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An-24
Volga-Avia Antonov An-24
General information
Type	Transport aircraft / Turboprop Regional airliner
National origin	Soviet Union
Manufacturer	Antonov
Status	In limited service
Primary users	UTair Cargo Angara Airlines IrAero Yakutia Airlines Air Koryo
Number built	1,388 (including the Chinese Y-7)
History
Manufactured	1959–1979
Introduction date	1962
First flight	29 October 1959
Variants	Antonov An-26 Antonov An-30 Antonov An-32
Developed into	Xian Y-7

The Antonov An-24 (Russian/Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-24) (NATO reporting name: Coke) is a 44-seat twin turboprop transport/passenger aircraft designed in 1957 in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau and manufactured by Kyiv, Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude Aviation Factories.

Design and development

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First flown in 1959, the An-24 was produced in some 1,000 units of various versions; in 2023 there are 93 still in service worldwide, mostly in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Africa.

It was designed to replace the veteran piston Ilyushin Il-14 transport on short to medium haul trips, optimised for operating from rough strips and unprepared airports in remote locations. The high-wing layout protects engines and blades from debris, the power-to-weight ratio is higher than that of many comparable aircraft and the machine is rugged, requiring minimal ground support equipment.

Due to its rugged airframe and good performance, the An-24 was adapted to perform many secondary missions such as ice reconnaissance and engine/propeller test-bed, as well as further development to produce the An-26 tactical transport, An-30 photo-mapping/survey aircraft and An-32 tactical transport with more powerful engines. Various projects were envisaged such as a four jet short/medium haul airliner and various iterations of powerplant.

The main production line was at the Kyiv-Svyatoshino (later renamed "Aviant") aircraft production plant which built 985, with 180 built at Ulan Ude and a further 197 An-24T tactical transport/freighters at Irkutsk. Production in the USSR was shut down by 1978.

Production continues at China's Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation which makes licensed, reverse-engineered and redesigned aircraft as the Xian Y-7, and its derivatives. Manufacture of the Y-7, in civil form, has now been supplanted by the MA60 derivative with western engines and avionics, to improve performance and economy, and widen the export appeal.

The aircraft introduced in Mongolia was initially planned to be used by the air force, but was eventually handed over to a private airline company for use, and some were later used in research facilities. Since then, as the aircraft has deteriorated, it has been stored in Ulaanbaatar.

Total production

Variants

An-24

Designation for prototypes. Four built.

An-24A

(first use) Proposed production version powered by Kuznetsov NK-4 turboprops, discontinued when the NK-4 was cancelled.

An-24A

(second use) Production 50-seat airliners built at Kyiv with the APU exhaust moved to the tip of the starboard nacelle.

An-24ALK (Avtomatizeerovannaya Lyotnovo Kontrolya – automatic flight check system)

Several An-24s were converted for navaids calibration tasks, with one An-24LR 'Toros' re-designated An-24ALK after conversion. This aircraft was fitted with a photo-theodolite and powerful light sources for the optical sensors.

An-24AT

A 1962 project for a Tactical transport with rear loading ramp and powered by Isotov TV2-117DS coupled turboprops.

An-24AT-RD (RD – Reaktivnyye Dvigateli – jet engines)

The An-24AT tactical transport project with two turbojet boosters pod-mounted under the outer wings and a wider loading ramp.

An-24AT-U (Uskoriteli – boosters)

A projected Tactical transport from 1966 with three or five PRD-63 (Porokhovoy Raketnyy Dvigatel – gunpowder rocket engine) JATO bottles, wider cargo ramp and provision for up to three brake parachutes.

An-24B

The second 50-seat airliner version with one extra window each side, single-slotted flaps replacing the double-slotted flaps and extended chord of the centre-section to compensate for the lower performance flaps. Some aircraft were delivered with four extra fuel bladders in the wing centre-section.

An-24D

A projected long-range airliner version of the An-24B with a single RU-19 booster jet engine in the starboard nacelle, stretched fuselage with seating for 60, strengthened structure and increased fuel capacity.

An-24LL (Letyushchaya Laboratoriya – flying laboratory)

The generic suffix LL can be applied to any test-bed, but in the An-24's case seems to refer to a single aircraft equipped for metrology (science of measurement), to be used for checking the airworthiness of production aircraft.

An-24LP (LesoPozharnyy – forest fire fighter)

Three An-24RV aircraft converted into fire bombers/cloud seeders by installing a tank in the cabin, optical smoke and flame detectors, provision for a thermal imager, racks for carrying flare dispensers and the ability to carry firefighters for para-dropping.

An-24LR 'Toros' (Ice Hummock)(Ledovyy Razvedchik – ice reconnaissance)

At least two An-24Bs converted to carry the 'Toros' SLAR (sideways looking airborne radar) either side of the lower fuselage, for ice reconnaissance, guiding icebreakers, convoys and other shipping.

An-24LR 'Nit' (Thread)

One An-24B was converted to with 'Nit' SLAR in large pods along the lower fuselage sides.

An-24PRT (Poiskovo-spasahtel'nyy Reaktivnyy Transportnyy – SAR boosted transport)

The production search and rescue aircraft based on the An-24RT, eleven built.

An-24PS (Poiskovo-Spasahtel'nyy – SAR)

A single An-24B aircraft converted for search and rescue duties, rejected after acceptance trials in favour of a derivative of the An-24RT.

An-24RR ( Radiotsionnyy Razvedchik – radiation reconnaissance )

Four aircraft converted as Nuclear, biological and chemical warfare reconnaissance versions of the An-24B, carrying RR8311-100 air sampling pods low on the forward fuselage and a sensor pod on a pylon on the port fuselage side.

An-24RT (Reaktivnyy Transportnyy – boosted transport)

Similar to the AN-24T, fitted with an auxiliary turbojet engine.

An-24RT (Retranslyator – relay installation)

A few An-24T and An-24RT aircraft converted to Communications relay aircraft. Sometimes referred to as An-24Rt to differentiate from the An-24RT.

An-24RV (Reaktivnyy V – boosted V)

Turbojet boosted export version, similar to the An-24V but fitted with a 1,985-lb (8830 N) thrust auxiliary turbojet engine in the starboard nacelle.

An-24ShT (Shtabnoy Transportnyy – Staff/HQ transport)

A tactical Airborne Command Post for use by commanders, also capable of forming ground-based communications and HQ.

An-24T (Transportnyy – transport)

(first use) Tactical transport version, rejected due to poor field performance and range, together with inability to load or air-drop vehicles during acceptance testing.

An-24T (Transportnyy – transport)

(second use) A tactical transport version with a ventral loading hatch, cargo winch and escape hatch aft of the nose landing gear.

An-24T 'Troyanda' (Ukrainian – rose)

From the 1960s the Soviet Union was faced with nuclear submarine threats that were virtually undetectable with the technology available. To assist in the development of advanced optical, chemical, sonic, infra-red and electromagnetic detection systems, several aircraft were built or modified as test-beds. One significant aircraft was the An-24T 'Troyanda' which was built new, for the development of sonobuoy and infra-red detection systems. As well as equipment inside the cabin, sensors could be mounted in large teardrop fairings either side of the lower forward fuselage, and extra equipment could be carried in extended wing centre-section fairings.

An-24TV (Transportnyy V – transport V)

The export cargo version of the An-24T.

An-24USh (Uchebno-Shturmanskiy (samolyot) – Navigator training aircraft)

Seven An-24Bs were converted to An-24USh navigator/air traffic controller trainers with five training stations and four standard rows of seats for trainees in waiting. Outwardly the USh was distinguishable by the bulged windows at each training station.

An-24V-I

The initial export version of the An-24B 50-seat airliner with the early narrow chord inner wings, double-slotted flaps, single ventral fin.

An-24V-II

Export late production 50-seat mixed passenger, cargo and freight aircraft with extended chord inner wing, single-slotted flaps, twin ventral fins and powered by AI-24T(SrsII) engines.

An-26

Tactical transport with cargo ramp.

An-30

Survey/photo-mapping aircraft.

An-32

Designed to withstand adverse weather conditions better than the standard An-26.

An-34

The initial designation of the An-24T production tactical transport.

An-44

Projected cargo aircraft developed from the An-24. Ice reconnaissance and transport versions were also planned.

An-50

A mid-1960s project for a jet-powered An-24, with four Ivchenko AI-25 turbofan engines in podded pairs, pylon mounted forward of the wings. Not proceeded with due to competition from the Yak-40.

Xian Y-7

The Y-7 is a Chinese built derivative of the An-24/An-26 family.

MA60

Upgraded and Westernised Y-7.

An-24

In the early 1990s, North Korea installed N-019 Topaz pulse-Doppler radars on at least one of its An-24 aircraft in an attempt to achieve a rudimentary Airborne Early Warning capability.

Operators

Military operators

 North Korea

Korean People's Army Air Force - 1 (converted to a rudimentary airborne early warning aircraft)

 Russia

• Russian Air Force
• Russian Naval Aviation

 Syria

Syrian Air Force – 1

 Ukraine

• Ukrainian Air Force

 Cambodia

Royal Cambodian Air Force - 2

Former military operators

 Afghanistan

The Afghan Air Force received six from 1975

 Algeria

Algerian Air Force

 Angola

People's Air and Air Defence Force of Angola

 Armenia

Armenian Air Force

 Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan Air Force

 Bangladesh

Bangladesh Air Force

 Belarus

Belarus Air Force

 Bulgaria

Bulgaria Air Force

 People's Republic of China

• People's Liberation Army Air Force; as Xian Y-7
• People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force

 Republic of the Congo

Congolese Air Force

 Cuba

Cuban Air Force

 Czech Republic

Czech air force (before 2005)

 Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakian Air Force – No longer in service

 German Democratic Republic

Air Forces of the National People's Army

 Egypt

Egyptian Air Force

 Georgia

Georgian Air Force

 Guinea

Military of Guinea

 Guinea-Bissau

Military of Guinea-Bissau

 Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea Air Force

 Hungary

Hungarian Air Force, none in service, all retired in 1992

 Iran

Iranian Air Force

 Iraq

Iraqi Air Force

 Kazakhstan

Military of Kazakhstan

 Laos

• Pathet Lao
• Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force

 Lithuania

• Lithuanian Air Force

 Mali

Air Force of Mali - two

 Moldova

Moldovan Air Force

 Mozambique

Military of Mozambique

 Nicaragua

Nicaraguan Air Force

 North Yemen

Yemen Arab Republic Air Force: three bought in 1979

 Poland

Polish Air Force- 6 operated from 1966 to 1977; replaced with An-26

 Romania

Romanian Air Force – the last RoAF An-24 was retired in 2007.

 Slovakia

Slovak Air Force - the last SAF An-24 was retired in 2006.

 Somalia

Somali Air Corps

 Soviet Union

• Soviet Air Force
• Soviet Naval Aviation

 Sudan

Sudanese Air Force - at least five An-24TVs purchased from the USSR in the late 1960s. Retired in the late 1990s.

 Turkmenistan

Military of Turkmenistan

 Uzbekistan

Military of Uzbekistan

 Vietnam

Vietnam People's Air Force

 Yemen

Yemen Air Force

Civil operators

As of July 2018, 86 An-24s were in airline service.

Following fatal incidents in July 2011 Russian President (now Prime Minister) Dmitry Medvedev proposed the accelerated decommissioning of An-24s, which resulted in a ban for this type from scheduled flights inside Russia. However, later the ban was cancelled and, as of 2023, An-24 are still in limited commercial service in Russia.

 Thailand

• Phetchabun Airlines (1)

 Ukraine

• Motor Sich Airlines (3)

 Moldova

• Air Moldova (6) Used on flights to CIS And as charter aircraft

 Russia

• Angara Airlines (5)
• Komiaviatrans (2)
• ALROSA (airline) (3)
• IrAero (11)
• KrasAvia (3)
• Khabarovsk Airlines (4)
• Polar Airlines (13) Largest passenger operator of An-24
• Yakutia Airlines (4)

 Kazakhstan

• SCAT Airlines (7)

Former civil operators

Civil operators have included:

• Pan African Air Service

 Afghanistan

• Ariana Afghan Airlines
• Pamir Airways

 Belarus

• Belavia

 Bulgaria

• Balkan Bulgarian Airlines

 Cambodia

• PMTair
• President Airlines
• Royal Khmer Airlines

 People's Republic of China

• CAAC Airlines
• China Southern Airlines

 Congo

• Lina Congo

 Cuba

• Aero Caribbean
• Cubana

 German Democratic Republic

• Interflug

 Egypt

• Egyptair
• Misrair

 Guinea

• Air Guinee
• Union des Transports Africains (West Coast Airways)

 Iraq

• Iraqi Airways - An-24B、An-24V、An-24RV、An-24TV

 Kazakhstan

• Air Kazakhstan

 Kyrgyzstan

• Kyrgyzstan Air Company

 Laos

• Lao Aviation

 Lithuania

• Lithuanian Airlines, 1991-1996

 Lebanon

• Lebanese Air Transport

 Mali

• Air Mali (1960-1989)

 Mongolia

• MIAT Mongolian Airlines
• Hangard Airlines

 North Korea

• Air Koryo

 Pakistan

• Askari Aviation

 Philippines

• Mosphil Aero

 Poland

• LOT Polish Airlines

 Romania

• TAROM

 Russia

• Aeroflot
• Novosibirsk Air Enterprise
• UT Air

 Somalia

• Jubba Airways

 Sri Lanka

• Lionair

 Sudan

• Marsland Aviation

 Turkmenistan

• Turkmenistan Airlines (22)

 Soviet Union

• Aeroflot

 Ukraine

• Aerosvit

 United Arab Emirates

• Daallo Airlines

 Uzbekistan

• Uzbekistan Airways

Accidents

Specifications (An-24B)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1976–77

General characteristics

• Crew: 3
• Capacity: 50 passengers
• Length: 23.53 m (77 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 29.20 m (95 ft 10 in)
• Height: 8.32 m (27 ft 4 in)
• Wing area: 74.98 m (807.1 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 11.7:1
• Empty weight: 13,300 kg (29,321 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 21,000 kg (46,297 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 5,550 L (1,470 US gal; 1,220 imp gal)
• Powerplant: 2 × Ivchenko AI-24A turboprop engines, 1,900 kW (2,550 shp) each (eshp)
• Propellers: 4-bladed AV-72 constant-speed propellers, 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in) diameter

Performance

• Cruise speed: 450 km/h (280 mph, 240 kn) at 6,000 m (20,000 ft)
• Range: 2,400 km (1,500 mi, 1,300 nmi) with maximum fuel; 550 km (340 mi; 300 nmi) with maximum payload
• Service ceiling: 8,400 m (27,600 ft)
• Rate of climb: 1.91 m/s (375 ft/min)

See also

Related development

• Antonov An-26
• Antonov An-30
• Antonov An-32
• Antonov An-50
• Antonov/Taqnia An-132
• Xian MA60

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Fokker F27
• Hawker Siddeley HS 748
• Handley Page Dart Herald

Related lists

• List of civil aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS

Notes

1. The An-24 incident at Gambell, Alaska occurred 27 February 1974, when a Soviet Antonov An-24LR "Toros" (CCCP-47195) ice reconnaissance aircraft, low on fuel, carrying three crew members and twelve scientists, landed at Gambell Airport.

References

Citations

1. ^ Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003
2. "AeroTransport Data Bank".
3. Stroud 1968, pp. 78–79
4. "Antonov An-24".
5. "Антонов Ан-24". russianplanes.net. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
6. ^ Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, p. 16
7. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 16, 18
8. ^ Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, p. 36
9. ^ Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, p. 20
10. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 20–22
11. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 23, 25
12. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 32–33
13. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 34–35
14. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, p. 35
15. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, p. 32
16. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 31–32
17. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 33–34
18. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, p. 30
19. ^ Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, p. 34
20. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 30–31
21. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 25–26
22. ^ Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 26–27
23. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 29–30
24. ^ Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 22–23
25. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 37–38
26. Gordon, Komissarov & Komissarov 2003, pp. 37, 40
27. Bermudez, Joseph S. Jr. (April 2011). "MiG-29 in KPAF Service". KPA Journal. 2 (4): 2.
28. Hoyle 2015, p. 46
29. The military balance. 2023. James Hackett, International Institute for Strategic Studies. London. 2023. ISBN 978-1-003-40022-6. OCLC 1372013483.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
30. Hoyle 2015, p. 51
31. Cooper et al. 2011, p. 41
32. Cooper 2017, p. 40
33. Marnix Sap, Carlo Brummer: Fortele Aeriene Romane in: Lotnictwo Nr. 4/2010 (in Polish)
34. Cooper et al. 2011, p. 238
35. "World Airline Census 2018". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
36. Odynova, Alexandra (15 July 2011). "Medvedev's Impossible Airplane Ban". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
37. "Во исполнение поручения Президента Российской Федерации Минтрансом России рассматривается возможность вывода самолетов Ан-24 из эксплуатации на регулярных воздушных линиях". press release. The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
38. Cooper et al. 2011, p. 244
39. Taylor 1976, pp. 406–408

Bibliography

• Cooper, Tom (2017). Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 1: Aerial Warfare Over the South Arabian Peninsula, 1962-1994. Solihull, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. ISBN 978-1-912174-23-2.
• Cooper, Tom; Weinert, Peter; Hinz, Fabian; Lepko, Mark (2011). African MiGs, Volume 2: Madagascar to Zimbabwe. Houston: Harpia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9825539-8-5.
• Gordon, Yefim; Komissarov, Dmitry; Komissarov, Sergey (2003). Antonov's turboprop twins. Hinckley: Midland. ISBN 1-85780-153-9. OCLC 52325420.
• Hoyle, Craig (8–14 December 2015). "World Air Forces Directory". Flight International. 188 (5517): 26–53.
• Stroud, John (1968). Soviet transport aircraft since 1945. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-00126-5. OCLC 68589..
• Taylor, John W. R., ed. (1976). Jane's all the world's aircraft 1976-77. London: Jane's Yearbooks. ISBN 0-354-00538-3. OCLC 85999217.
• Thisdell, Dan; Fafard, Antoine (9–15 August 2016). "World Airliner Census". Flight International. 190 (5550): 20–43. ISSN 0015-3710.
• "Антонов Ан-24". russianplanes.net. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015.

External links

• Airliners.net

• Antonov aircraft
• 1960s Soviet airliners
• 1960s Soviet military transport aircraft
• High-wing aircraft
• Twin-turboprop tractor aircraft
• Aircraft first flown in 1959
• Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear