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Antonov An-70

2018 MODERN AIRCRAFT

History of Antonov An-70

The Antonov An-70 is a Ukrainian transport aircraft - in development since 2012 - designed to replace the aging An-12 family of aircraft in the same role. First introduced in 1959, the An-12 reached production of 1,248 units in various available variants, and the model was widely used in the Allied and Soviet states. The newer An-70 represents a larger, more powerful airframe with improved heavy lift capacity and range, allowing it to perform some military and civilian roles as needed.

Two examples have been completed to date, the first prototype (along with its crew) was lost in an accident, while the second prototype was hastily developed from a static test rig. The An-70 is officially classified as a medium-range transport aircraft, allowing for theater operations in a military sense.

The development of the An-70 took place before the fall of the Soviet Empire (1991), Russia and Ukraine were equally interested in the program, so funding for the development of the project was readily available. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the program suffered expected budget cuts and the loss of Russians as its main support. Nonetheless, progress was made, and the original prototype flew for the first time on December 16, 1994.

The fall of the Empire ushered in a new world that included greater interaction with the West. Therefore, the An-70 was purposely completed in a modular configuration, and its digital suite could meet NATO standards if the aircraft were to be used in countries allied with the West. Over the next few months, the aircraft successfully completed the required tests until February 10, 1995, when the prototype was matched with an Antonov An-72 pursuit aircraft used for surveillance flight tests.

Collide. The An-70 was a complete failure.

The accident was sold on the prospect of the An-70's capabilities, forcing Antonov to convert the existing An-70 static airframe into a fully airworthy prototype for further development. The successor prototype was completed within two years and completed its own maiden flight on December 8, 1996.

The prototype is currently completing the remaining testing phases of the An-70 program. In January 2001, the prototype had to make a belly landing after losing power (both engines were also shut down). Predictably, the fuselage was damaged in the ensuing landing, requiring months of repairs. As recently as September 2012, three key test flights were recorded - a testament to the rather slow development of the program (now spanning 20 years).

The interior of the aircraft has of course been modernized. Although Russia is no longer directly involved in the program, it is still interested in procuring large quantities of An-70s for its air force.

The exterior design of the An-70 is typical of Antonov. The fuselage has a highly profiled tubular shape with a short nose cone, forward flight deck and low ground clearance.

Four engines were mounted in underwing nacelles (two per wing), each mounted high on the sides of the fuselage, providing the necessary ground clearance for the engines and their respective propellers. The wings are naturally swept back in a conventional manner to promote maximum aerodynamic airflow. Access to the cargo hold is via a large access area at the rear of the aircraft (elevated tail mounts are encouraged).

The tail is covered by a tall vertical tail and fuselage-mounted horizontal tail. The landing gear consists of a multi-wheel main unit below the midship and two-wheel nose landing gear struts below the flight deck.

A typical base crew consists of two pilots and a flight engineer, plus one or two other support staff. There are several rectangular, human-height access doors on the sides of the fuselage.

The An-70 is equipped with four Progress D-27 series propeller fan engines rated at 13,900 hp, each driving a pair of counter-rotating propellers. The propeller engine is a relatively new development in aviation. The concept was consolidated by the Hamilton Standard in 1975 and patented in 1979. This advanced propulsion system is essentially designed to combine the performance of modern turbofan engines with the economic advantages of turboprop engines.

The end result is an engine that proves not as thirsty as a turbofan, with all the inherent thrust advantages of this turbofan. The An-70 benefits from this arrangement and is able to travel 5,000 miles at 485 mph (cruising = 466 mph) with a service ceiling close to 40,000 feet.

Dimensionally, the An-70 has a barrel length of 134 feet, a height of 54 feet, and a wingspan of 145 feet. She has a curb weight of 146,000 pounds and a maximum takeoff weight specification of 320,000 pounds.

The deep, wide fuselage of the An-70 design allows it to accommodate any cargo requirements an operator may require. These include more than 100,000 pounds of cargo payload, or seating for 300 combat troops and equipment, or up to 200 medical carts with support personnel.

In addition, there is a proposed An-70 variant "An-112KC", which is intended to be used as a vehicle tanker - a cargo hold for large fuel storage and special equipment. The main difference between this variant and the base An-70 is the twin-engine configuration (the two inboard engines are retained, the outboard pairing has been removed). The outboard pairing was replaced by a tow hose device, as fuel was delivered through each wing, down the hose into the exposed fuel tanks of the waiting subsequent aircraft. Once upon a time, the An-122KC was a failed competitor to the U.S. Air Force's next-generation KC-X aerial refueling program, even though Antonov's application was rejected by the Americans.

Another potential program (the German one) compared the French Airbus 400M (Atlas) to the An-70 in the late 1990s. However, the An-70 lost out on a potentially lucrative deal (mainly due to Euro-German politics) and the A400M was chosen in its place.

At the time of writing (2012), only Ukraine and Russia are the expected major operators of the An-70 series. They have yet to reach the required number of combat service, although Ukraine is expected to procure at least two early prototypes, while the Russian Air Force will deliver 60 by 2020.

The Russian Air Force version is slightly modified to meet stringent operational requirements. This modernized form will not be tested further until September 27-30.

Series production will be handled by Aviant in Kyiv, Ukraine.