Antonov An-140

Antonov's An-140 is an all new 50 seat twin turboprop regional airliner developed to replace the ageing An-24. Antonov announced development of the An-140 in 1993. The first An-140 prototype rolled out from the Kiev factory on June 6 1997 and flew for the first time on September 17 that year. The second flying prototype was completed in late 1998, while the first production standard An-140 flew on October 11 1999. The An-140 is of conventional design and construction, with US and European certification planned in addition to Russian/CIS certification. The basic version is powered by Motor-Sich AI-30s which are licence built Klimov TV3-117VMA-SBM1s, while Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127As will be optional. The flightdeck features conventional instruments, the main cabin seats 52 in a four abreast configuration. The rear passenger door features integral stairs, while a forward starboard side freight door allows cargo to be carried. The rear of the cabin also features a galley, coat stowage and a toilet. Production of the initial basic An-140 was superseded in 2003 by the An-140-100 which features a 1.00m (3ft 3in) increase in wing span, a higher MTOW and a 300km (160nm) longer range. Other future versions include the An-140A for Aeroflot which will be powered by PW127As, the An-140T freighter which would have a large freight door on the rear port side, the convertible An-140TK, the An-140VIP executive version, and the An-142 with a rear loading freight ramp. Military versions are also planned. Series production of the An-140 is being undertaken at Kharkov by KhGAPP in Ukraine and at Samara in Russia by Aviacor. The first few aircraft were for Odessa Airlines, Aeromost (originally named Aeromist), Motor-Sich and Illich Avia. In 1996 Antonov signed an agreement with HESA in Iran for licence assembly of an An-140 model called the IRAN-140 Faraz at a new plant in Esfahan. Initial IRAN-140s will be assembled from supplied kits, with gradually increasing Iranian local content. the first Faraz flew in February 2001. Iran Asseman and Iran Air are expected to be customers.

The backbone of this section is from the The International Directory of Civil Aircraft by Gerard Frawley and used with permission. To get your own copy of the book click here.