Antonov An-72

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.^[3] It has been speculated that the An-72's development had been initiated as a Soviet response to the American Advanced Medium STOL Transport (AMST) that had been initiated during the 1960s, but ultimately never resulted in any production aircraft.^[4] Aviation author Bill Sweetman observed that the An-72 bore a close resemblance to the Boeing YC-14,^[3] one of the AMST designs that had been submitted to the United States Air Force as a prospective tactical airlifter.^[5] Officially, the primary purpose of the An-72 programme was to produce a successor to the turboprop-powered Antonov An-26.^[3][6]

The An-72 was powered by a pair of Lotarev D-36 turbofan engines (these have previously been used on the Yakovlev Yak-42);^[7][8] these were mounted in a relatively high over-wing position that was relatively close to the centreline, which allowed the aircraft to make use of the Coandă effect (another benefit was to reduce instances of foreign object damage).^[8] 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.^[3] This T-tail was equipped with a swept fin, which helped to lengthen the tail moment arm and to accommodate trim changes. The wing of the AN-72, unlike the straight wing of the YC-14, is swept and a noticeable anhedral; the centre section is unswept.^[3] It is furnished with multiple flaps, which move on tracks; the outboard flaps are double-slotted while slats are also fitted on the leading edge.^[3][8]

The fuselage of the An-72 was sized to provide slightly greater internal width than that of the preceding An-26.^[3] A large nose radome is usually fitted. The landing gear comprises four independent single-wheel main gear legs that retract inwards into sizable fairings.^[3] The automatic flight control system was believed to be particularly challenging to develop due to the aircraft's STOL capabilities.^[3] An automatic navigation system that incorporated a Doppler radar unit was also installed. The An-72 is capable of operating from austere airstrips even under icy conditions;^[8] specifically, the combination of a robust undercarriage and high-flotation tyres permit operations on sand, grass, or other unpaved surfaces. The rear fuselage of the aircraft has a hinged loading ramp with a rear fairing that slides backwards and up to clear the opening. Up to 7.5 tonnes (7.4 long tons; 8.3 short tons) can be airdropped. The cabin featured side-mounted folding seats for up to 52 passengers, as well as provisioned for up to 24 casualties in litters along with 12 seated personnel and an attendant in a medical evacuation configuration.^[8]

On 31 August 1977, the prototype An-72 performed its maiden flight; its STOL capabilities were not used during the initial flight.^[3] At the time, there was no other aircraft in the same class as the An-72 on account of its capabilities and the limited perceived market for such an specialised airlifter in Western nations. Despite this, its export prospects were hindered from the onset due to the type having been developed in isolation from non-Soviet certificating authorities.^[3] Various refinements and modifications were made between the first prototype and production aircraft; these included the lengthening of the fuselage and an increase in wing span.^[8] By 1990, quantity production of the An-72 had commenced, 20 aircraft were being completed each year prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.^[8]

Produced in tandem with the An-72 was the An-74 derivative. This aircraft is oriented around operations under the inhospitable weather conditions in polar regions, for which it can be outfitted with wheel-skis landing gear, de-icing equipment, and a number of other upgrades, allowing the aircraft to support activities in Arctic or Antarctic environments.^[8] Other An-72 versions include the An-72S VIP transport and An-72P maritime patrol aircraft. The An-72's STOL performance includes a take-off roll of 620 m (2,000 ft) and a landing distance of 420 m (1,400 ft).^[9]

In 2018, six An-72 aircraft were reported to be upgraded for the Russian Aerospace Forces and Navy to carry more fuel and payload for Arctic operations.^[10]

• An-71 "Madcap": Prototype AWACS aircraft developed from the An-72.
• An-72 "Coaler-A": Preproduction aircraft. Two flying prototypes, one static test airframe and eight preproduction machines.
• An-72A "Coaler-C": Initial production STOL transport with a longer fuselage and increased wingspan.
• An-72AT – "Coaler-C": Freight version of the An-72A compatible with standard international shipping containers.
• An-72S – "Coaler-C": Executive VIP transport fitted with a galley in a front cabin, work and rest areas in a central cabin, and 24 armchairs in a rear cabin, can also be reconfigured for transporting freight or 38 passengers or as an air ambulance carrying eight stretchers.
• An-72P: Patrol aircraft. Armed with one 23 millimetres (0.91 in) GSh-23L cannon plus bombs and/or rockets.^[11]
• An-72R (also known as An-72BR): Prototype electronic intelligence (ELINT) aircraft, with conformal antenna fairings running up each side of the fuselage.^[12] Known as 'Aircraft 88' during development and erroneously known as An-88.
• An-72-100: Demilitarized An-72.^[12]
• An-72-100D: Demilitarized An-72S.^[12]
• An-74: Arctic/Antarctic support model with room for five crew, increased fuel capacity, larger radar in bulged nose radome, improved navigation equipment, better de-icing equipment, and can be fitted with wheel-skis landing gear.

As of May 2022^[update], there had been 24 known accidents and incidents involving the An-72 or An-74; of these, seven were reported to involve fatalities:^[15]

• 17 September 1991 — CCCP-74002 attempted to take off from Lensk Airport overloaded with fish. All 13 human occupants died when it crashed 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the airport.^[16]
• 10 February 1995 — 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.^[17] The An-72 lost a right wing flap,^[18] but it was able to return to base safely.^[17]
• 22 December 1997 — 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.^[19]
• 21 April 2002 — ES-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.^[20]
• 23 April 2006 — UR-74038 carrying food aid to Chad from Libya crashed in Cameroon, killing all 6 crew.^[21][22]
• 27 November 2006 — An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force An-72 crashed after takeoff from Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, killing 37 of the 38 aboard.^[23]
• 25 December 2012 — An An-72 carrying Kazakhstani border patrol officials crashed in Shymkent, killing all 27 people on board.^[24][25]
• 10 October 2019 — An An-72 operated for the DRC Air Force with 4 crew and 4 passengers crashed in Congo; none survived.^[26][27]
• 12 December 2024 — 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.^[28]

Data from The Osprey Encyclopædia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995^[29]

General characteristics

• Crew: five
• Capacity: up to 52 passengers or 10 tonnes of cargo
• Length: 28.07 m (92 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 31.89 m (104 ft 7.5 in)
• Height: 8.65 m (28 ft 4.5 in)
• Wing area: 98.62 m² (1,062 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 19,050 kg (42,000 lb)
• Gross weight: 34,500 kg (76,058 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Lotarev D-36 series 1A Turbofan, 63.9 kN (14,330 lbf) thrust each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 700 km/h (435 mph, 378 kn)
• Range: 4,325 km (2,688 mi, 2,336 nmi)

Related development

• Antonov An-71
• Antonov An-74
• Antonov An-148
• Antonov An-178

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS
• List of STOL aircraft
• List of aircraft