Antonov An-26

Infobox Aircraft
name=An-26
subtemplate=Infobox Antonov Turboprop Twins


caption=An-26 of the Romanian Air Force
type=Light transport
national origin =Soviet Union
manufacturer=Antonov
designer=
first flight= April 1963
introduced=
retired=
status=Operational
primary user=Soviet Air Force
more users=Many others
produced=
number built=1,403
unit cost=
developed from= Antonov An-24
variants with their own articles=Antonov An-32 Xian MA60

The Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name: Curl) is a twin-engined light turboprop transport aircraft and is a development of the Antonov An-24, with particular attention to military use. First seen in 1969, it has a modified rear fuselage with a large cargo ramp. The An-26 is also manufactured without a licence in China by Xian Aircraft Factory as the Y-14, though the designation later changed back to the Y-7 series.

Design and development

* An-26 "Curl-A" : Twin-engined tactical transport aircraft.
* In 1981, An-26B was introduced. It is equipped with roller gangs which can be swung up against the cabin walls when not in use. It was also equipped with two ZMDB Progress(Ivchyenko)Al-24VT turboprop engines for more power.
* An-26BRL : Ice research aircraft.
* An-26L : Airfield calibration version.
* An-26M : Air ambulance version.
* An-26P : Fire fighting version.
* An-26RTR "Curl-B" : Elint, sigint, electronic warfare aircraft.
* An-26ST : Special duties aircraft for the East German Air Force.
* Y-7H : Military transport version. Chinese production version.
* Y-7-500 : Civilian cargo version. Chinese production version.

Operators

Military

:Source: "Aerospace Source Book 2007" "Aerospace Source Book 2007", "Aviation Week & Space Technology", January 15 2007.]

;AFG
* Afghan Air Force - (1975 to present) 2; 20+ historically;ANG
* Angolan Air Force - 12;BGD
* Bangladesh Air Force - none; retired;BLR
* Belarusian Air Force - 6;BEN
* Benin Air Force - none;BUL
* Bulgarian Air Force - 3;CHA
* Chad Air Force - 1;CHN
* 23 Xian Y-7; 4 Xian Y-7-100; includes all types of Y-7 aircraft
** People's Liberation Army Air Force
** People's Liberation Army Navy ;COG
* Congolese Air Force - 1;CUB
* Cuban Air Force - 17;CZE
* Czech Air Force - 4;CZS
* Czechoslovakian Air Force - none; retired;COD
* Democratic Republic of the Congo Air Force - 1;DDR
* East German Air Force - none; retired;ETH
* Ethiopian Air Force - 1;GER
* Luftwaffe - none; retired;GNB
* Guinea-Bissau Air Force - none; retired;HUN
* Hungarian Air Force - 4, to be replaced 2010-2012.;IRQ
* Iraqi Air Force - none; retired;KAZ
* Kazakh Air Force - 1;PRK
* North Korean Air Force - none;LAO
* Laotian Air Force - 3;LBA
* Libyan Air Force - 10;LTU
* Lithuanian Air Force - 3; 2 to remain in service until 2009.;MDG
* Malagasy Air Force - 4;MLI
* Mali Air Force - 1;MNG
* Mongolian Air Defense Forces Command - 1;MOZ
* Mozambique Air Force - 5;NIC
* Nicaraguan Air Force - 2;NER
* Niger Air Force - 1;PAK
* Pakistani Air Force - none; retired;POL
* Polish Air Force - 5; historically 12;ROU
* Romanian Air Force - 4; ;RUS
* Russian Air Force - 9 An-26; 21 An-26B;SRB
* Serbian Air Force - 6;SVK
* Slovak Air Force - 2;USSR
* Soviet Air Force - Passed on to successor states in 1991
* Soviet Naval Aviation - ;SYR
* Syrian Air Force - 5;TZA
* Tanzanian Air Force - none;USA
* United States Air Force - Used by the 6th Special Operations Squadron;UKR
* Ukrainian Naval Aviation - 3
* Ukrainian Air Force - 28;UZB
* Uzbek Air Force - 13;VIE
* Vietnamese Air Force - 11 [ [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/08/2211412.htm?section=justin] ] ;YEM
* Yemen Air Force - 26;ZAM
* Zambian Air Force and Air Defence Command - 4

Civil

In August 2006 267 Antonov An-26 aircraft remain in airline service. Major operators include: Lao Airlines (6), Syrian Arab Airlines (6), Aerocom (5), ARP 410 Airlines (5), Air Urga (10), Exin (9), RAF-Avia (5), Turkmenistan Airlines (5), Iraero (7), Scorpion Air (6), Yakutia Airlines (5) and Aerogaviota (18). Some 106 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type. [ "Flight International", 3-9 October 2006]

;BUL
*Scorpion Air;CUB
*Aerogaviota (18);flag|Latvia
*RAF-Avia (5);flag|Laos
*Lao Airlines (6);MDA
*Aerocom (5);RUS
*Yakutia Airlines (5);SYR
*Syrian Arab Airlines (6);flag|Turkmenistan
*Turkmenistan Airlines (5);flagicon|Hungary Hungary
*Cityline Hungary (4);UKR
*Air Urga (10)
*ARP 410 Airlines (5)

Notable accidents

* 2007 Balad aircraft crash
* 2007 Kinshasa, DRC crash. On October 4, 2007 an Africa One-operated An-26 crashed into the Kinshasa neighbourhood of Kimbaseke just after takeoff. Twenty-five out 27 people on board died. Initial reports indicate a lost propeller.
* 1992 Libya. Yasir Arafat's An-26 crashed on April 8, 1992 during a sandstorm. Of the 13 on board, two pilots and an engineer were killed.

pecifications (An-26)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

crew= 4 (2 pilots, 1 radio operator/engineer, 1 navigator)
capacity=40 passengers
payload main=5,500 kg
payload alt=12,000 lb
length main=23.8 m
length alt=78 ft 1 in
span main=29.2 m
span alt=95 ft 9½ in
height main=8.32 m
height alt=27 ft 3½ in
area main=74.98 m²
area alt= ft²
airfoil=
empty weight main=15,020 kg
empty weight alt=33,110 lb
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=4,500 kg
useful load alt=9,900 lb
max takeoff weight main=24,000 kg
max takeoff weight alt=53,000 lb

engine (prop)=Progress AI-24VT
type of prop=turboprops
number of props=2
power main=2,820 shp
power alt=2,100 kW (plus one Tumansky Ru-19-A300 type 7,85 kN thrust small turbojet in left nacelle which serves as APU and climb rate / high altitude cruise booster)

max speed main=
max speed alt=
cruise speed main=440 km/h
cruise speed alt=240 knots, 275 mph
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main=2,550 km (with maximum fuel; 900 to 1100 km with maximum payload)
range alt=1,380 nm, 1,580 mi, 485 nm, 595 nm
ceiling main=7500 m
ceiling alt= 17,000 ft
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Antonov An-24
* Antonov An-32

similar aircraft=
* Alenia G.222
* An-24

sequence=
An-14 - An-22 - An-24 - An-26 - An-28 - An-30 - An-32

lists=
* List of cargo aircraft
* List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS
* List of military transport aircraft

see also=

References

*"COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT and AIRLINE MARKINGS" by Christopher Chant

External links

Pictures of An 26
* http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=Antonov%20An-26&distinct_entry=true
* http://www.antonov.com/about/an-26.xml
* http://www.aeronautics.ru/an26a.jpg
* http://rus.air.ru/airplanes/images/An-26pict.htm