Antonov An-26 (Curl)

Antonov An-26 (Curl) History

The Antonov An-26 was developed from the An-24 in 1962 for passenger/general transport missions. The first flight of the An-26 product took place on May 21, 1969, and production continued from then until 1986, culminating in 1,403 prototypes.

Then came a plethora of variants, operators have traveled the globe, and many airframes are still in service today (2014).

The original An-24 proved to be a sturdy design suitable for the harshest conditions of the vast Soviet Empire - especially in hard-to-reach frontier areas where little service was available. This has inspired a new and improved form of gaining traction, notably one that includes a powered loading ramp to easily move cargo pallets in and out of aircraft service areas or haul trucks.

After the new ramp design completed its testing phase, the unit began production under the new working designation An-26.

When completed, the An-26 inherited the same form and function as the previous An-24, including its high-wing design and twin-engine layout. The tail is still a vertical tail with a low horizontal plane. The flight deck is located behind a short nose cone at the very forward end of the fuselage. Then, cargo space takes up most of the remaining available interior space.

The original production model was simply identified as "An-26" and was identified as "Curl-A" in NATO nomenclature. Then, the An-26-100 emerged from the combined passenger/cargo transport aircraft. The local Chinese variant became the Xi'an Y-7H military transport aircraft.

Other limited production variants followed, including an arctic reconnaissance platform with special mission equipment, an atmospheric laboratory, an attack transport prototype, various test beds, a firefighting platform and other proposed (some unrealized) design.

Operators range from Angola and Belarus to Yemen and Zambia. Many military actors have abandoned this type, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Poland and Somalia. From 2003 to 2007, the United States operated the An-26 through the U.S. Air Force's 6th Special Operations Squadron. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Soviet An-26 was passed on to emerging countries.

Most operators are still civilian in nature, with 15 of them operating in Ukraine.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

As far-reaching as its sales and history have been, the MiG-29 has never truly seen combat - at least in capable hands. While the Iraqi Air Force maintained a collection of these modern Soviet fighters during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Iraqi pilots were generally poorly trained in comparison to their coalition counterparts and use of these aircraft to stem the coalition invasion was terrible at best.

At least eight total MiG-29s that were sent aloft were downed to coalition F-15 Eagles and F/A-18 Hornets in the conflict while a further nine retreated to neighboring Iran. Iran elected to keep these examples as "payment" for the losses it incurred in the bloody Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s at the hands of Saddam Hussein.

Regardless, the MiG-29 remains a favorite export product and staffs many-an-air-force-inventory the world over. Her near future seems in check though the arrival of the F-22 and Lockheed F-35 Lightning II will more than likely signal the end of the long term legacy of the MiG-29.

The Sukhoi firm has also debuted their developmental PAK FA aircraft which incorporates more of what is found in the competing American F-22 - beginning to make more "conventional" minded aircraft like the MiG-29 something of an obsolete breed of fighter. Time will only tell.

Mikoyan MiG-29 (Fulcrum) Specification

BASICS

MANUFACTURING

ROLES

DIMENSIONS

WEIGHTS

POWER

PERFORMANCE

ARMAMENT

VARIANTS