Antonov An-24

An-24
Volga-Avia Antonov An-24
General information
Type	Transport aircraft / Turboprop Regional airliner
National origin	Soviet Union
Manufacturer	Antonov
Status	In limited service
Primary users	UTair Cargo Angara Airlines IrAero Yakutia Airlines Air Koryo
Number built	1,388 (including the Chinese Y-7)[1]
History
Manufactured	1959–1979
Introduction date	1962
First flight	29 October 1959[1]
Variants	Antonov An-26 Antonov An-30 Antonov An-32
Developed into	Xian Y-7

The Antonov An-24 (Russian/Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-24) (NATO reporting name: Coke) is a 44-seat twin turboprop transport/passenger aircraft designed in 1957 in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau^[1] and manufactured by Kyiv, Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude Aviation Factories.

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First flown in 1959, the An-24 was produced in some 1,000 units of various versions; in 2023 there are 93 still in service worldwide, mostly in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Africa.^[2]

It was designed to replace the veteran piston Ilyushin Il-14 transport on short to medium haul trips, optimised for operating from rough strips and unprepared airports in remote locations.^[3] The high-wing layout protects engines and blades from debris, the power-to-weight ratio is higher than that of many comparable aircraft and the machine is rugged, requiring minimal ground support equipment.

Due to its rugged airframe and good performance, the An-24 was adapted to perform many secondary missions such as ice reconnaissance and engine/propeller test-bed, as well as further development to produce the An-26 tactical transport, An-30 photo-mapping/survey aircraft and An-32 tactical transport with more powerful engines. Various projects were envisaged such as a four jet short/medium haul airliner and various iterations of powerplant.

The main production line was at the Kyiv-Svyatoshino (later renamed "Aviant") aircraft production plant which built 985, with 180 built at Ulan Ude and a further 197 An-24T tactical transport/freighters at Irkutsk. Production in the USSR was shut down by 1978.

Production continues at China's Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation which makes licensed, reverse-engineered and redesigned aircraft as the Xian Y-7, and its derivatives. Manufacture of the Y-7, in civil form, has now been supplanted by the MA60 derivative with western engines and avionics, to improve performance and economy, and widen the export appeal.

The aircraft introduced in Mongolia was initially planned to be used by the air force, but was eventually handed over to a private airline company for use, and some were later used in research facilities. Since then, as the aircraft has deteriorated, it has been stored in Ulaanbaatar.^[4]

Total Production (Not including Chinese Y-7)[5]	1979	1978	1977	1976	1975	1974	1973	1972	1971	1970	1969	1968	1967	1966	1965	1964	1963	1962	1961	1960	1959
1285	1	2	15	25	45	88	83	82	91	135	136	158	166	112	62	44	25	9	1	4	1

An-24

Designation for prototypes. Four built.^[6]

An-24A

(first use) Proposed production version powered by Kuznetsov NK-4 turboprops, discontinued when the NK-4 was cancelled.^[6]

An-24A

(second use) Production 50-seat airliners built at Kyiv with the APU exhaust moved to the tip of the starboard nacelle.^[7]

An-24ALK (Avtomatizeerovannaya [sistema] Lyotnovo Kontrolya – automatic flight check system)

Several An-24s were converted for navaids calibration tasks, with one An-24LR 'Toros' re-designated An-24ALK after conversion. This aircraft was fitted with a photo-theodolite and powerful light sources for the optical sensors.^[8]

An-24AT

A 1962 project for a Tactical transport with rear loading ramp and powered by Isotov TV2-117DS coupled turboprops.^[9]

An-24AT-RD (RD – Reaktivnyye Dvigateli – jet engines)

The An-24AT tactical transport project with two turbojet boosters pod-mounted under the outer wings and a wider loading ramp.^[9]

An-24AT-U (Uskoriteli – boosters)

A projected Tactical transport from 1966 with three or five PRD-63 (Porokhovoy Raketnyy Dvigatel – gunpowder rocket engine) JATO bottles, wider cargo ramp and provision for up to three brake parachutes.^[9]

An-24B

The second 50-seat airliner version with one extra window each side, single-slotted flaps replacing the double-slotted flaps and extended chord of the centre-section to compensate for the lower performance flaps. Some aircraft were delivered with four extra fuel bladders in the wing centre-section.^[10]

An-24D

A projected long-range airliner version of the An-24B with a single RU-19 booster jet engine in the starboard nacelle, stretched fuselage with seating for 60, strengthened structure and increased fuel capacity.^[11]

An-24LL (Letyushchaya Laboratoriya – flying laboratory)

The generic suffix LL can be applied to any test-bed, but in the An-24's case seems to refer to a single aircraft equipped for metrology (science of measurement), to be used for checking the airworthiness of production aircraft.^[8]

An-24LP (LesoPozharnyy – forest fire fighter)

Three An-24RV aircraft converted into fire bombers/cloud seeders by installing a tank in the cabin, optical smoke and flame detectors, provision for a thermal imager, racks for carrying flare dispensers and the ability to carry firefighters for para-dropping.^[12]

An-24LR 'Toros' (Ice Hummock)(Ledovyy Razvedchik – ice reconnaissance)

At least two An-24Bs converted to carry the 'Toros' SLAR (sideways looking airborne radar) either side of the lower fuselage, for ice reconnaissance, guiding icebreakers, convoys and other shipping.^{[13][note 1]}

An-24LR 'Nit' (Thread)

One An-24B was converted to with 'Nit' SLAR in large pods along the lower fuselage sides.^[14]

An-24PRT (Poiskovo-spasahtel'nyy Reaktivnyy [Uskoritel'] Transportnyy – SAR boosted transport)

The production search and rescue aircraft based on the An-24RT, eleven built.^[15]

An-24PS (Poiskovo-Spasahtel'nyy – SAR)

A single An-24B aircraft converted for search and rescue duties, rejected after acceptance trials in favour of a derivative of the An-24RT.^[16]

An-24RR ([samolyot] Radiotsionnyy Razvedchik – radiation reconnaissance [aircraft])

Four aircraft converted as Nuclear, biological and chemical warfare reconnaissance versions of the An-24B, carrying RR8311-100 air sampling pods low on the forward fuselage and a sensor pod on a pylon on the port fuselage side.^[17]

An-24RT (Reaktivnyy [Uskoritel'] Transportnyy – boosted transport)

Similar to the AN-24T, fitted with an auxiliary turbojet engine.^[18]

An-24RT (Retranslyator – relay installation)

A few An-24T and An-24RT aircraft converted to Communications relay aircraft. Sometimes referred to as An-24Rt to differentiate from the An-24RT.^[19]

An-24RV (Reaktivnyy [Uskoritel'] V – boosted V)

Turbojet boosted export version, similar to the An-24V but fitted with a 1,985-lb (8830 N) thrust auxiliary turbojet engine in the starboard nacelle.^[20]

An-24ShT (Shtabnoy Transportnyy – Staff/HQ transport)

A tactical Airborne Command Post for use by commanders, also capable of forming ground-based communications and HQ.^[19]

An-24T (Transportnyy – transport)

(first use) Tactical transport version, rejected due to poor field performance and range, together with inability to load or air-drop vehicles during acceptance testing.^[21]

An-24T (Transportnyy – transport)

(second use) A tactical transport version with a ventral loading hatch, cargo winch and escape hatch aft of the nose landing gear.^[22]

An-24T 'Troyanda' (Ukrainian – rose)

From the 1960s the Soviet Union was faced with nuclear submarine threats that were virtually undetectable with the technology available. To assist in the development of advanced optical, chemical, sonic, infra-red and electromagnetic detection systems, several aircraft were built or modified as test-beds. One significant aircraft was the An-24T 'Troyanda' which was built new, for the development of sonobuoy and infra-red detection systems. As well as equipment inside the cabin, sensors could be mounted in large teardrop fairings either side of the lower forward fuselage, and extra equipment could be carried in extended wing centre-section fairings.^[8]

An-24TV (Transportnyy V – transport V)

The export cargo version of the An-24T.^[23]

An-24USh (Uchebno-Shturmanskiy (samolyot) – Navigator training aircraft)

Seven An-24Bs were converted to An-24USh navigator/air traffic controller trainers with five training stations and four standard rows of seats for trainees in waiting. Outwardly the USh was distinguishable by the bulged windows at each training station.^[8]

An-24V-I

The initial export version of the An-24B 50-seat airliner with the early narrow chord inner wings, double-slotted flaps, single ventral fin.^[24]

An-24V-II

Export late production 50-seat mixed passenger, cargo and freight aircraft with extended chord inner wing, single-slotted flaps, twin ventral fins and powered by AI-24T(SrsII) engines.^[24]

An-26

Tactical transport with cargo ramp.

An-30

Survey/photo-mapping aircraft.

An-32

Designed to withstand adverse weather conditions better than the standard An-26.

An-34

The initial designation of the An-24T production tactical transport.^[22]

An-44

Projected cargo aircraft developed from the An-24. Ice reconnaissance and transport versions were also planned.

An-50

A mid-1960s project for a jet-powered An-24, with four Ivchenko AI-25 turbofan engines in podded pairs, pylon mounted forward of the wings. Not proceeded with due to competition from the Yak-40.^[25]

Xian Y-7

The Y-7 is a Chinese built derivative of the An-24/An-26 family.^[26]

MA60

Upgraded and Westernised Y-7.

An-24

In the early 1990s, North Korea installed N-019 Topaz pulse-Doppler radars on at least one of its An-24 aircraft in an attempt to achieve a rudimentary Airborne Early Warning capability.^[27]

 North Korea

Korean People's Army Air Force - 1 (converted to a rudimentary airborne early warning aircraft)

 Russia

• Russian Air Force^{[citation needed]}
• Russian Naval Aviation^[28]

 Syria

Syrian Air Force – 1^[29]

 Ukraine

• Ukrainian Air Force^[30]

 Cambodia

Royal Cambodian Air Force - 2

As of July 2018, 86 An-24s were in airline service.^[35]

Following fatal incidents in July 2011 Russian President (now Prime Minister) Dmitry Medvedev proposed the accelerated decommissioning of An-24s,^[36] which resulted in a ban for this type from scheduled flights inside Russia.^[37] However, later the ban was cancelled and, as of 2023, An-24 are still in limited commercial service in Russia.

 Thailand

• Phetchabun Airlines (1)

 Ukraine

• Motor Sich Airlines (3)

 Moldova

• Air Moldova (6) Used on flights to CIS And as charter aircraft

 Russia

• Angara Airlines (5)
• Komiaviatrans (2)
• ALROSA (airline) (3)
• IrAero (11)
• KrasAvia (3)
• Khabarovsk Airlines (4)
• Polar Airlines (13) Largest passenger operator of An-24
• Yakutia Airlines (4)

 Kazakhstan

• SCAT Airlines (7)

Civil operators have included:

An-24 operators within Aeroflot and post Soviet countries^[1]

UGA – (Oopravleniye Grazhdahnskoy Aviahtsii - Civil Aviation Directorate)	OAO – (Otdel'nyy Aviaotryad – independent flight detachment)	LO – (Lyotnyy Otryad – flight squad) / (Aviaeskadril'ya – squadrons)	Home base	CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Airline
Arkhangel'sk	2nd Arkhangel'sk	392nd	Arkhangel'sk-Vas'kovo	AVL Arkhangelsk Airlines
Azerbaijan	Baku	360th / 1st & 3rd squadrons	Baku-Bina	AZAL (no An-24s)
Belorussian	Gomel'	105th / 1st squadron	Gomel'	Gomelavia
	1st Minsk	353rd	Minsk-Loshitsa (Minsk-1)	Belavia;Minsk-Avia
	Mogilyov		Mogilyov	Mogilyov-Avia
Central Regions	Belgorod		Belgorod	Belgorod Air Enterprise (no An-24s)
	Bryansk		Bryansk	Bravia (Bryansk-Avia)
	Bykovo	61st	Moscow-Bykovo	Bykovo Avia
	Ivanovo		Ivanovo-Yuzhnyy (Zhukovka)	IGAP (Ivanovo State Air Enterprise)
	Kostroma		Kostroma	Kostroma Air Enterprise
	Kursk		Kursk	Kurskavia
	Ryazan'		Ryazan'	Ryazan'aviatrans
	Tambov	169th	Tambov-Donskoye	Aviata (Avalinii Tambova)
	Tula	294th	Tula	Tula Air Enterprise
	Voronezh	243rd	Voronezh	Voronezhavia
	Vladimir		Vladimir	Vladimir Air Enterprise / Avialeso'okhrana
East Siberian	Bobaido		Bobaido	Bobaido Air Enterprise
	Chita	136th / 1st Squadron	Chita	Chita Avia
	Irkutsk	134th	Irkutsk-1	Baikal Airlines
	Ust'-Ilimsk		Ust'-Ilimsk	Ust'-Ilimsk Air Enterprise
	Ust'-Kut		Ust'-Kut	Ust'-Kut Air Enterprise
	Ulan-Ude	138th	Ulan-Ude / Mukhino	Buryatia Airlines
Far Eastern	Sakhalin CAPA / Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk UAD	147th / 1st Squadron	Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk / Khomutvo	Sakhalinskiye Aviatrassy
	1st Khabarovsk	289th	Khabarovsk	Dalavia Far East Airlines Khabarovsk
Kazakh	Chimkent	158th	Chimkent	Kazakhstan Airlines;Chimkent-Avia
	Gur'yev	156th	Gur'yev	Kazakhstan Airlines;Atyrau Air Ways
	Karaganda	14th	Karaganda	Kazakhstan Airlines
	Kustanay	155th	Kustanay	Kazakhstan Airlines
	Tselinograd	239th	Tselinograd	Kazakhstan Airlines;Air Astana
Kirghiz	(dissolved by 1987)
Komi	Syktyvkar	366th	Syktyvkar	Komiavia;Komiinteravia
Krasnoyarsk	Abakan	130th	Abakan	Khakassia Airlines (Abakan A.E.)
Latvian	Riga	106th / 2nd Squadron	Riga-Spilve	Latavio
Leningrad	Pskov	320th / 2nd Squadron	Pskov
Lithuanian	Vilnius	277th / 4th Squadron	Vilnius	Lithuanian Airlines
Magadan	Anadyr'		Anadyr'-Ugol'nyy	Chukotavia
	Chaunskoye	6th	Chaunskoye	Chaunskoye Air Enterprise
	1st Magadan	185th / (1st or 3rd Squadron)	Magadan-Sokol	Kolyma-Avia
Moldavian	Kishinyov	407th	Kishinyov	Air Moldova
North Caucasian	Astrakhan'	110th	Astrakhan'-Narimanovo	Astrakhan' Airlines
	Krasnodar	241st/ 3rd Squadron	Krasnodar	ALK Kuban Airlines
	Makhachkala	111th	Makhachkala	Daghestan Airlines
	Stavropol'		Stavropol'	SAAK (Stavropol' Joint Stock AL)
	Taganrog		Taganrog	Tavia
Tajik	Leninabad	292nd / 2nd Squadron	Leninabad	Tajikistan Airlines
Training Establishments Directorate	KVLUGA (Kirovograd Civil Aviation Higher Flying School)		Kirovograd	Ukraine State Flight Academy
Turkmen	Ashkhabad	165th / 1st Squadron	Ashkhabad	Turkmenistan Airlines/Akhal
	Krasnovodsk	360th / 1st Squadron	Krasnovodsk	Turkmenistan Airlines/Khazar
	Mary Composite Independent Air Squadron		Mary
	Tashauz		Tashauz
Tyumen'	Salekhard		Salekhard	Tyumen' Avia Trans
	Surgut	358th	Surgut	Surgut Avia
Ukrainian	Donetsk		Donetsk	Donbas – East Ukrainian Airlines
	Kyiv	86th / 2nd Squadron	Kyiv-Zhulyany	Air Ukraine / Avialinïi Ukraïny
	Kirovograd		Kirovograd-Khmelyovoye	Air URGA
	L'vov	88th	L'vov	Lviv Airlines
	Simferopol	84th	Simferopol	Aviakompaniya Krym / Crimea AL
	Voroshilovgrad		Voroshilovgrad
Urals	Izhevsk		Izhevsk	Izhavia
	Kirov		Kirov	Kirov Air Enterprises (no An-24s)
	Magnitogorsk		Magnitogorsk	Magnitogorsk Air Enterprise
	1st Perm'		Perm'-Bolshoye Savino	Perm Airlines
	1st Sverdlovsk		Sverdlovsk-Kol'tsovo	Ural Airlines [Yekaterinburg]
Uzbek	Samarkand	163rd	Samarkand	Uzbekistan Airways
	Tashkent	160th	Tashkent-Yuzhnyy	Uzbekistan Airways
Volga	Cheboksary		Cheboksary	Cheboksary Air Enterprise
	Cheboksary	Nizhnekamsk Independent air Squadron	Nizhnekamsk	Nizhnekamsk Air Enterprise
	Gor'kiy		Gor'kiy-Strigino	Nizhegorodskie Airlines (sic)
	TatarCAPA / 1st Kazan'	408th	Kazan'	Tatarstan Airlines
	Orenburg	195th / 2nd Squadron	Orenburg-Tsentral'nyy	Orenburg Airlines
	Penza	396th	Penza	Penza Air Enterprise
	Saransk		Saransk
	Saratov		Saratov
	Ufa	415th	Ufa	BAL Bashkirian Airlines
	Yoshkar-Ola		Yoshkar-Ola
West Siberian	Kemerovo	196th	Kemerovo
	Kolpashevo		Kolpashevo
	Novosibirsk	6th(?)	Novosibirsk-Severnyy	2nd Novosibirsk Air Enterprise
	Tolmachevo	448th	Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo	Sibir'
	Novokuznetsk	184th	Novokuznetsk	Aerokuznetsk
	Omsk	365th / 2nd Squadron	Omsk	Omsk-Avia
	Tomsk	119trh	Tomsk	Tomsk Avia
Yakutian	Yakutsk	271st	Yakutsk	Sakha Avia
	Mirny		Mirny	Almazy Rossii – Sakha (Alrosa)
GosNII GVF ("state scientific test institute for civil air fleet")			Moscow - Sheremetyevo-1

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1976–77^[39]

General characteristics

• Crew: 3
• Capacity: 50 passengers
• Length: 23.53 m (77 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 29.20 m (95 ft 10 in)
• Height: 8.32 m (27 ft 4 in)
• Wing area: 74.98 m² (807.1 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 11.7:1
• Empty weight: 13,300 kg (29,321 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 21,000 kg (46,297 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 5,550 L (1,470 US gal; 1,220 imp gal)
• Powerplant: 2 × Ivchenko AI-24A turboprop engines, 1,900 kW (2,550 shp) each (eshp)
• Propellers: 4-bladed AV-72 constant-speed propellers, 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in) diameter

Performance

• Cruise speed: 450 km/h (280 mph, 240 kn) at 6,000 m (20,000 ft)
• Range: 2,400 km (1,500 mi, 1,300 nmi) with maximum fuel; 550 km (340 mi; 300 nmi) with maximum payload
• Service ceiling: 8,400 m (27,600 ft)
• Rate of climb: 1.91 m/s (375 ft/min)

Related development

• Antonov An-26
• Antonov An-30
• Antonov An-32
• Antonov An-50
• Antonov/Taqnia An-132
• Xian MA60

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Fokker F27
• Hawker Siddeley HS 748
• Handley Page Dart Herald

Related lists

• List of civil aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS

• Airliners.net