The Antonov An-32 (NATO reporting name: Cline) is a turboprop twin-engined military transport aircraft. Its first flight was in July 1976 and displayed at the 1977 Paris Air Show. It is oriented towards flying in adverse weather conditions, and entered production starting in the 1980 and concluding in 2012 but remains in limited use into the 21st century. It is a development of the An-24 and the An-26 is related.
Design and development
The An-32 is essentially a re-engined An-26. It is designed to withstand adverse weather conditions better than the standard An-26. Announced at the May 1977 Paris Air Show, the An-32 is distinguished from its predecessor by engines raised 1.5 m above the wing in order to avoid foreign object damage on rough, unprepared air strips.
The type features high-lift wings with automatic leading-edge slats, large triple-slotted trailing edge flaps and an enlarged tailplane and a very large increase in power, giving improved take-off performance and service ceiling. The high placement of the engine nacelles above the wing allowed for larger diameter propellers, which are driven by 5,100 hp rated Ivchenko AI-20 turboprop engines, providing almost twice the power of the An-26's AI-24 powerplants.[3][4]
Production from the Government Aircraft Factory in Kyiv, has included 123 aircraft for the Indian Air Force, which ordered the aircraft under strong foreign relations between then USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev and then India leader Indira Gandhi.[3][4]
The majority of production has been for the Russian and Ukrainian Air Forces, with around 40 per year being built during the late 1980s to early 1990s.[3] The estimated price for a modernised An-32 version is 15 million US dollars.[4]
The An-32 has outstanding takeoff characteristics in hot and high conditions, up to 55 °C (131 °F; 328 K) and 4,500 m (14,800 ft) elevation, and is suitable for use as a medium tactical military transport roles as well as commercial roles. Operating as a cargo transport over the short and medium range air routes, the An-32 is suitable for air-dropping cargo, passenger carrying, medevac, firefighting, skydiving or paratrooping roles.
The An-32 entered service in the 1980s and served with the air forces of Ukraine, Russia, Bangladesh Air Force, the Iraqi Air Force, the Mexican Air Force and the Sudanese Air Force.[5]
An-32A : The first civil variant, the majority of the 36 aircraft built were delivered to various government factory enterprises, for use in transporting assemblies between plants.
An-32B : Improved version
An-32B-100 : Modernised version of the An-32B. Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) increased to 28.5 tons, payload increased to 7.5 tons.[6]
An-32B-110 : New avionics allowing aircraft to be operated by two crew members. Metric (Russian) avionics variant.[7]
An-32B-120 : Imperial (non-Russian) avionics variant of An-32B-110.[7]
An-32B-300 : Version fitted with Rolls-Royce AE 2100 turboprop engines, providing 4,600 hp each.[8]
An-32LL (Letayushchaya Laboratoriya flying laboratory): The An-32 first prototype was equipped with a large SV-36P eight-bladed propeller and D-236 engine on the port side for testing, in place of the standard engine and propeller. The increased noise produced by the experimental installation (115-120 dB) outweighed the modest gains in performance.[9]
An-32P Firekiller : Aerial firefighting version. Special category type certificate granted on 10 March 1995. A total of eight tons of liquid can be discharged from the two external tanks simultaneously or one after the other. Drops are conducted at 40–50 m above ground level and 240 to 260 km/h. Can be used as a cargo aircraft when not fighting fires.[10]
An-32V-200 : A tactical transport/cargo aircraft outgrowth from the An-32B-100, with more modern avionics allowing two crew operation. Intended for export; despite reasonable interest few have been sold.
An-32 RE : Modernised version of the An-32B. MTOW increased to 28.5 tons, payload increased to 7.5 tons.[6] New avionics.
Besides aircraft in service in the Ukrainian and Russian Air Forces, more than 240 An-32 aircraft are being operated in various countries around the world.
Bangladesh Air Force: Three aircraft received and currently in service with the 3 Squadron 'Unicorns'.[12] Two An-32B & one An-32C.[13] Overhauled and upgraded with life extension by SE PLANT 410 CA of Ukraine.[14]
Indian Air Force: Bought 125 aircraft, 105 are still in service. Entire fleet is undergoing modernization; 35 upgraded An-32s have been delivered by Ukrspetsexport.[18] The upgrades include modern avionics equipment, new oxygen systems and improved crew seats. The remaining aircraft are being upgraded in India. These will be replaced with the Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme.[19]
Iraqi Air Force: Six An-32B delivered from Ukraine between November 2011 and October 2012, initially used by the 23rd Squadron alongside C-130s. In May 2013, the 33rd Squadron was created to operate Iraq's An-32 fleet.[20]
Croatian Air Force: Operated two An-32B's.[15] Modernized in 2004 and subsequently retired and put up for sale in 2014 after being declared redundant. All two transferred to Ukraine in 2023/24.
In July 2016, a total of 25 Antonov An-32 aircraft remained in airline service. The largest operator was Aero Transporte S.A (ATSA) of Peru with four aircraft. Some 16 other airlines operated smaller numbers of the type.[28][29]
On 8 January 1996, an An-32 freighter crashed into a crowded marketplace in Kinshasa, Zaire, resulting in the deaths of approximately 237 people on the ground. The crew attempted to abort the takeoff at Kinshasa-N'Dolo Airport after the aircraft failed to gain height. Four of the six crew members survived. Overloading was cited as a possible cause.[32]
On 28 March 1998, a Peruvian Air Force An-32 carrying the dual civil/military registration OB-1389/FAP-388 and inbound from Tumbes evacuating 50 people stranded by El Niño-driven floods had an engine failure while approaching Piura. As the aircraft was overloaded, the pilot could not maintain height and the An-32 struck three houses of a nearby shantytown and crashed into a canal. While the crew of five survived, 21 passengers died plus one person on the ground.[33]
On 10 June 2009, an Indian Air Force An-32 carrying 13 people crashed shortly after it took off from Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh, a state bordering China.[35] All 13 people on board were reported to have been killed. Soon after the crash, India agreed a $US400 million deal with Ukraine for an An-32 fleet upgrade. This upgrade as reported will extend the life of these transport aircraft by nearly 15 years.[36]
On 12 December 2014, a Sri Lanka Air Force An-32 carrying five people crashed on approach to land at Ratmalana Airport after taking off from Katunayaka Bandaranayake International Airport. The pilot, co-pilot and two of the aircrew were killed in the crash and the fifth crew member suffered critical injuries and died after six days from the accident due to his injuries.[37][38]
On 22 July 2016, an Indian Air Force An-32 (Registration - K2743) travelling from Chennai to Port Blair went missing above the Bay of Bengal with 29 people on board. It left the Tambaram Air Base near Chennai at 8.30 am and disappeared from radar tracking at 9.12 am, 280 km east of Chennai.[39] On 12 January 2024, the Ministry of Defence (India) announced that the wreckage of the missing aircraft had been found in a recent search operation in collaboration with the National Institute of Ocean Technology. The wreckage was found at a depth of 3,400 metres (11,200 ft) and at a distance of 140 nautical miles (310 km) from the coast of Chennai.[40] It was found by a ship on a research mission in the nearby areas and stumbled upon during calibration of Instruments.[41]
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