The AN-32 Light Multi-Purpose Transport Aircraft

     The AN-32 light military transport multi-purpose aircraft can be operated in various climate conditions, including hot climate (up to + 55°C) and from the mountain airfields (up to 4500 m height).

     The main aircraft purpose is to transport cargoes over the short and medium range air routes. Besides it can be used for carrying people, parachute delivery of people and cargo platforms on the pallets, and also as the ambulance variant.

     The aircraft has a high maneuverability of flights to the mountain airfields with difficult approaches.

     The AN-32 aircraft is fitted with all required modern cargo handling devices:

• large cargo door at the rear part of the fuselage with a ramp, which can be shifted under the fuselage or lowered to the ground thus providing fast aircraft unloading and loading from a truck;
• upper cargo handling equipment for loading and unloading of up to 3 t weight of cargoes;
• demountable roller equipment that provides handling operations of the packed cargoes on pallets or platforms.

     The semi-automatic locks of the roller equipment, used to fasten the pallets, reduce significantly the aircraft idle time.

     When cargoes are placed along the cargo floor the roller equipment is put to the fuselage sides or removed.

     The cargo compartment and door dimensions allow transporting the large-size cargoes, self-propelled wheeled vehicles, and cars. Cargoes and vehicles are fastened to the floor detachable tie-down fittings with the aid of nets and tie-down straps.

     The cockpit and cargo compartment are pressurized and equipped with the air conditioning system. The separate control of the air temperature of the compartments keeps the required temperature for the cargo transportation, preserving the standard temperature conditions for the crew.

     The cargo handling equipment and turbo-generator power plant are available to supply electric power and to start engines, providing the independent operation of the aircraft from the poorly equipped airfields.

     The landing gear with the low-pressure pneumatics and high-mounted engines allow operating the aircraft from the unpaved airfields and sites.

     The aircraft flight navigation system and radio communication equipment allow to perform the flights under adverse weather conditions, during the day and night, for the local and international air routes.

     The aircraft crew consists of three persons: two pilots and a navigator. An extra seat and the flight engineer workstation can be equipped, if necessary.

     There were designed and certificated by the CIS Interstate Aviation Committee of the Air Register and UKRAVIATRANS in 1995 on the basis of the AN-32 military transport aircraft:

• AN-32Б aircraft for the commercial airlift;
• AN-32П fire fighting aircraft, using 8 t of fire liquid.

     The AN-32Б-100 is the new variant of the AN-32Б aircraft has been developed in the result of the aircraft modernization. The new modification differs its predecessor by:

• take-off weight increased up to 28.5 tons, and payload increased up to 7.5 tons;
• installation of modified engine and its overrating mode control system;
• mounting of АИ-20Д engines series 5M with increased life to the 1st overhaul, life between overhauls increased up to 4000 hours and assigned service life increased up to 20000 hours.

     On the basis of the AN-32 military-transport aircraft is offered the deeper modification the AN-32B-200 variant. Besides the advantages of the AN-32Б-100 the new aircraft obtains:

• up-to-date cockpit for two-pilot crew with digital airborne electronic system of the Collins type;
• more airdropping-transport possibilities;
• additional easy-removable tanks with total fuel capacity up to 3000 l, mounted at the fuselage external side, allow to increase the flight range up to 3200 km;
• improved system of on-condition maintenance.

     At present more than 240 of the AN-32 aircraft are being operated in the countries with adverse climate conditions, including CIS, India, Sri-Lanka, Bangladesh, Columbia, Peru, Mexico, Afghanistan, African countries, etc.