Antonov An-2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-2

The Antonov An-2 (Russian nickname: "Annushka" or "Annie"; "kukuruznik"—corn
crop duster; USAF/DoD reporting name Type 22, NATO reporting name Colt) is a
Soviet mass-produced single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft
designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bureau beginning in 1946. Its
remarkable durability, high lifting power, and ability to take off and land from
poor runways have given it a long service life. The An-2 was produced up to 2001
and remains in service with military and civilian operators around the world.

The An-2 was designed as a utility aircraft for use in forestry and agriculture.
However, the basic airframe is highly adaptable and numerous variants of the
type have been developed; these include hopper-equipped versions for
crop-dusting, scientific versions for atmospheric sampling, water-bombers for
fighting forest-fires, flying ambulances, float-equipped seaplane versions and
lightly armed combat versions for dropping paratroops. The most common version
is the An-2T 12-seater passenger aircraft. All versions (other than the An-3)
are powered by a 750 kW (1,010 hp) nine-cylinder Shvetsov ASh-62 radial engine,
which was developed from the Wright R-1820. The An-2 typically consumes 2.5
l/min (0.66 US gal/min; 0.55 imp gal/min).

Origins

The Antonov An-2 was designed to meet a 1947 Soviet Ministry of Forestry
requirement for a replacement for the much lighter, largely wooden-airframed
Polikarpov Po-2, which was used in large numbers in both agricultural and
utility roles. Antonov designed a large single bay biplane of all-metal
construction, with an enclosed cockpit and a cabin with seats for twelve
passengers. The first prototype, designated SKh-1 and powered by a Shvetsov
ASh-21 radial engine, flew on 31 August 1947. The second prototype was fitted
with a more powerful Shvetsov ASh-62 engine, which allowed the aircraft's
payload to be significantly increased from 1,300 to 2,140 kg (2,870 to 4,720
lb), and in this form it was ordered into production.

Initial Soviet production was at State Factory 473 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, where
the bulk of up to 5,000 units had been produced by 1960. Later Soviet production
(after 1965, of model An-2M especially) was at State Factory 464 at
Dolgoprudniy, Russian SFSR. After 1960, however, most An-2s were constructed at
Poland's WSK factory in Mielec; it is believed that over 13,000 aircraft were
built in Poland before principal manufacturing activity ended during 1991.
However, up until 2001, limited production was undertaken using remaining stocks
of components, spares and maintenance coverage, such as a small batch of four
aircraft that were produced for Vietnam. China also builds the An-2 under
licence as the Shijiazhuang Y-5. It has been occasionally and erroneously
reported that there was East German production of the An-2, however, while An-2s
often underwent extensive refurbishment in East German facilities, no new
aircraft were constructed there.

The An-2 is commonly used as a light utility transport, parachute drop aircraft,
agricultural work and other tasks suited to a large slow biplane. Its slow
flight and good short field performance make it suited for short, unimproved
fields, and some specialized variants have also been built for cold weather and
other extreme environments. The Guinness Book of World Records states that the
45-year production run for the An-2 was for a time the longest ever for any
aircraft and challenged the well over two decades-long run of the much lighter,
late-1920s origin Polikarpov Po-2 biplane it was intended to replace. But the
An-2's production duration run record was exceeded by the four-turboprop,
1954-origin, Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport.

The An-2 has no stall speed, a fact which is quoted in the operating handbook. A
note from the pilot's handbook reads: "If the engine quits in instrument
conditions or at night, the pilot should pull the control column full aft and
keep the wings level. The leading-edge slats will snap out at about 64 km/h (40
mph) and when the airplane slows to a forward speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph),
the airplane will sink at about a parachute descent rate until the aircraft hits
the ground."As such, pilots of the An-2 have stated that they are capable of
flying the aircraft in full control at 48 km/h (30 mph) (as a contrast, a modern
Cessna four-seater light aircraft has a stall speed of around 80 km/h (50 mph)).
This slow stall speed makes it possible for the aircraft to fly backwards
relative to the ground (if the aircraft is pointed into a headwind of roughly 56
km/h (35 mph), it will travel backwards at 8.0 km/h (5 mph) whilst under full
control).

The An-2's ability, looks and flying characteristics, and its status as one of
the world's biggest single-engined production biplanes, mean that demand for the
An-2 is increasing in Western Europe and the United States, where they are
prized by collectors of classic aircraft, making it an increasingly common sight
at airshows. Many western countries prohibit the use of the An-2 commercially
because the aircraft has not been certified by the relevant national aviation
authorities. These restrictions vary by country, but all prevent the An-2 being
used for any 'for profit' purpose, with the exception of the United States,
where An-2s imported since 1993 are limited to experimental certification, but
PZL-built An-2s are exempt from this restriction due to a bilateral agreement
with Poland.


Role
Agricultural and utility aircraft

Manufacturer
Antonov

Designer
Oleg Antonov

First flight
31 August 1947

Status
Series production may still continue in China as the Shijiazhuang Y-5; engine
refitting project underway

Primary users
Soviet Union
North Korea
China
Many others

Produced
1947–2001

Number built
18,000+

Variants
Antonov An-3

Military service

The An-2 was adopted in bulk by both the Soviet Air Force and other Eastern Bloc
military forces. It was first used in a military context during the Korean War
of the early 1950s.

The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) was another prolific user of the AN-2;
during the Vietnam War, the service occasionally used the type as an attack
aircraft. During the 1960s, a single An-2 that was attempting to engage South
Vietnamese naval units was shot down by a United States Air Force McDonnell
Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter, under the control of an Air Intercept Controller
on the USS Long Beach.

On 12 January 1968, a clandestine TACAN site (call sign: Lima Site 85/Phou Pha
Ti) installed by the United States Air Force in Northern Laos for directing USAF
warplanes flying from Thailand to Vietnam was attacked by three North Vietnamese
An-2s. A pair of An-2s fired on the outpost using a mixture of machine guns and
rockets while a third An-2 orbited overhead to survey the assault. An Air
America Bell UH-1B, XW-PHF that had been resupplying the site gave chase to the
two attacking aircraft; using an AK-47, the American crew (Ted Moore Captain,
Glen Wood Kicker) succeeded in shooting down one of the An-2s while the second
aircraft was forced down by combined ground and air fire, eventually crashing
into a mountain. The surviving Antonov returned to its home base, Gia Lam, near
Hanoi.

During the Croatian War of Independence in 1991, a number of aged An-2 biplanes
previously used for crop-spraying were converted by the Croatian Air Force to
drop makeshift barrel bombs; they were also used to conduct supply missions to
the town of Vukovar and other besieged parts of Croatia. The chief advantage for
the An-2 was that they could take off and land in small or improvised airstrips;
they were also frequently used to drop supplies by parachute on isolated
garrisons. At least one AN-2 was shot down on 2 December 1991 over Vinkovci,
eastern Slavonia, by a Serbian surface to air missile (SAM) emplacement which
purportedly launched a salvo of SA-6s at the aircraft. Following the shootdown,
the flights over Serbian lines ceased, due to the presence of TV guided SA-6.
The previous radar guided AA systems were avoided by keeping the airplane's
speed below 140 km/h, the speed of objects that radars were programmed to erase
from the screen.

Reportedly, North Korea has operated a number of the AN-2s. The Korean People's
Army Special Operation Force is known to use the An-2 to facilitate the
infiltration of paratroopers. It has been speculated that in wartime, these
aircraft could possibly be used to deliver troops behind enemy lines for
sabotage operations.

In recent years, the An-2 has also gained popularity in the U.S. and Canada,
where it has often been used as a bushplane. Because of their reliability and
robustness, several operators have continued to use the type to conduct
scheduled passenger service between airstrips in Western countries; one example
of such use being the air service between the North Sea islands of Sylt and
Föhr. As of 2015, there were thousands of An-2s remaining in operation around
the world, including over 1,500 in Russia, 294 in Kazakhstan and 54 in Ukraine.

Specifications (An-2)

General characteristics
Crew: 1–2
Capacity: 12 passengers / 2,140 kg (4,718 lb)
Length: 12.4 m (40 ft 8 in)
Upper wingspan: 18.2 m (59 ft 9 in)
Lower wingspan: 14.2 m (46 ft 7 in)
Height: 4.1 m (13 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 71.52 m2 (769.8 sq ft)
Airfoil: TsAGI R-11 (14%)
Empty weight: 3,300 kg (7,275 lb)
Gross weight: 5,440 kg (11,993 lb)
Fuel capacity: 1,200 l (320 US gal; 260 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov ASh-62IR 9-cylinder air-cooled supercharge radial
piston engine, 750 kW (1,010 hp)
Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed propeller

Performance
Maximum speed: 258 km/h (160 mph, 139 kn)
Cruise speed: 190 km/h (120 mph, 100 kn)
Stall speed: 50 km/h (31 mph, 27 kn) circa
Range: 845 km (525 mi, 456 nmi)
Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,800 ft)
Rate of climb: 3.5 m/s (690 ft/min)
Power/mass: 0.136 kW/kg (0.083 hp/lb)
Fuel consumption: 185–200 l/h (49–53 gal/h; 41–44 imp gal/h)




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