Antonov An-26 Curl

Summary

Category	Transport aircraft
Origin country	🇨🇳 Ex-USSR
First flight	21 May 1969
Year of introduction	1969
Number produced	1403 units
Average unit price	$12 million

Description

The Antonov An-26, also known as the An-26 Curl by NATO, is a short-range transport aircraft that became the standard for Soviet forces and their allies starting in the 1960s. It is derived from the Antonov An-24 Coke, a passenger aircraft developed for the Soviet airline Aeroflot to replace the old Ilyushin Il-14.

The An-24 was designed to meet the needs of Aeroflot as a medium-sized aircraft capable of carrying 32 passengers and operating from unprepared runways in difficult conditions. It proved to be a robust and unsophisticated aircraft, easy to maintain, and suitable for a wide range of terrains thanks to its high-wing design, high-lift devices for short landings, and adjustable tire pressure during flight.

The success of the An-24 caught the attention of the Soviet military, and a cargo variant was quickly developed. Encouraged by these successes, Antonov decided to create a purely military version of the aircraft, the An-26. This version was equipped with a rear ramp and a cargo hold capable of accommodating light vehicles, which made it highly successful. The An-26 was also equipped with an additional small turbojet engine to provide extra power in difficult conditions. A distinctive feature of the An-26 was the presence of a small glass dome on the left side, forward of the fuselage, improving the accuracy of parachute drops.

The An-26 was capable of carrying 5.5 tons of cargo or 40 paratroopers over a distance of 1100 kilometers. Approximately 1400 aircraft were produced in the Soviet Union, as well as in China under the name Xian X-7.

The Antonov An-26 later gave rise to a derivative version called the Antonov An-30 Clank, designed for surveillance missions. The An-30, with its glass nose and raised cockpit compared to the An-26, was equipped with windows on the sides and various surveillance and observation equipment, including cameras and a photographic laboratory at the rear. Approximately 100 An-30 aircraft were produced.

The An-30s were used for mapping missions in Afghanistan, as well as for more unique missions such as weather modification for important events. About 20 An-30s were sold to countries such as Afghanistan, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, Romania, Vietnam, and Ukraine.

Technical specifications

Version: An-26 Curl-A
Crew	2 pilots + 1 WSO + 1 radio operator
Operational range	1100 km (684 mi)
Maximum speed	540 km/h (336 mph)
Wing area	75 m² (807.3 sqft)
Wingspan	29.2 m (95.8 ft)
Height	8.3 m (27.3 ft)
Length	23.8 m (78.1 ft)
Service ceiling	7500 m (24606 ft)
Empty weight	15000 kg (33069 lbs)
Max. takeoff weight	24000 kg (52911 lbs)
Climb rate	8.0 m/s (26.2 ft/s)
Powerplant	2 × turboprops Ivchenko-Progress AI-24T delivering 2074 kW; 1 × turbojet Tumansky Ru-19-A300 delivering 900 kgp

Current operating countries

Country		Units
	Russia	115
	China	19
	Nicaragua	4
	Sudan	4
	Uzbekistan	4
	Angola	3
	Chad	3
🇨🇩	Congo Democratic Republic	3
🇱🇦	Laos	3
	Mongolia	3
	Syria	3
	Belarus	2
	Cambodia	2
	Cuba	2
	Djibouti	2
	Ivory Coast	2
🇸🇸	South Sudan	2
	Ukraine	2
	Bulgaria	1
	Cameroon	1
	Malawi	1
	Mali	1
	Moldova	1
	Mozambique	1
	Namibia	1
	Romania	1
	Serbia	1
	Tajikistan	1
	Turkmenistan	1
	Zambia	1