Biplane An-2: Review of the Soviet "Kukuruznik"

The twentieth century became an era when aviation penetrated many spheres of human activity and the aircraft became an indispensable assistant. Since about the twenties, airplanes have been actively used to transport passengers and cargo. The aircraft industry was also actively developing in the Soviet Union: famous design bureaus and aircraft factories worked.

The history of the creation of the An-2

The biography of this car began in 1940, when Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov, a young designer of the Leningrad Plant No. 23, was assigned to create a small transport aircraft to replace the Po-2 biplane that was outdated by that time. For the sample, it was planned to take the German Fieseler Fi 156 Storch aircraft. However, a year later the Great Patriotic War began and the project was postponed. Antonov returned to him only in 1946. He proposed to create a simple and reliable aircraft that can land on any platforms.

The project was perceived ambiguously. Opinions were expressed that a plane made according to the “biplane” scheme is an obvious anachronism in the middle of the twentieth century. However, the project also found supporters, and in 1946 Antonov moved to the OKB-113 Novosibirsk, where he began to build his new aircraft. His drawings were ready in early 1947, and in the same year, the prototype of the future An-2 first took to the air.

The prototype of the An-2 made a flight of 3,000 km in length from Novosibirsk to the Moscow region, to the site of state tests. Antonov presented his plane to Nikita Khrushchev, then head of the Ukrainian SSR. Khrushchev immediately appreciated the convenience of the machine for agriculture and transportation on local airlines. Therefore, soon the Antonov Design Bureau moved from Novosibirsk to Kiev, and in 1949 the An-2 production aircraft made its first flight.

The plane turned out to be as successful as it has been actively exploited to date. There are legends about its reliability and simplicity. An-2 was used and is being used as a transport (including in remote areas), as an agricultural aircraft, as well as in military transport aviation. In the USSR, the aircraft began to be especially actively produced after Khrushchev became the head of the country. He loved this car. In the late 1950s, the aircraft’s drawings were transferred to Poland and produced at the Polish factory WSK “PZL-Mielec” An-2 until 2002. The aircraft is still produced in China. An-2 hit the Book of Records as the first aircraft in history, which has been mass-produced for more than 60 years.

What is the reason for the longevity of "Annushka"? The simplicity and reliability of this aircraft, unpretentiousness, allowing the Kukuruznik to be serviced and take off from unprepared sites, low fuel consumption — all this made the AN-2 indispensable for hard-to-reach areas of the Far North, Central Asia and Siberia. The plane can plan and land even with the engine off. We can say that without this machine it would be more difficult to master the Extreme North. On the basis of the An-2 was made more than twenty modifications.

The device of the aircraft An-2 "Kukuruznik"

An-2 is made according to the bracing biplane scheme, the body and frame of the wings are made of aluminum. The wing skin is made of polyester fabric. Engine - piston, air cooling, 1000 hp The aircraft has a four-bladed metal propeller. The chassis is not retractable, with a tail wheel, the wheels can be easily replaced with skis. Fuel tanks are in the upper wing of the car. The cockpit is made convex on the sides - it greatly improves the view. Crew - two people. Some features were introduced into the aircraft specifically for operation in conditions of unprepared runways.

The aircraft provides a reliable braking system, allowing you to sit An-2 on short platforms. There is a special fueling system that allows you to pour fuel into the tank from any tanks without additional equipment. The biplane device itself is extremely simple.

"Corn duster" can fly even at very low speeds, while it does not fall into a tailspin. At a speed of 40 km / h, the aircraft enters parachuting mode and lands.

Characteristics of the An-2

Modernization of the An-2 "Kukuruznik"

Almost immediately after the creation of the An-2, an idea emerged to equip it with a more economical turboprop engine. But in the 50s of the last century there was no suitable engine in the USSR for this aircraft, it was developed only in the late seventies. The version of the aircraft with the new engine received the designation An-3 - this is essentially the same An-2, but with the new TVD-20 engine. The new car had a higher speed, payload, rate of climb and lower fuel consumption. It was possible to install modern navigation equipment on it. Takeoff runoff length decreased by another 100 meters.

Unfortunately, the new car did not become mass-produced.

In 2013, the Antonov Production Association announced the creation of a new An-2-100 aircraft. This is a modification of the An-2, on which a new turboprop engine manufactured by the Ukrainian plant Motor-Sich is installed. Modernization of the An-2 is also being carried out in Russia. In 2011, the public was presented with An-2MS, also equipped with a turboprop engine. The aircraft is equipped with an American Garrett TPE 331-12 engine and a five-blade propeller with reverse.

So one can hope that the honored veteran of the An-2 will receive a new life in the near future.

From the history of the An-2

Since the beginning of the production of An-2 has been released a large number of its modifications. Here are some of them:

• An-2M - modernized;
• An-2C - air ambulance;
• An-2SH - agricultural aircraft;
• An-2T - transport aircraft;
• An-2TP - transport and passenger aircraft;
• An-2TD - transport-landing aircraft;
• An-2F - aircraft for photo reconnaissance and night artillery reconnaissance;
• An-4 aircraft with a float landing gear;
• An-6 - weather scout.

About 18 thousand An-2 aircraft were built, they were exploited in 26 countries of the world.

Video about An-2

Watch the video: Russia: Fully-composite successor to legendary An-2 plane on display at MAKS 2017 (April 2024).