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AN-32

The AN-32 (NATO codification: Cline) is a Soviet military transport multipurpose aircraft.

The AN-32 is the only aircraft in the entire history of Soviet aviation that was created specifically for export and was not adopted in the USSR.

The Indians realized for themselves the need to use a military transport aircraft to supply high-altitude strongholds. The prerequisite for this was the results of the Indo-Pakistani conflicts and the deterioration of relations with China in the early 1970s.

Initially, the Indian Air Force tried to use the American Lockheed C-130 Hercules, they flew over several high-altitude sites on it, but it turned out that in conditions of thin air on the C-130, the pilots could not cope with the alignment of the vessel, the landings turned out to be very tough, and there were accidents, including an accident with a broken landing gear. At the same time, there were no similar problems with the An-12 in similar conditions, but due to its large size, it was not very suitable for high-altitude sites with complex approaches.

In any case, Delhi decided to cooperate with the Antonov Design Bureau, it was about the supply of 150 aircraft. Antonov himself suggested that the Indians pay attention to the already existing An-26. They looked closely and found a number of advantages in it, but customers did not see the opportunity to work from high-altitude airfields due to the lack of engine power.

The requirements for the aircraft were extremely strict: the machine had to be able to fly in the most inaccessible high-altitude areas on the border with China and Pakistan, have a high thrust-to-weight ratio and high cross-country capability at unequipped airfields. The main potential task was to reach a ceiling of 6000 m with one engine running. At that time, no aircraft in the world had such capabilities.

For the designers, the task was initially seen in equipping the An-26 with more powerful engines, an AN-12 powerplant was used, AI-20M engines with a capacity of 4250 hp and AV-62I propellers with a diameter of 4.5 m were installed, which allowed to increase power by 50%. At the same time, it was necessary to install the engines above the wing and provide gaps, since the enlarged screws did not have enough space for rotation, the blades touched the fuselage. The control devices of the power plant were replaced, wheels with brakes of increased energy intensity were installed. Due to the increased required landing speed, the pressure in the braking system was increased from 90 to 120 atmospheres. The designers changed the auxiliary engine RU19A-300 to a more compact turbo generator TG-16, capable of starting engines at airfields up to 4,500 m high. The initial work was completed in the same year 1975. In the USSR, the aircraft was named AN-32.

In the mid-1990s, the production of the AN-32 was discontinued. After a ten-year break, in early 2005, the Kiev Aviant plant resumed production of aircraft (the first was the An-32P firefighter for Libya)[3]. In August 2009, Iraq ordered six more An-32s (they were delivered in 2011-2012).

As of 2015, the estimated cost of one upgraded AN-32 aircraft was $15 million