| An-3 | |
|---|---|
| Antonov An-3T of MChS Rossii in June 2007. | |
| Role | Multipurpose aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Antonov |
| First flight | 13 May 1980 |
| Introduction | 1990s |
| Status | In production |
| Primary user | Private agricultural interests |
| Produced | 1990s–present |
| Number built | 25 |
| Unit cost | US$ 1 500,000 |
| Developed from | Antonov An-2 |
The Antonov An-3 is a Soviet—then built in Ukraine and Russia with few visible differences between both production lines—civil multipurpose and agricultural aircraft. It is essentially a turboprop-powered development of the An-2 designed to upgrade or replace it. The first example flew as early as May 13, 1980, but because of a lack of official interest in the project, work proceeded very slowly–flight testing was not complete until 1991. It is one of the few turbine-powered biplane designs to date.
The project was revitalised in the late 1990s when it was taken over by Polyot State Aerospace Enterprise, and a marketing campaign began in earnest in 2000, although sales have been limited. It is available in two forms, the basic agricultural aircraft (An-3SKh—"Selsko-Khosiajstwenni", Agricultural) and a civil transport version (An-3T) able to carry 12 passengers or 1,800 kg (4,000 lb) of cargo.
Although it is designated An-3, this number is not assigned sequentially. Antonov assigned it to the plane because it was meant to replace the An-2.
Another attempt to replace the An-2 on Soviet farms was made in 1970s with the WSK-Mielec M-15 Belphegor, but it failed.
From 2007, the “Polyot” Production Association started to upgrade the first 10 An-2s of the Russian Airborne Troops to An-3T-10 standard. The overall requirement is estimated at approximately 200 aircraft.[1][2]
Contents |
Data from Antonov An-2[3]
General characteristics
Performance
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||