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While the An-24T tactical transport had proved successful in supporting Soviet troops in austere locations, its ventral loading hatch restricted the handling of cargo, and in particular vehicles, and made it less effective than hoped in parachuting men and supplies.[3] As a result, interest in a version with a retractable cargo ramp increased, and the Antonov design bureau decided in 1966 to begin development on the new An-26 derivative, in advance of an official order. The cargo ramp was based on that design and allowed the cargo deck to be sealed and pressurised in flight. When loading cargo, it could either be lowered to allow vehicles to be driven in, or slid beneath the aircraft's fuselage, so that cargo could be loaded straight in off a truck bed. In March 1968, the OKB received official permission to begin development.[4] Particular attention was given to the military mission, and the majority of early An-26 production was delivered to the VTA (voyenno-transportnaya aviatsiya).[2]
Using the majority of the An-24 airframe, it has high-set cantilevered wings, wing-mounted twin turboprops with a turbojet engine in the starboard nacelle for use as an auxiliary power unit and also for extra take-off thrust, plus long main undercarriage legs. The An-26 includes military equipment, such as tip-up paratroop canvas seats, an overhead traveling hoist, bulged observation windows and parachute static line attachment cables. It can be configured in 20-30 minutes from the troop transport or freight mission to the medical evacuation role with up to 24 stretchers fitted.[5]
The An-26 made its public debut at the 27th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget where the second prototype, CCCP-26184 (c/n00202), was shown in the static aircraft park.[citation needed]
The An-26 is also manufactured without a license agreement[6] in China by the Xian Aircraft factory as the Y-14, later changed to be included in the Xian Y7 series.[6]
The An-26 has a secondary bomber role with underwing bomb racks. The racks are attached to the fuselage in front of and behind the rear landing gear. In the bombing role it was extensively used by the Vietnam People's Air Force during the Cambodian–Vietnamese War and Sudanese Air Force during the Second Sudanese Civil War and the War in Darfur.[8] Russian Forces have also trained with the An-26 as a bomber.[9] In 1977, the Afghan Air Force received the An-26 aircraft and in 1986,[10] they had 36 of them which were used for airborne assaults conducted by the Afghan Army's commando and parachute battalions[11] and two military transport squadrons.[12]
One An-26 was involved in the Purulia Incident in 1995 in which arms were dropped in the Purulia district of West Bengal, India. The reason behind the drop is not disclosed to the public due to national security.[3]
Variants
An-26 cargo cabin of Polar AirlinesCAAC Antonov An-26 at China Aviation Museum, Beijing
An-26
"Curl-A" : Twin-engine tactical transport aircraft.[13]
An-26-100
Convertible passenger/cargo aircraft modified from An-26 aircraft at the Kyiv plant from 1999.[14]
An-26 Nel'mo
An arctic surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft retrofitted with Nel'mo equipment.[15]
An-26 Pogoda
("Weather") Another aircraft for weather control duties, similar to the An-26 Tsiklon, with a simplified equipment test lab.[16]
An-26 Polyot
("Flight") A single aircraft retrofitted for the purpose of research of unified air traffic control and monitoring system throughout the USSR, with a comprehensive navigation test lab including precision compasses and Doppler speed/shift sensors.[17]
An-26 Sfera
("Sphere") A single production aircraft built as a laboratory for atmospheric research.[16]
An-26 Shtabnoy
("Shtab" = "Headquarters") some An-26s delivered to the Soviet and DDR air forces for use as staff transports/mobile command posts.[18]
("Life") A single mobile operating room, surgery and intensive care unit ('25 Blue', c/n5406), for the Ukrainian Air Force.[16]
An-26A
A one-off assault transport prototype with higher performance due to removal of some military equipment.[19]
An-26ASLK
(Avtomatizirovannaya sistema lyotnogo kontrolya – automated flight control and monitoring system) : A modern flight control and monitoring system equipped with automatic calibration and navigation systems. Recognizable by the distinctive pod low on the forward fuselage side.[15]
An-26B
A civil cargo version equipped with ramps which can be swung up against the cabin walls when not in use. It was also equipped with two ZMDB Progress (Ivchyenko) Al-24VT turboprop powerplants to deliver higher thrust.[20]
An-26B
The prototype An-26B retrofitted as a mobile civilian emergency hospital.[20]
An-26B Tsiklon
("Cyclone") A weather research/control and cloud-seeding aircraft for the Central Aerologic Laboratory. This aircraft was used for rain induction and protection using cloud-seeding chemicals dropped from slab-sided pods hung from pylons.[16]
An-26B-100
Convertible passenger/cargo aircraft modified from An-26B aircraft at the Kyiv plant from 1999.[14]
Alternative designation of the An-26RL Arctic surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.[15]
An-26D
(Dal'niy – long-range) An extended range version with extra fuel in wing tanks and additional external tanks attached to the airframe of the fuselage. One aircraft ('21 Yellow', c/n 13806) was retrofitted and delivered, but no further orders were forthcoming.[21]
An-26K Kaira
("Great Auk") A single An-26 aircraft converted to a Kaira test airframe for the development of airborne Laser guided systems.[17]
An-26K Kaplya
("Drop" [of liquid]) After completion of the laser designator trials the An-26K Kaira was retrofitted to search or optically guided weapons as the navigation systems. During a night test flight at low level, in March 1989, the An-26K Kaplya suffered a massive bird strike, which consequently destroyed the windshield and injured the pilot, who involuntarily downed the aircraft into the Azov Sea.[17]
An-26KPA
(Kontrol'no-Poverochnaya Apparatura – Testing and calibration equipment) : A navigation aids inspecting aircraft with comprehensive navigation equipment and calibration equipment.[22]
An-26L
A single An-26, (14 Orange, c/n 00607), used at Sperenberg Airfield near Berlin, for airfield and NAVAID calibration.[15]
An-26LL-PLO
(Letayuschaya Laboratoriya – Protivolodochnoy Oborony – ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) testbed) : A single An-26A aircraft, (c/n 0901), retrofitted and modified to accommodate range of sophisticated laboratory for surveillance systems, detecting and tracking stealthy nuclear submarines.[16]
("Rescuer") Flying hospital with an emergency surgery facility. Two converted.[23]
An-26P
(Protivopozharnyy – firefighting) : Aircraft fire-bomber, retrofitted with water tanks in pods on either side of the lower fuselage, which could be substituted for dispensers for silver iodide flares for rainmaking. At least 5 converted.[24]
An-26P Prozhektor
("Projector" or "Searchlight") A single conversion of an An-26 as a guided missile system airframe.[25]
An-26REP
(Rahdioelektronnoye protivodeystviye – ECM (Electronic Counter-Measures) ) : Electronic countermeasures aircraft fitted with active jammers in cylindrical pods on either side of the lower fuselage sides, as well as chaff and I/R flares for self-defense. One built but did not enter service.[26]
An-26RL
(Razvedchik Ledovyy – An arctic surveillance, reconnaissance and monitoring) : An arctic surveillance, reconnaissance and monitoring aircraft used to monitor the icebergs and ice formations at arctic circle fitted with SLAR (Sideways Looking Airborne Radar) in long pods on either side of the lower fuselage, extra fuel in a cargo hold fuel tank, provision for surveyors and radar operators.[15]
An-26RR
Alternative unit designation of the An-26RT ELINT(ELectronic INTelligence) aircraft.[27]
An-26RT
"Curl-B": (First use of the designation) A basic designation for a series of ELINT aircraft fitted with a wide range of electromagnetic surveillance equipment. At least one aircraft, (tactical code '152'), retrofitted with the Tarahn (Ramming Attack) ELINT suite for use in Afghanistan.[27]
An-26RT
(Retranslyator – Interpreter - Translator): (Substitute of designation) Battlefield communications relay aircraft, fitted with powerful Inzheer (Fig) radio relay system, for connecting forward units to headquarters units. 42 built.[28]
An-26RTR
Alternative unit designation of the An-26RT ELINT aircraft.[27]
An-26S
(Salon – [VIP] Lounge) : A new VIP Lounge aircraft for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense delivered about 1997.[14]
An-26Sh
(Shturmanskiy – Navigator) : Navigator trainer for the VVS, 36 built at Kyiv.[27]
Military transport version. Chinese production version.[6]
Xian Y-14
Initial designation of the An-26 copy, later changed to 'Y-7H' (Hao – cargo).[6]
Operators
Military operators
Map with military An-26 operators in blue, and former military An-26 operators in redRussian An-26 intercepted by a British Typhoon over the Baltics in July 2015Ukrainian An-26B in PortugalRussian Air Force Antonov An-26Romanian Air Force Antonov An-26 at RAF Fairford in July 2023
Afghan Air Force – Used until 1977,[10] all remaining aircraft retired June 2011.[56][57] One of their An-26 which defected to Pakistan, is preserved at PAF Museum, Karachi.
Sudan Air Force Antonov An-26-100 crash-landed in 1997 at the airstrip of Gogrial. The plane was hit by SPLA-fire and had to make an emergency landing.
18 August 1977: An Aeroflot An-26 (CCCP-26536) landed hard at Ust-Kuyga Airport due to pilot error; no casualties.[89]
9 December 1978: An Aeroflot An-26 (CCCP-26547) lost control and crashed shortly after takeoff from Cherskiy Airport due to a shifted load, killing all seven on board. The cargo had not been secured properly.[90]
26 March 1979: Aeroflot Flight 37293, an An-26 (CCCP-26569), struck a wooded hillside near Baykit, Russia, killing four of 12 on board.[91][92]
1980s
12 December 1980: A Soviet Air Forces An-26 was shot down by guerrilla forces in Angola near the border with Namibia, killing five people on board.[93]
23 December 1981: Aeroflot Flight 22237, an An-26 (CCCP-26505), crashed while on approach to Severo-Yeniseisk Airport in poor weather during an attempted go-around after descending too soon, killing two of seven on board. The flight mechanic and navigator were drunk.[94]
14 January 1982: An Ethiopian Air Force An-26 crashed near Addis Ababa, killing 73 Ethiopian, Libyan and Cuban troops. This accident remains the deadliest involving the An-26.[95]
11 February 1982: Vietnam People's Air Force An-26 26264 was shot down by two Royal Thai Air Force Northrop F-5Es and crashed in a rice field near Prachinburi, Thailand, during an intelligence-gathering mission from Phnom Penh, reportedly killing one of 13 on board.[96]
15 March 1982: A Soviet Navy An-26 (MSN 6805) crashed shortly after a night-time take off from Anapa Airport when the flaps were retracted prematurely, killing all nine people on board.[97]
29 November 1982: a TAAG Angola Airlines An-26 (D2-TAB) flew into a mountain in the Bibala region, killing all 15 people on board.[98]
23 December 1982: An Aeroflot An-26 (CCCP-26627) crashed on takeoff from Rostov Airport, killing all 16 on board. The aircraft was overloaded.[99]
3 July 1984: A Peruvian Air Force An-26 (FAP-377) crashed into mountains northeast of Lima, killing all five people on board.[101]
22 January 1985: a Soviet Air Forces An-26 operating in Afghanistan exceeded the maximum allowable speed and broke apart, killing all eight people on board.[102]
3 May 1985: Soviet Air Force An-26 101 red (callsign "CCCP-26492") collided in mid-air with Aeroflot Flight 8381, a Tupolev Tu-134, due to ATC errors, killing all 94 on board both aircraft.
16 September 1987: Vietnam People's Air Force An-26 285 flying from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City crashed at Bảo Lộc while on approach to Ho Chi Minh City, killing all 31 crew and passengers on board, mostly military personnel and their family members. Wreckage was found in 1989.[112]
21 December 1987: A Soviet Air Force An-26 flying from Kabul to Bagram was shot down by a Stinger missile shortly after takeoff. The no. 1 engine was hit and shrapnel punctured the fuel tank. Smoke entered the cabin. Five of the six crew members bailed out safely, however the pilot jumped out at an altitude too low to open the parachute and did not survive.[114]
20 April 1988: a Soviet Air Forces An-26 (MSN 11808) crashed shortly after takeoff from Chkalovsky Air Base when the right engine failed, killing all six people on board.[116]
27 April 1988: a Cuban Air Force An-26 T-237 was accidentally shot down by Cuban troops stationed at Techamutete, Angola, killing all 29 people on board.[117]
19 November 1988: an Afghan Air Force An-26 was shot down by the Pakistan Air Force near Parachinar, killing all 30 people on board. Afghan officials said the plane had crossed the border after suffering mechanical problems while Pakistani officials said it had failed to identify itself.[119]
18 June 1989: an Ariana Afghan Airlines An-26 (YA-BAK) crash landed on a hill near Zabol after the ramp was opened in flight, killing six of the 39 people on board.[122]
19 July 1989: an Aeroflot An-26 (CCCP-26685) was on an ice observation flight over the East Siberian Sea to guide ships when it crashed at Cape Kibera after the left wing hit a cliff during a turn that was too close to the shore, killing all 10 on board.[123]
8 September 1989: a Cuban Air and Air Defense Force An-26 (MSN 3805) crashed into the sea near Playa de Baracoa during a nighttime exercise, killing seven of the eight people on board.[125]
1990s: Soviet Air Force An-26 01 red burned out on the ground at Orenburg Air Base following an APU fire.[127]
mid 1990s: Russian Air Force An-26 RA-47415 force-landed at Belgorod Airport and was withdrawn from use and cancelled from the Russian register in 2001. Although the aircraft was planned to become a cinema for the "Rolan Bykov Fund" in Belgorod, this was abandoned in 2004 because some of the radioactive sensors had not been removed.[128]
23 March 1990: Cubana de Aviacion Flight 7406, an An-26 (CU-T1436), overran the runway at Antonio Maceo Airport following an aborted takeoff, killing four of 46 on board.[129]
5 May 1990: a Soviet Air Forces An-26 crashed near Sparfayev island while on a flight from Magadan, killing all seven people on board.[130]
15 August 1991: due to an air traffic controller's mistaken direction a Soviet Air Forces An-26 hit a mountain after take-off from Burevestnik Airport, killing all nine people on board.[132]
27 February 1992: German Air Force An-26 "52+10" crashed after a hard landing. None of the crew members was injured.
8 April 1992: Yasir Arafat's An-26 crashed during a sandstorm. Of the 13 on board, both pilots and an engineer were killed.
23 April 1993: A MIAT Mongolian Airlines An-26 (BNMAU-14102) struck the side of Marz Mountain, Zavkhan Province, Mongolia while descending for Ölgii, killing all 32 on board.[133]
17 June 1993: A Tajikistan Airlines An-26 (26035) stalled, spun down and crashed into a hillside 22 mi north of Tbilisi, Georgia, after encountering severe turbulence, killing all 33 on board.[134]
26 December 1993: A Kuban Airlines An-26 (RA-26141) operating as Flight 5719 stalled and crashed upside down while landing at Leninakan Airport due to overloading, killing 35 of 36 on board.[135]
13 July 1994: A Russian Air Force An-26 was stolen from Kubinka AFB by an engineer planning to commit suicide. He circled Lyakhovo at 300–2000 feet until the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed, killing him.[136]
31 July 1994: An Air Ukraine An-26B (UR-26207), operating on behalf of the UN, was reportedly shot down and crashed near Saborsko, Croatia, killing all 7 people on board.[137]
16 January 1995: An Angolan Air Force An-26 was downed by rebel forces in the north of the country, killing all six occupants.[138]
16 March 1995: A Central Region Airlines An-26B (RA-26084) struck a hill and crashed near Ossora Airport while on approach due to crew errors, killing nine of 10 on board.[139]
17 December 1995: Terrorist Kim Davy alias Niels Holck from Denmark dropped several tonnes of lethal weapons, ammunition, explosives and triggers by An-26 in Purulia district of West Bengal State of India. The plane was forced to land in Bombay, where his accomplices were arrested.[141]
2 September 1998: A Permtransavia An-26 (RA-20628) operating for Prestavia, crashed near Malanje Airport, Angola, after the pilot reported an engine fire, killing all 24 on board; the wreckage was found in 2003. Some reports stated that the aircraft was shot down by UNITA forces.[142]
30 March 2000: an An-26 chartered from Ukrainian company Avialinii AAR crashed near Anuradhapura Airport while carrying Sri Lanka Army troops, killing all 40 on board. The cause of the accident is unclear.[144]
12 August 2000: a STAER airlines An-26 crashed near Tshikapa while trying to return to Kinshasa Airport, killing all 27 on board.[145]
31 October 2000: an ACA-Ancargo An-26 (D2-FDI) crashed 20 minutes after take-off from Saurimo Airport, killing all 49 people on board. UNITA rebels say they shot it down.[146]
4 April 2001: a Sudanese Air Force An-26 crashed on take-off in a sandstorm from Adar Yel, killing the deputy defence minister and 13 high-ranking officers. Another 16 passengers survived.[147]
21 February 2002: a Russian Navy An-26 crashed after striking treetops while on final approach to Lakhta air base, killing 17 of the 20 people on board.[148]
29 November 2003: a Congolese Air Force An-26 9T-TAD crashed during takeoff due to a burst tyre, killing 20 of the 24 people on board and 13 people on the ground.[149]
9 August 2005: a Yemeni Air Force An-26 crashed in Mukalla, killing one of its occupants and injuring 22 others.[151]
5 September 2005: A Kavatshi Airlines An-26B (ER-AZT) operating on a non-scheduled passenger flight struck a tree and crashed on approach to Isiro Airport in Matari, killing all 11 people on board.[152]
9 September 2005: An Air Kasai An-26B (9Q-CFD) operating on a non-scheduled passenger flight crashed 50 km (31 miles) north of Brazzaville, killing all 13 people on board.[153]
11 February 2006: a Sudanese Air Force An-26 crashed into a building upon landing at Aweil, South Sudan after the front tyre burst, killing all 20 people on board.[154]
9 January 2007: An AerianTur-M Antonov An-26 (ER-26068) crashed while attempting to land at the U.S. military base in Balad, Iraq, killing 34 of 35 on board. Although the aircraft crashed due to fog, some eyewitness and sources state that the aircraft was shot down by a missile.[155]
4 October 2007: An Africa One An-26 (9Q-COS) crashed into the Kinshasa neighbourhood of Kimbaseke just after takeoff. 21 out of 22 people on board and 28 people on the ground died. Initial reports indicate a lost propeller.[156]
18 March 2010: An Exin An-26B (SP-FDO) made an emergency landing on the Lake Ülemiste, close to Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport. None of the six crew members was injured. Initial reports indicated failure of one of the turboprop power plants.[158]
25 August 2010: An Exin An-26B (SP-FDP) rejected takeoff from Tallinn's runway 08 at high speed when the gear collapsed or retracted during the takeoff roll. The airplane skidded to a stop on its belly, no injuries occurred.[159]
6 June 2011: Solenta Aviation Flight 122A, an An-26 (TR-LII), crashed in the sea near Libreville, Gabon, during an attempted go-around following hydraulic problems. Four people on board were rescued and transported to a local hospital, but were not seriously injured. The aircraft was operating on behalf of DHL.[160]
24 November 2011: A Yemeni Air Force An-26 crashed outside Sanaa due to technical problems. 15 crew members and passengers died.[161]
19 August 2012: An Alfa Airlines An-26-100 (ST-ARL) struck a mountain during its second approach to the Talodi airfield in South Kordofan, Sudan. All 26 passengers on board and six crew members died.[163]
21 February 2014: A Libyan Air Cargo An-26 (5A-DOW), operating an ambulance flight, crashed in a farm near Grombalia, 60 km short of Tunis-Carthage Airport, after one of its engines caught fire. The accident resulted in the death of all its 11 occupants: six crew members, two doctors and three patients.[164]
14 July 2014: Ukraine Air Force An-26 19 blue flying at 6,500 m (21,300 ft) was shot down and crashed near Izvaryne, Ukraine, killing two of six on board.[165] (confirmed to be shot using Buk missile system).[166] U.S. officials would later say evidence suggested the aircraft had been fired on from inside Russian territory[167]
18 January 2015: Syrian Air Force An-26 YK-ANDcrashed while attempting to land at the besieged Abu al-Duhur military airport in Idlib Governorate, Syria, killing all 30 on board.[168]
20 March 2017: A South Supreme Airlines An-26B (S9-TLZ) was destroyed by fire at Wau Airport, South Sudan, after crashing into a fire truck during landing; 37 of the 45 on board the aircraft were injured.[171]
29 April 2017: Aerogaviota Flight FAR1436, an An-26 (CU-T1406), crashed in the Loma de la Pimienta Mountains near Las Terrazas, Cuba, killing all eight on board. The aircraft was operating on behalf of the Cuban Air Force.[172]
30 May 2017: Russian Aerospace Forces An-26 RF-36160 crashed at Balashov Airfield during a training flight after descending too soon, killing one of six on board.[173]
28 August 2017: A Coco Aviation An-26B (EK-26006) overran the runway at Maban Airstrip and was destroyed by the consequent fire. The crew survived.[174]
6 March 2018: Russian Aerospace Forces An-26 RF-92955crashed at Khmeimim Air Base. All 33 passengers and six crew died in the incident.[176]
20 December 2018: A Gomair An-26 (9S-AGB) crashed 19 nautical miles short of Kinshasa with 7 or 8 people on board. The aircraft was found more than 24 hours later by a local. The aircraft was carrying election materials on behalf of the Central Electoral National Independent Commission (CENI).[177]
24 December 2018: Congolese Air Force An-26 9T-TAB crashed as it overshot the runway at Beni Airport in North Kivu province. The aircraft was reportedly transporting troops, and the crash resulted in 38 people being taken to hospital.[178]
2020s
22 August 2020: A South West Aviation An-26 (EX-126) lost power during take-off at Juba Airport and crashed into Hai Referendum residential area on the outskirts of the airport. Eight of the nine occupants on board killed alongside nine on the ground.[179]
13 March 2021: A Kazakh Border Guards An-26 crashed short of the runway while attempting to land at Almaty Airport killing four of the six occupants on board.[182]
22 September 2021: a technical flight that disappeared from flight radars 38 km from Khabarovsk crashed, killing all six members of the crew.[185]
2 November 2021: Optimum Aviation Antonov An-26, registered as TR-NGT, crashed near the White Nile just after take-off from Juba International Airport, South Sudan. All five crew were killed.[186][187]
27 February 2022: An Antonov Airlines An-26-100 (UR-13395) was confirmed to be destroyed in Hostomel, Kyiv during the attack.[191]
22 April 2022: A Constanta Airlines An-26B-100 (UR-UZB) crashed after it struck power lines over Mykhailivka in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, killing one of three crew.[192]
14 June 2024: Utair Flight 9706, an Antonov An-26-100, crash-landed 1 km from Utrenny Airport in bad weather injuring 3 of the 41 on board.
^Cherisey, de, Erwan (2 January 2019). "DRC air force An-26 crashes". Jane's 360. Paris. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
Chant, Christopher. Commercial Aircraft and Airline Markings
Cooper, Tom (2018). Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 2: Aerial Warfare Over the South Arabian Peninsula, 1994-2017. Warwick, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. ISBN 978-1-911628-18-7.
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