Antonov An-12
| An-12 | |
|---|---|
| |
| An-12 of Kosmos PO Aicompany, Russia | |
| Role | Military transport aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Antonov |
| First flight | 16th December[1] 1957 |
| Introduction | 1959 |
| Status | Active service with various airlines and Air Forces |
| Primary users | Soviet Air Force Aeroflot PLA Air Force |
| Produced | 1957-1973 |
| Number built | 1,248 |
| Developed from | Antonov An-10 |
| Variants | Shaanxi Y-8 |
The Antonov An-12 (NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10.
Design and development
The first prototype flew in December 1957. Over 900 had been built, in both military and civilian versions, before production finally ended in 1973. The An-12BP entered Soviet military service in 1959. In terms of configuration, size and capability, the aircraft is similar to the United States-built Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Military Soviet planes have a defensive tail gun turret.
On January 12, 2009, the United Arab Emirates banned the AN-12 from flying over their airspace following runway incursions at Sharjah International Airport and the GCAA has advised operators to stop using the aircraft[2][3]. However this ban was lifted in May 2009 although authorities have said that they will take further action against operators found guilty of unsafe practices in future.[4]
Chinese production
In the 1960s, China purchased several An-12 aircraft from the Soviet Union, along with license to assemble the aircraft locally. However, due to the Sino-Soviet split, the Soviet Union withdrew its technical assistance. It wasn't until 1974, when the first Chinese-assembled An-12 had its maiden flight. The Xi'an Aircraft Company and Xi'an Aircraft Design Institute worked to reverse engineer the An-12 for local production. [5]
By 1981, the Chinese copy version of An-12, named Yun-8 (Y-8) entered serial production. Since then, the Y-8 has become one of China's most popular military and civilian transport/cargo aircraft, with many variants produced and exported. Although the An-12 is no longer made in Russia or Ukraine, the Chinese Y-8 continues to be upgraded and produced. The latest Y-8-F600 is a joint venture between Shaanxi Aircraft Company, Antonov Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex (ASTC), and Pratt & Whitney Canada. The Y-8-F600 has redesigned fuselage, western avionics, PW150B turboprop engine with an R-408 propeller system, and 2-man glass cockpit.[6]
Variants
- An-12B : Civilian transport version.
- An-12BP : Military transport version.
- An-12 Cub-A : Electronic intelligence version.
- An-12 Cub-B : Electronic intelligence version.
- An-12 Cub-C : Electronic countermeasures version.
Operators
Currently the An-12 is very popular with cargo operators, especially those in the CIS, Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
Civil operators
In August 2006 a total of 179 Antonov An-12 aircraft remain in airline service. Major operators include: Air Guinee (4), Alada (5), British Gulf International Airlines (7), Avial Aviation (4), Heli Air Service (4), Scorpion Air (4), Tiramavia (4), Aerovis Airlines (5), Veteran Airlines (4), KNAAPO (5), Vega Airlines (6) ATRAN Cargo Airlines (4) and Volare Airlines (6). Some 77 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type.[7]
- Ghana Airways The sole An-12 was delivered in October 1961, registered as 9G-AZZ. Withdrawn from use in 1962 and returned to Soviet Union in 1963.[8]
- SriLankan Cargo
Military operators
- The Afghan Air Force operated 12 from 1981 through 2001.
- Bangladesh Air Force operated from 1973 to 1980s, now all retired
- Czechoslovakian Air Force : Czechoslovakia's fleet numbering two was passed to the Czech Republic upon split with Slovakia. All CzAF An-12s were phased-out of active service in the 1990s.
- The Indian Air Force inducted the first of these aircraft in 1961, when it raised No.44 Squadron "The Himalayan Geese". Six of these aircraft soon took part in airlifting army reinforcements during the 62 War to Ladakh. Subsequently the An-12 was used to raise No.25 Squadron. The An-12s were also used as heavy bombers during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. All IAF An-12s were phased-out of active service in the 1990s. One of them is preserved at the IAF museum in Palam, New Delhi.
- Polish Air Force used 2 An-12B from 1966 until 1977 (crashed) and 1995[9]
- The Soviet fleet was dispersed among many of the Soviet Union's successor states.
- Soviet Air Force
- Soviet Naval Aviation
- Air Force of Zimbabwe - The AFZ possess a single Antonov An-12 as of August 2008.
Cargo
Specifications (An-12BP)
Data from Global Aircraft[10], Airliners.net[11]
General characteristics
- Crew: 5: 2 pilots, flight engineer, navigator, radio operator
- Capacity: 90 troops
Performance
Armament
- Guns: 2× 23 mm (0.906 in) Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 cannons in a tail turret (some aircraft)
Accidents and incidents
On 20 February 2009, an Antonov An-12 of Aerolift crashed after an engine caught fire on take-off at Luxor International Airport, Egypt. All five crew were killed.[12]
On 26 August 2009, an Aero-Fret Business Antonov AN-12 freighter, registration TN-AIA crashed while approaching Brazzaville, Congo. The aircraft was performing a freight flight from Pointe Noire to Brazzaville with 5 crew and 1 passenger on board.
In popular culture
In the 2005 movie Lord of War, the main character Yuri Orlov, played by Nicolas Cage, commonly uses an Antonov An-12 to transport weapons, and is later said to have "a fleet" of such planes. Andrew Niccol, the director of Lord of War, stated that they actually used one of Viktor Bout's An-12 aircraft in the movie.[13]
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
- ^ "Antonov official website". Retrieved 2009-08-15.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "GCAA issues temporary ban of Antonov An-12 from UAE airspace". Retrieved 2009-01-13.
- ^ "United Arab Emirates bans flights of Soviet-built An-12 aircraft". Retrieved 2009-01-13.
- ^ "UAE allows resumption of An-12 flights". Retrieved 2009-06-09.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Y-8 Turboprop Transport Aircraft". Sino Defence.
- ^ "Y8F600 aircraft". Shaanxi Aircraft Industry.
- ^ Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
- ^ Vintage Russian. Props and Jets of the Iron Curtain Airlines, Airlife Publishing, Shrewsbury 1998, ISBN 1-85310-971-1.
- ^ Gołąbek, Adam: 13. Pułk Lotnictwa Transportowego in: Lotnictwo z szachownicą nr. 9 and nr. 10
- ^ "An-12 Cub". Global Aircraft. Retrieved 2006-03-09.
- ^ "The Antonov An-12 & Shaanxi Y-8". Airliners.net. Retrieved 2006-03-09.
- ^ "Five dead in Ukrainian plane fire at Luxor airport - Summary". The Earth Times. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
- ^ "Deal With the Devil". Newsweek. 2005-09-23. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
External links
