Antonov An-12
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| An-12 "Cub" | |
|---|---|
 |
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| An Antonov An-12 Cub transport in flight. | |
| Type | Military transport aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Antonov |
| Designed by | Oleg Antonov |
| Maiden flight | March 1957 |
| 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.
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[edit] Design and development
The first prototype flew in March 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 very similar to the United States built Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
[edit] Chinese production
- See also: Shaanxi Y-8
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'ian Aircraft Company and Xi'an Aircraft Design Institute worked to reverse engineer the An-12 for local production. [1]
By 1981, the Chinese copy version of An-12, named Yun-8 (Y-8) entered serial production. Since then, the Y-8 has became one of China's most popular military and civian 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 avonics, PW150B turboprop engine with R-408 propeller system, and 2-man glass cockpit. [2]
[edit] 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.
In November 2006, Antonov AN-12s were used in the CBS series Jericho, episode "RED FLAG" to air drop Chinese food and supplies to the residents of Jericho Kansas following a series of nuclear terrorist attacks across America.
[edit] Operators
Currently the An-12 is very popular with cargo operators, especially those in the CIS, Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
[edit] 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.[1]
Bulgaria: Balkan Bulgarian Airlines
People's Republic of China: Civil Aviation Administration of China
Egypt: Egyptair
Guinea: Air Guinee
Ghana: 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.[2]
Iraq: Iraqi Airways
Soviet Union: Aeroflot
Sri Lanka: SriLankan Cargo
Ukraine: Antonov Airlines
[edit] Military operators
Afghanistan: The Afghan Air Force operated 12 from 1981 through 2001.
Algeria
Angola
Bangladesh
Belarus- China
Czech Republic
Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia's fleet numbering two was passed to the Czech Republic upon split with Slovakia. Both CzAF An-12s were phased-out of active service in the 1990s.- Egypt
Ethiopia
India: 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 71 War. All IAF An-12s were phased-out of active service in the 1990s.
Indonesia- Iraq
Iran
Kazakhstan
Myanmar
Poland
Russia- Soviet Union: The Soviet fleet was dispersed among many of the Soviet Union's successor states.
- Sri Lanka
Sudan
Syria- Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Yemen
Yugoslavia
[edit] Specifications (An-12BP)
Data from Global Aircraft[3], Airliners.net[4]
General characteristics
- Crew: 5: 2 pilots, flight engineer, navigator, radio operator
- Capacity: 90 troops
- Payload: 20,000 kg (44,000 lb)
- Length: 33.10 m (108 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 38.00 m (124 ft 8 in)
- Height: 10.53 m (34 ft 7 in)
- Wing area: 121.7 m² (1,310 ft²)
- Empty weight: 28,000 kg (62,000 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 61,000 kg (130,000 lb)
- Powerplant: 4× Progress AL-20L or AL-20M turboprops, 4,000 ehp (3,000 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 777 km/h (419 knots, 482 mph)
- Cruise speed: 670 km/h (361 knots, 415 mph)
- Range:
- With maximum fuel: 5,700 km (3,075 nm, 3,540 mi)
- With maximum load: 3,600 km (1,945 nm, 2,235 mi)
- Service ceiling: 10,200 m (33,500 ft)
- Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)
Armament
- Guns: 2× 23 mm (0.906 in) cannon Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 in a tail turret (some aircraft)
[edit] References
- ^ 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.
- ^ An-12 Cub. Global Aircraft. Retrieved on March 9, 2006.
- ^ The Antonov An-12 & Shaanxi Y-8. Airliners.net. Retrieved on March 9, 2006.
[edit] External links
[edit] Related content
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Designation sequence
An-6 - An-8 - An-10 - An-12 - An-14 - An-22 - An-24
Related lists
- List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS
- List of military transport aircraft
See also
Airliners: An-74 · An-140 · An-148 · An-174 · An-180 · An-218
Transports: A-7 · OKA-38 · An-2 · An-3 · An-4 · An-8 · An-10 · An-12 · An-14 · An-22 · An-24 · An-26 · An-28 · An-30 · An-32 · An-38 · An-70 · An-72 · An-124 · An-225
Reconnaissance/Surveillance: An-6 · An-71 · An-88 - Experimental: A-40 · SKV - ? An-204
Timeline of aviation
Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable military accidents and incidents · Notable airline accidents and incidents · Famous aviation-related deaths
Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft
