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Antonov An-30 (Clank)

1968 COLD WAR MODERN AIRCRAFT

History

Antonov The An-30 is an aerial survey platform developed by Beriev of the Soviet Union in the 1960s. The design is based on a framework established by the early 1962 Antonov An-24 airliner. The first flight as a prototype took place on August 21, 1967, and it entered service in July 1968.

About 123 were built from 1971 to 1980, covering civilian and military operators from Bulgaria and China to the Soviet Union and Vietnam.

The An-30 is known to NATO under the codename "Ding Dong".

In terms of design, the An-30 retains much of the form and function of the An-24 it inherited. The nose section is apparently redesigned for the new role, but the aircraft features a high-wing main aircraft assembly with a turboprop engine mounted on each leading edge. The fuselage was tubular, tapered significantly at the stern, a vertical tail was installed, and the horizontal stabilizers were set low.

The landing gear adopts a tricycle arrangement and can be fully retracted.

When built, the An-30 had a crew of seven and was 79.6 feet long, with a wingspan of 95.9 feet and a height of 27.2 feet. Curb weight is 34,400 pounds and MTOW is 50,705 pounds. Power comes from 2 ZMKB Progress AI-24T turboprop engines, each producing 2,803 hp.

Top speed is 335 mph and cruising speed is 265 mph. The range is 1,635 miles, and the plane's service is capped at 27,230 feet.

The An-24FK was the only prototype developed as the An-30, based on the existing An-24B, with a slightly raised flight deck and a navigation position in the glass nose section. The An-30A was the first operational production form, introduced to the civilian market by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (USSR). Part of the inventory is also sold to export customers. The An-30B was the successor militarized variant in service with the Soviet Air Force, with a different avionics suite.

Later versions also installed an adversarial kit.

An-30D "Sibiryak" is a long-range development of the production An-30A. The aircraft gained greater range through larger fuel reserves and was equipped with more modern and mission-specific systems. These serve the civilian market.

The An-30FG is a one-off An-30 of the Czech Air Force with a Western radar. An-30M "Meteozashchita" is a meteorological research platform. The An-30R became an NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) reconnaissance platform for the Soviet Air Force.

The brand proved itself during the Chernobyl crisis of 1986.

The An-30 series is currently (2017) limited in capacity, with the only known military operator Aero-Fret, the civilian operator in Congo and Bulgaria, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.