various successor states, including Russia and Ukraine, inherited the type and continued to operate it. In addition to its use as a military airlifter, some An-72 variants have found success as commercial freighters with various airlines operating the type. An An-72 derivative, the An-74, is designed to operate under the harsh weather conditions of the polar regions.

Design and development

The origins of the An-72 can be traced back to the 1970s; early work on the programme appears to have been performed under a high level of secrecy. one of the AMST designs that had been submitted to the United States Air Force as a prospective tactical airlifter. Officially, the primary purpose of the An-72 programme was to produce a successor to the turboprop-powered Antonov An-26.

The An-72 was powered by a pair of Lotarev D-36 turbofan engines (these have previously been used on the Yakovlev Yak-42); A substantial portion of the aircraft's design was shaped by this use of jet deflection across the upper surface of the wing; beyond the positioning of the engines, a T-tail configuration was also necessary in order to keep the tail plane clear of the engine wake. Known as 'Aircraft 88' during development and erroneously known as An-88.

An-72-100: Demilitarized An-72.

Former military operators

Armenian Air Force
Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea
Georgian Air Force
Libyan Air Force
Moldovan Air Force: 2
Peruvian Air Force: 2 (operated until late 1990s and sold to civilian market)
Soviet Air Force

thumb|The An-72 is said to resemble [[Cheburashka when viewed from the front.]]

Accidents and incidents

, there had been 24 known accidents and incidents involving the An-72 or An-74; of these, seven were reported to involve fatalities:

An Antonov An-72 chase plane had a mid-air collision while following the Antonov An-70 prototype aircraft during a test flight. The collision caused the An-70 to crash into a forested area, killing all seven An-70 crew members. The An-72 lost a right wing flap, but it was able to return to base safely.
ER-ACF, an Antonov An-72 disappeared on a cargo flight from Port Bouet Airport, Côte d'Ivoire to Rundu Airport, Namibia. The aircraft and its five crew members disappeared without a trace over the South Atlantic. The cause of the incident remains undetermined.
21 April 2002ES-NOP, an Antonov An-72 leased by Enimex and operated by Trigana Air was damaged in a hard landing at Wamena, Indonesia and a minor fire broke out. Due to the nearest fire truck being inoperable, some firefighters ran to the accident scene with hand-held fire extinguishers. The delayed response led to unrecoverable damage to the aircraft, which had to be written off. There were no fatalities.
An An-72 carrying Kazakhstani border patrol officials crashed in Shymkent, killing all 27 people on board.
An An-72 operated for the DRC Air Force with 4 crew and 4 passengers crashed in Congo; none survived.
An An-72 operated by the Russian Navy exploded at the Ostafyevo airfield in the Moscow region. The explosion occurred from the detonation of the main power unit. The value of the destroyed aircraft was approximately US$4.5 million.
2 April 2026An An-72P variant in Kirovske operated by the Russian military was hit with a Ukrainian FP-2 missile by the Unmanned Systems Forces.

Specifications (An-72)

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References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

An-72/An-74 Family (Data for An-72A & List of all known An-72/An-74 Family variants )
An-74 Pictures
AN-74TK-300 modification at Antonov's site
AN-74T modification at Antonov's site
An-71 Article, Images
An-71 Specs at globalsecurity.org