Antonov An-24/26/30/32 & Xian Y-7

The An-24 is the original aircraft in a prolific and highly successful family of twin turboprop civil and military transports. The An-24 first flew in April 1960 with first production versions entering Aeroflot service in September 1963. Aeroflot was the largest An-24 operator, with others going to Soviet client nations. Subsequent production versions of the An-24 were the An-24B and the An-24T freighter. A small turbojet in the right engine nacelle to boost takeoff performance resulted in the An-24RT and An-24RV. The An-24P firebomber was also developed before Ukrainian production ceased in 1978. The An-24 was also developed into the An-26 "Curl" military tactical transport with more powerful engines and redesigned tail, which itself evolved into the An-32 with enhancements for better hot and high performance. Over 550 An-26s are in civil service. The An-30 development has been produced in limited numbers and is used largely for aerial survey and cartography work. This version is identifiable by its extensive nose glazing. The An-32 first flew in 1976 and features much more powerful 3760kW (5042ehp) Progress engines for improved hot and high performance. The An-32 features above wing mounted engines to give the larger diameter props adequate ground clearance. China's Xian Aircraft Manufacturing Company is now the sole production source for the An-24 as the Y-7. The Y-7-100 incorporates a number of modifications including a revised passenger interior and flightdeck, and wingtip winglets. It was developed with the technical assistance of HAECO in Hong Kong during the 1980s

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.