An-70 aircraft - history of development and detailed description of the model

Airplanes, like people, have their own destiny. In some cars it is light and cloudless, while others have to literally make their way into the sky. That is how the history of the An-70 - a unique aircraft, which is largely ahead of its time, but became a hostage to circumstances unrelated to aviation.

History of creation

The history of the creation of the An-70 aircraft began in the distant seventies of the last century. In 1976, the process of developing the technical specifications for the new machine began. The military needed a transport aircraft of a new generation, with a shortened take-off and landing and the ability to use unprepared runways. The new machine was supposed to replace the An-12 (a magnificent aircraft, but already morally obsolete by that time). The process of approval of the technical characteristics of the new aircraft was very long and difficult. Customers put forward all the new requirements, and final approval took place only in 1986.

At that time, a potential adversary for the USSR was the NATO bloc, while the intended theater of operations was European. The military needed a transport plane that could deliver troops, equipment or military supplies from the interior of the country, land on unprepared runways, and then fly back without refueling.

After approval of the required characteristics of the new transport aircraft, a competition was announced, and the Ilyushin and Antonov Design Bureau took part in it. Their proposals were almost equivalent, but the people of Kiev promised to significantly increase the size of the fuselage, and therefore the Antonov Design Bureau became the winner in the competition. In addition, the Kiev aircraft manufacturers had a serious experience in building transport aircraft and already had some groundwork in this direction.

In 1986, work began actively on designing a new aircraft. In 1991, the first An-70 military transport aircraft was laid. In the new machine, the most advanced technologies and materials of that time were used, many technical solutions had no world analogues. But in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and transport aircraft became useless. The project has been suspended.

In 1993, the government of Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement on the start of An-70 serial production, with 80% of the cost of this program assumed by the Russian side, 20% - the Ukrainian side. Production of the An-70 was planned to deploy in both Russian and Ukrainian factories.

Financial difficulties arose almost immediately. However, despite this, by 1994 the first prototype was still able to build. February 10, 1995, during the test flight of the An-70 collided in the air with an escort plane. The crew died. The accident was attributed to the human factor, but far from all experts agreed with such conclusions.

In 1998, the presidents of Ukraine and Russia declared their readiness to adopt the new aircraft into service with the national Air Force. But in early 2001, another accident occurred near Omsk. Because of the failure of two engines at once, the An-70 makes an emergency landing right on a snow-covered field. There were no casualties, but the plane was rendered unusable, and it had to be repaired. In 2003, the Russian side declared its readiness to begin financing the program for the joint release of the An-70. However, in 2006, Russia officially refused to participate in the production of the aircraft and announced plans to modernize the IL-76. This decision was motivated by the high cost of the An-70 and the unresolved technical problems of the aircraft.

At the beginning of this decade, voices began again to be heard in high offices regarding the resumption of this project. In 2011, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation purchased one An-70 and ordered another car. Plans were made to start production of this aircraft at an aircraft factory in Ulyanovsk. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine also announced plans to buy several cars.

To date, the future of this aircraft is again vague: the joint work on the machine is suspended and whether it can be resumed again, no one can. In January 2018, the An-70 was adopted by the Ukrainian army, and Russia completely withdrew from the project, having decided to return to the IL-76, although in many respects this aircraft is inferior to Antonov's brainchild.

Description

The An-70 airplane is made according to the classical scheme, with a high arrangement of wings of a small sweep (high glider). Equipped with four turboprop engines, the cargo hatch is located to the tail of the aircraft, and the cockpit in the bow. The cargo compartment occupies almost the entire space of the fuselage. The machine is equipped with modern navigation equipment and a digital control system. The cockpit is equipped with modern indicators, all this allows you to use the aircraft at any time of day, under any weather conditions and at all latitudes. The cargo compartment is securely sealed and equipped with a set of equipment for loading operations, its dimensions are 30% larger than that of the IL-76.

Of particular note is the propulsion engines of the aircraft, the technical characteristics of which allow the An-70 to develop high cruising speed, while having fuel consumption 20-30% lower than that of modern counterparts equipped with conventional turbojet engines. Some modifications of the An-70 plan to install foreign engines. Composite materials were actively used in the design of the aircraft.

An-70 is a representative of a new generation of military transport aircraft. This machine is able to deliver any weapons and military equipment of the motorized rifle division. The machine can take on board up to 300 troops.

A special pride of the aircraft makers is that it can take off and land even on unpaved runways, with a length of only 600-700 meters. Having such technical characteristics, the aircraft can deliver cargoes and people directly to the site of the military operation, and this is its undoubted advantage.

Specifications

Aircraft modifications

At the moment there are several modifications of the An-70.

• An-70-100. There are two D-27 engines on this plane. With a smaller take-off weight and a simpler chassis design, it can deliver a load of 30 tons to a range of 1000 kilometers, or 20 tons - to a range of 4300 kilometers.
• An-70T. The aircraft was created for civil aviation. It will deliver 35 tons of cargo to a distance of 3,800 kilometers, and 20 tons - to 7,400 kilometers.
• An-70TK. Equipped with a comfortable cargo cabin.
• An-77. Four CFM56-5A1 engines and foreign avionics are installed on the aircraft.
• An-7X. The aircraft, developed under the standards of NATO countries.

Video about An-70

Watch the video: Antonov An-70 propfan cargo aircraft at Le Bourget 2013 - HD 50fps (April 2024).