Antonov An-30

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An-30
Type Aerial cartography
Manufacturer Antonov
Maiden flight 21 August 1967
Introduced July 1968
Primary user Soviet Air Force
Produced 1971-1980
Number built 115
Developed from Antonov An-24

The Antonov An-30 (NATO: Clank), is a development of the An-24 and Antonov An-26 equipped for aerial cartography, a special VIP passenger version has been made in very limited numbers.

Contents

[edit] Design and development

The Antonov An-30 is a development of the An-24T fitted with a new forward fuselage with a glazed nose and a raised flight deck (41cm higher fuselage) with a hump similar to the Boeing 747. As a specialist aerial surveying craft, the An-30 was equipped with four survey cameras, with additional hatches provided to permit the use of laser, thermographic, gravimetric, magnetic and other geophysical surveying tools. To enable accurate and repeatable survey flights, standard equipment for the An-30 included computer flight path control technology.[1] It first flew in 1974, with 123 built.[2] Depending on the camera assembly and flight altitude aerial photography can be in the scales of 1:3.000 to 1:200.000 time. The camera platforms can be kreiselstabilisiert. The trip is semiautomatic. Movies can jump on board in a darkroom to be developed. For the comfort on longer missions ensure peace chairs and a toilet on board.

[edit] Operational history

As well as its principal use as a survey aircraft, it has also been used by Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, Russia and Ukraine to carry out surveillance under the Open Skies Treaty.

The An-30 has also been used as a weather control aircraft as the An-30M. Some have been fitted with frozen tanks of carbon dioxide to be ejected into the sky to form artificial rain clouds. These An-30s have also been put to use to avoid crop-damaging hailstorms and also to maintain good weather for as example new airplane maiden flights , important parades like 1st of may and 850th anniversary of Moscow in September 1997.[3]

Ukrainian An-30 Ukrainian Air Force
Ukrainian An-30 Ukrainian Air Force

Between 1971 and 1980 total 115 aircraft were built and 23 were sold abroad to Afghanistan, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Mongolia and Vietnam.

Machines of this type completely mapped Afghanistan in 1982, one machine was shot down during use. Cuban machines were operated in Angola in 1987.

[edit] Variants

An-30A
Version designed for civilian aviation, 66 built.
An-30D "Sibiryak"
Version of the An-30A with better navigation equipment and larger fuel capacity, which appeared in 1990. The variant was used in the Arctic to ice monitoring, fisheries monitoring and as a transport aircraft. It has improved communication equipment, such as an on-board fax machine. The cameras allow additional data on the film to expose.
An-30M "Meteozashchita"
Version equipped for weather research. It can spray dry ice into the atmosphere for weather control duties. The dry ice was stored in 8 containers per 130 kg instead of the photographic equipment.
An-30V
Version designed for Soviet Air Force with better equipment, 26 built.

[edit] Operators

Military An-30 operators
Military An-30 operators

[edit] Military operators

Flag of Afghanistan Afghanistan
Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria
Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic
Flag of Romania Romania
Flag of Russia Russia
Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union
Flag of Ukraine Ukraine
Flag of Vietnam Vietnam

[edit] Civil operators

In August 2006 a total of 30 Antonov An-30 aircraft remain in airline service[4]:

Flag of the People's Republic of China People's Republic of China
Flag of Mongolia Mongolia
Flag of Russia Russia
  • Moskovia Airlines operates 1 aircraft.
  • Lukiaviatrans operates 5 aircraft.
  • Myachkovo Air Services operates 4 aircraft.
  • Novosibirsk Air operates 3 aircraft.
  • Polet Airlines operates 3 aircraft.
  • Practical Geodinamics Center operates 3 aircraft.
Flag of Ukraine Ukraine
  • ARP 410 Airlines operates 2 aircraft.
  • Ukraine National Airlines operates 6 aircraft.
Flag of Vietnam Vietnam
  • Vietnam Air Service operates 1 aircraft.

[edit] Specifications (An-30)

Data from {Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89}[5]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 7
  • Length: 24.26 m (79 ft 7 in)
  • Wingspan: 29.20 m (95 ft 9½ in)
  • Height: 8.32 m (27 ft 3½ in)
  • Wing area: 75 m² (807 ft²)
  • Empty weight: 15,590 kg (34,370 lb)
  • Loaded weight: kg (lb)
  • Useful load: kg (kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 23,000kg (50,706lb)
  • Powerplant: 2× ZMKB Progress AI-24T turboprops, 2,103 kW (2,803 ehp) each

Performance

Avionics 5 positions for large cameras. Other survey equipment can be fitted.

[edit] See also

Related development

[edit] References

  1. ^ Green, W (1976). The Observer's Book of Aircraft (25th ed.). Frederick Warne & Co. ISBN 0 7232 1553 7. 
  2. ^ Gunston, Bill (1995). The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft from 1875 - 1995. Osprey Aerospace. ISBN 1-85532-405-9. 
  3. ^ (1999) in M J H Taylor: Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000 Edition. Brassey's. ISBN 1 85753 245 7. 
  4. ^ Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
  5. ^ (1988) in J W R Taylor: Jane's All The World's Aircraft,1988-89. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5. 

[edit] External links