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The Antonov An-2 ("kukuruznik"—corn crop duster; USAF/DoD reporting name Type 22,
NATO reporting name NATO reporting names are code names for military equipment from Russia, China, and historically, the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw Pact). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English words in a uniform manne ...
Colt) is a
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
mass-produced single-engine
biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
utility/agricultural aircraft designed and manufactured by the
Antonov Antonov State Enterprise ( uk, Державне підприємство «Антонов»), formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named after Antonov (Antonov ASTC) ( uk, Авіаційний науково-технічни ...
Design Bureau OKB is a transliteration of the Russian initials of "" – , meaning 'experiment and design bureau'. During the Soviet era, OKBs were closed institutions working on design and prototyping of advanced technology, usually for military applications. ...
beginning in 1947. Its durability, high lifting power, and ability to take off and land from poor runways have given it a long service life. The An-2 was produced up to 2001 and remains in service with military and civilian operators around the world. The An-2 was designed as a utility aircraft for use in forestry and agriculture, but the basic airframe is highly adaptable and numerous variants of the type have been developed; these include hopper-equipped versions for crop-dusting, scientific versions for atmospheric sampling, water-bombers for fighting forest-fires, flying ambulances, float-equipped seaplane versions and lightly armed combat versions for dropping
paratroops A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...
.Harpole, Tom
"Antonovs in America"
''
Air & Space/Smithsonian ''Air & Space/Smithsonian'' is a quarterly magazine published by the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Linc ...
'', August 2012. Retrieved: 31 July 2012.
The most common version is the An-2T 12-seater passenger aircraft. All versions (other than the An-3 and the An-2-100) are powered by a nine-cylinder
Shvetsov ASh-62 The Shvetsov ASh-62 (Russian: АШ-62, designated M-62 before 1941) is a nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine produced in the Soviet Union. A version of this engine is produced in Poland as the ASz-62 and the People's Republic of Ch ...
radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...
, which was developed from the
Wright R-1820 The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Uni ...
. The An-2 typically consumes .


Design and development


Origins

The Antonov An-2 was designed to meet a 1940s Soviet Ministry of Forestry requirement for a replacement for the much lighter, largely wooden-airframed
Polikarpov Po-2 The Polikarpov Po-2 (also U-2, for its initial ''uchebnyy'', 'training', role as a flight instruction aircraft) served as an all-weather multirole Soviet biplane, nicknamed ''Kukuruznik'' (russian: Кукурузник,Gunston 1995, p. 292. NAT ...
, which was used in large numbers in both agricultural and utility roles. Antonov designed a large single bay
biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
of all-metal construction, with an enclosed cockpit and a cabin with seats for twelve passengers. The first prototype, designated SKh-1 and powered by a
Shvetsov ASh-21 The Shvetsov ASh-21 is a seven-cylinder single-row air-cooled radial aero engine. Design and development The ASh-21 is basically a single-row version of the Shvetsov ASh-82. The ASh-21 also incorporates a number of parts from the ASh-62 radia ...
radial engine, flew on 31 August 1947. The second prototype was fitted with a more powerful
Shvetsov ASh-62 The Shvetsov ASh-62 (Russian: АШ-62, designated M-62 before 1941) is a nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine produced in the Soviet Union. A version of this engine is produced in Poland as the ASz-62 and the People's Republic of Ch ...
engine, which allowed the aircraft's payload to be significantly increased from , and in this form it was ordered into production.Gunston 1995, p. 20. Initial Soviet production was at State Factory 473 in
Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
,
Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
, where the bulk of up to 5,000 units had been produced by 1960. Later Soviet production (after 1965, of model An-2M especially) was at State Factory 464 at Dolgoprudniy,
Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
. After 1960, most An-2s were constructed at Poland's WSK factory in
Mielec Mielec ( yi, מעליץ-Melitz) is the largest city and seat of Mielec County. Mielec is located in south-eastern Poland (Lesser Poland), in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (Województwo Podkarpackie). The population of Mielec in December 2021 was ...
; it is believed that over 13,000 aircraft were built in Poland before principal manufacturing activity ended during 1991. Grzegorz Hołdanowicz: ''Polskie M28 uszczelnią Wietnam'' in: Raport-WTO nr.12/2003, p.23 Up until 2001, limited production was undertaken using remaining stocks of components, spares and maintenance coverage, such as a small batch of four aircraft that were produced for Vietnam.
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
also builds the An-2 under licence as the Shijiazhuang Y-5. It has been occasionally and erroneously reported that there was East German production of the An-2; while An-2s often underwent extensive refurbishment in East German facilities, no new aircraft were constructed there. The An-2 is commonly used as a light utility transport, parachute drop aircraft, agricultural work and other tasks suited to a large slow biplane. Its slow flight and good short field performance make it suited for short, unimproved fields, and some specialized variants have also been built for cold weather and other extreme environments. The ''
Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' states that the 45-year production run for the An-2 was for a time the longest ever for any aircraft and challenged the well over two decades-long run of the much lighter, late-1920s origin
Polikarpov Po-2 The Polikarpov Po-2 (also U-2, for its initial ''uchebnyy'', 'training', role as a flight instruction aircraft) served as an all-weather multirole Soviet biplane, nicknamed ''Kukuruznik'' (russian: Кукурузник,Gunston 1995, p. 292. NAT ...
biplane it was intended to replace. The An-2's record was exceeded by the four-turboprop, 1954-origin,
Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally design ...
military transport.


Further development

During the early 1980s, Antonov experimented with a development of the An-2 powered by a modern
turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...
engine. The unit used was a Glushenkov engine. Aircraft fitted with this engine had a longer, more streamlined nose to accommodate it. It received the designation of
Antonov An-3 The Antonov An-3 is a Soviet (later Ukrainian and Russian) civil multipurpose and agricultural aircraft. It is essentially a turboprop-powered development of the An-2, designed to upgrade or replace it. The basic transport version (An-3T) is su ...
. During 2013, Antonov announced that it had successfully flown for the first time a new version of the An-2, dubbed the ''An-2-100'', which was fitted with a three-blade reversible propeller and a
Motor Sich The Motor Sich Joint Stock Company ( uk, АТ «Мотор Січ») is a Ukrainian aircraft engine manufacturer headquartered in Zaporizhzhia. The company manufactures engines for airplanes and helicopters, and also industrial marine gas turbi ...
MS-14 turboprop running on
kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...
rather than Avgas, which is no longer produced in CIS countries.Gethin, Howard
"Antonov flies turboprop-powered An-2-100."
''Flight Global'', 5 August 2013.
That same year, the company stated that it had received orders for upgrading "hundreds" of the An-2 planes still in operation in
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
,
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
to the An-2-100 upgrade version. The Siberian Research Institute of Aviation (SIBNIA) has test flown a highly modified Antonov An-2 with carbon fibre winglet-like braces and carbon fibre wing structures. It was equipped with a five-bladed turboprop engine, most probably the Honeywell TPE331 already installed on a modernized version of the An-2 that entered service in 2014. According to Russian aviation company
Sukhoi The JSC Sukhoi Company (russian: ПАО «Компания „Сухой“», ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer (formerly Soviet), headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, that designs both civilian and milita ...
, this aircraft was built to demonstrate the aerodynamic and structural changes that were planned for an eventual An-2 replacement announced on 10 June 2015. The autoclave-cured carbonfibre composite materials – including wing panels, spars and ribs – were produced by the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant. Sukhoi says the design change improved the speed of the An-2 by 50%, and testing also has shown the minimum flying speed of the aircraft is "close to zero".


Design

The Antonov An-2 is a mass-produced single-engine
biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
that has been commonly used as a utility and agricultural aircraft. It is deliberately furnished with a minimum of complex systems. The crucial wing leading edge slats that give the aircraft its slow flight ability are fully automatic, being held closed by the airflow over the wings. Once the airspeed drops below , the slats will extend because they are on elastic rubber springs. Under typical conditions, the take-off is complete within while the landing run requires ; these figures will vary dependent upon various factors, such as the aircraft's take-off/landing weight, the external air temperature, surface roughness, and
headwind A tailwind is a wind that blows in the direction of travel of an object, while a headwind blows against the direction of travel. A tailwind increases the object's speed and reduces the time required to reach its destination, while a headwind has ...
. The An-2 is equipped with various design features which make it suitable for operation in remote areas with unsurfaced airstrips. It is fitted with a pneumatic brake system (similar to those used on heavy road vehicles) to stop on short runways, along with an air line attached to the
compressor A compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. An air compressor is a specific type of gas compressor. Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transp ...
, so the pressure in the
tire A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineering), t ...
s and
shock absorber A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most sh ...
s can be adjusted without the need for installing specialised equipment. The batteries, while sizable, are relatively easy to remove, so the aircraft does not need a
ground power unit File:Qatar Airways Airbus A380-800 at Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 before Flying to Doha, 6 Jan 2015.jpg, Qatar Airways Airbus A380-800 on apron outside Heathrow Terminal 4 with a wide range of ground handling equipment around such as aircraft con ...
to supply power for starting the engine. Likewise, there is no need for an external fuel pump to refuel the aircraft as it is provided with an inbuilt onboard pump, which allows the tanks to be filled from simple fuel drums. According to the operating handbook, the An-2 has no stall speed. A note from the pilot's handbook reads: "If the engine quits in instrument conditions or at night, the pilot should pull the control column full aft and keep the wings level. The leading-edge slats will snap out at about and when the airplane slows to a forward speed of about , the airplane will sink at about a parachute descent rate until the aircraft hits the ground." As such, pilots of the An-2 have stated that they are capable of flying the aircraft in full control at (as a contrast, a
Cessna Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufacturing c ...
four-seater light aircraft has a stall speed of around ). This slow stall speed makes it possible for the aircraft to fly backwards relative to the ground: if the aircraft is pointed into a headwind of roughly , it will travel backwards at whilst under full control. The An-2's ability, looks and flying characteristics, and its status as one of the world's biggest single-engined production biplanes, mean that demand for the An-2 is increasing in Western Europe and the United States, where they are prized by collectors of classic aircraft, making it an increasingly common sight at airshows. Many western countries prohibit the use of the An-2 commercially because the aircraft has not been certified by the relevant national aviation authorities. These restrictions vary by country, but all prevent the An-2 being used for any 'for profit' purpose, with the exception of the United States, where An-2s imported since 1993 are limited to experimental certification, but PZL-built An-2s are exempt from this restriction due to a
bilateral agreement Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...
with Poland.


Operational history


Military service

The An-2 was adopted in bulk by both the
Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
and other
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
military forces. It was first used in a military context during the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
of the early 1950s. The
Vietnam People's Air Force The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF, ), formally refers itself as the Air Defence - Air Force (ADAF, ) or the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF, ), is the Air force, aerial warfare service branch of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North V ...
(VPAF) was another prolific user of the AN-2; during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, the service occasionally used the type as an attack aircraft. During the 1960s, a single An-2 that was attempting to engage
South Vietnamese South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
naval units was shot down by a
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...
fighter, under the control of an Air Intercept Controller on the . On 12 January 1968, a clandestine
TACAN A tactical air navigation system, commonly referred to by the acronym TACAN, is a navigation system used by military aircraft. It provides the user with bearing and distance (slant-range or hypotenuse) to a ground or ship-borne station. It is a mor ...
site (
call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...
: ''
Lima Site 85 Lima Site 85 (LS-85 alphanumeric code of the phonetic 1st letter used to conceal this covert operation) was a clandestine military installation in the Royal Kingdom of Laos guarded by the Hmong "Secret Army", the Central Intelligence Agency, a ...
''/Phou Pha Ti) installed by the United States Air Force in Northern
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
for directing
USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
warplanes flying from
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
to
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
was attacked by three
North Vietnamese North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
An-2s. A pair of An-2s fired on the outpost using a mixture of machine guns and rockets while a third An-2 orbited overhead to survey the assault. An Air America
Bell UH-1 The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helic ...
B, XW-PHF that had been resupplying the site gave chase to the two attacking aircraft. Using an
AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas operated, gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian s ...
, the American crew (Ted Moore Captain, Glen Wood Kicker) succeeded in shooting down one of the An-2s while the second aircraft was forced down by combined ground and air fire, eventually crashing into a mountain. The surviving Antonov returned to its home base, Gia Lam, near Hanoi. During the
Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...
in 1991, a number of aged An-2 biplanes previously used for crop-spraying were converted by the
Croatian Air Force The Croatian Air Force ( hr, Hrvatsko ratno zrakoplovstvo or HRZ) is a branch of the Croatian Armed Forces whose primary task is to ensure the sovereignty of the airspace of the Republic of Croatia and to provide aviation support to other branc ...
to drop makeshift
barrel bombs A barrel bomb is an improvised unguided bomb, sometimes described as a flying IED (improvised explosive device). They are typically made from a large barrel-shaped metal container that has been filled with high explosives, possibly shrapnel, oil ...
. They were also used to conduct supply missions to the town of
Vukovar Vukovar () ( sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, hu, Vukovár, german: Wukowar) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern region of Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube. Vukovar is the seat of ...
and other besieged parts of Croatia.Mader 1996, p.145. The chief advantage for the An-2 was that they could take off and land in small or improvised airstrips. They were also frequently used to drop supplies by parachute on isolated garrisons. At least one AN-2 was shot down on 2 December 1991 over
Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city's registered population was 28,247 in the 2021 census, the total population of the city was 31,057, making it the largest town of the county. Surrounde ...
, eastern
Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja ...
, by a Serbian
surface to air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...
(SAM) emplacement which purportedly launched a salvo of SA-6s at the aircraft. Following the shootdown, the flights over Serbian lines ceased, due to the presence of Serb SA-6's. The previous radar guided AA systems were avoided by keeping the airplane's speed below , the speed of objects that radars were programmed to erase from the screen. Reportedly,
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
has operated a number of the AN-2s. The
Korean People's Army Special Operation Force The Korean People's Army Special Operation Force (KPASOF; Korean: 조선인민군 특수작전군; Hanja: 朝鮮人民軍 特殊作戰軍; Chosŏn-inmin'gun teugsujagjeongun) consists of specially equipped and trained elite military units trained ...
is known to use the An-2 to facilitate the infiltration of paratroopers.Bermudez, Joseph S. Jr., "North Korean Special Forces", Jane's Publishing Company, Surrey, United Kingdom, 1988. It has been speculated that in wartime, these aircraft could possibly be used to deliver troops behind enemy lines for sabotage operations. As October, 2020 during the ongoing
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of ...
Azerbaijan Forces have been operating unmanned AN-2 for surveillance and bombing of Armenian defenses, however the type of the drone remaining unknown for Armenian sources. Armenian forces revealed footage of the alleged shotdown of Azerbaijani An-2, according to video evidence at least 11 An-2 have been destroyed, with 10 confirmed as shot down and one crashing after takeoff. On March 2, 2022, Russian An-2s were observed being stationed at Seshcha Air Base,
Bryansk Oblast Bryansk Oblast (russian: Бря́нская о́бласть, ''Bryanskaya oblast''), also known as Bryanshchina (russian: Брянщина, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is th ...
. As the base is situated close to the border with
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, it has been speculated that the aircraft are to be used as part of the ongoing
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.


Civil aviation

Over the years, dozens of nations and companies alike have employed the An-2 in civil roles. The type was heavily used throughout the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and the
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
nations; in particular, Russian airline
Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...
has operated a large number of the An-2s. During the Soviet era, the An-2 was used as a short-range airliner in
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, performing regular flights between the towns of
Kuressaare Kuressaare () is a town on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Saaremaa Parish and the capital of Saare County. Kuressaare is the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded population on 1 January 2018 was 13,276. Th ...
and
Kärdla Kärdla (; sv, ; german: Kertel) is the only town on the island of Hiiumaa, Estonia. It is the capital of Hiiu County and the administrative center of Hiiumaa Parish. Geography Kärdla is located on the northeastern coast of Hiiumaa, by the Ta ...
, which reside on separate islands,
Saaremaa Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring . The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and west of Muhu island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago. The capital of the island i ...
and
Hiiumaa Hiiumaa (, ) is the second largest island in Estonia and is part of the West Estonian archipelago, in the Baltic Sea. It has an area of 989 km2 and is 22 km from the Estonian mainland. Its largest town is Kärdla. It is located within H ...
. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the various communist states of Eastern Europe, most airlines in these regions have been withdrawing their An-2s from service. This is due to some of these aircraft being over 40 years old, as well as a result of the decline in the production of
avgas Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in motor vehicles, w ...
to fuel the type. Private operators are typically still using the An-2s, as their stability, capacity and slow-flying ability has made them relatively popular for some functions, such as for
skydiving Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes. For ...
. Whilst their relatively high noise levels, increasing maintenance costs, high fuel consumption and unsophisticated nature (the pre-flight checks alone take between 30 and 40 minutes) has rendered them obsolete for the majority of commercial routes in Europe, the large number of aircraft available means that unit prices are especially low in comparison to contemporaries (being available from as little as US$30,000 for a serviceable example). The price factor has made them highly attractive for continued use in the
developing world A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...
, where their ability to carry large loads into short airstrips makes them assets to airlines on a budget. Many ex-Aeroflot An-2s have since found work with regional operators across
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
,
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
,
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and southeast
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
. In recent years, the An-2 has also gained popularity in the U.S. and Canada, where it has often been used as a
bushplane A bush airplane is a general aviation aircraft used to provide both scheduled and unscheduled passenger and flight services to remote, undeveloped areas, such as the Canadian north or bush, Alaskan tundra, the African bush, or savanna, Amazon rai ...
. Because of their reliability and robustness, several operators have continued to use the type to conduct scheduled passenger service between airstrips in Western countries; one example of such use being the air service between the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
islands of
Sylt Sylt (; da, Sild; Sylt North Frisian, Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian ...
and
Föhr Föhr ( ''Fering'' North Frisian: ''Feer''; da, Før) is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Föhr is the second-largest No ...
. As of 2015, there were thousands of An-2s remaining in operation around the world, including over 1,500 in Russia, 294 in
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
and 54 in
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
.


Variants


Soviet / Polish production

* ''Izdeliye F'' – The in-house designation for the An-2NAK observation aircraft which was later re-designated An-2K and/or An-2F.Gordon,Yefim & Komissarov, Dmitry. “Antonov An-2”. Midland. Hinkley. 2004. * ''Izdeliye K'' – A prototype weather reconnaissance/research aircraft with an observers cockpit immediately forward of the fin above the rear fuselage. First flown on 21 March 1948 'Izdeliye K' was found to be under-powered and unable to carry out its intended mission at high altitude, the aircraft was abandoned after a landing accident in October 1948. The concept was resurrected in 1954 as the 'An-2ZA' / 'An-6 Meteo'. * ''Izdeliye T'' – The original design concept originated at
OKB-153 Antonov State Enterprise ( uk, Державне підприємство «Антонов»), formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named after Antonov (Antonov ASTC) ( uk, Авіаційний науково-технічни ...
in Novosibirsk. * ''Izdeliye Sh'' – The in-house designation for the 'Izdeliye T' (presumably to confuse spies or infiltrators) design project at Novosibirsk. * SKh-1 – the original designation of the An-2 used during the design phase of the project before the OKB had been named after Antonov. * An-2A – Developed from the An-2T for use as a Balloon interceptor to intercept reconnaissance balloons from, US intelligence assets, over-flying the USSR. The prototype was converted from a Kiev built An-2 (c/n 110347315) using the Turbo-charged Ash-62IR/TK of the 'An-6 Meteo' and a combined searchlight/gun turret mounted on top of the rear fuselage, which mounted either a single
Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23 The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23 ( rus, ГШ-23) is a twin-barreled 23 mm autocannon developed in the Soviet Union, primarily for military aircraft use. It entered service in 1965, replacing the earlier Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 and Rikhter R-23. ...
23 mm calibre twin-barrelled cannon or a single Afanas'yev A-12.7 12.7 mm calibre heavy machine-gun. * An-2E (''Ekranoplan'' – wing in ground effect) (first use of the designation) – One of a series of projects from the early 1970s for WIG ( Wing In Ground effect) derivatives of the An-2, designed at the TsLST (''Tsentral'naya Laboratoriya Spasatel'noy Techniki'' – central laboratory for new types of rescue equipment). * An-2E (second use of the designation) – An
Ekranoplan A ground-effect vehicle (GEV), also called a wing-in-ground-effect (WIG), ground-effect craft, wingship, flarecraft or ekranoplan (russian: экранопла́н – "screenglider"), is a vehicle that is able to move over the surface by gainin ...
conversion (russian: Ан-2Э) of an An-2P (RA-84692). The fuselage was retained and a large trapezoidal monoplane wing having extended wingtips with approx 45° dihedral, attached to the lower wing attachment points. The prototype conversion was intended to be a floatplane; however, its first public appearance was as a landplane with the standard An-2 undercarriage. Jointly developed by the Moscow Aviation Institute, MARZ (''Moskovskiy Aviaremontnyy Zavod'' – Moscow Aircraft Overhaul Plant) and The TSZP-Saturn research institute the An-2E was also known as EA-00078. Power was supplied by the standard ASh-62IR radial engine with AV-2 propeller, but production versions were intended to be powered by automotive diesel engines of around . * An-2F – Developed concurrently with the An-2 prototype, 'Izdeliye F' was an experimental artillery-observation aircraft with a twin-tail, ventral observer's position and dorsal defensive machine-gun position. The initial service designation of An-2NAK was changed to An-2F once post test flight modifications had been carried out. Two prototypes were built, with the first completed in the summer of 1948, but flight testing was delayed to April 1949 due to the need to incorporate modifications called up from the standard An-2 flight test programme. The flight test of the An-2F showed that the aircraft met all the requirements of the specification, but helicopters were demonstrating that they could perform the artillery correction role without the need to provide fixed base airstrip for them to operate from, thus the An-2F was not proceeded with and the two prototypes were retained by the Antonov bureau for hack duties with one later serving as a flying wind tunnel to investigate para-dropping from the Antonov An-8 twin-turboprop transport. * An-2F (second use of designation) – A VTOL project with vertical thrust to be provided by a Mikulin AM-9 turbojet in the rear fuselage. * An-2F (third use of the designation) – A proposed photo-mapping aircraft project, from the early 1990s, similar to the An-2PF equipped with one of five alternate cameras. Overall control was to have been by IBM 286 computer and the camera could be augmented or replaced by a thermal imaging system, Infra-Red imaging system, AP-6E autopilot, LDI-3 laser rangefinder and/or a GPS global positioning system. * An-2G (a.k.a. An-2Geo) – During 1974 WSK-Mielec developed a geo-physical survey aircraft for the Polish State Geophysical Survey Agency (''Państwowe Przedsiębiorstwo Poszukiwań Geofizycznych''), with equipment for measuring magnetic fields, radiation and other instruments for prospecting. Adapted to fly in tropical latitudes at low altitude the 'An-2G' could fly for six hours and two were used for survey work in
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
in 1974. * An-2L (''Lesozashchita'' – forestry protection) – A fire bomber variant with three cassettes each holding 120 ampoules, containing 1litre (34 fl.oz.) of fire-retardant which were dropped as required. Trials revealed that this system was inefficient and further work was abandoned. * An-2LL (''Letayuschaya Laboratoriya'' – flying laboratory) – Any of a number of An-2s used as testbeds for various equipment. One An-2SKh (RA-70547), modified by the State Research Institute of Aircraft Systems. (GosNII AS – ''Gosudarstvennyy Nauchno-Issledovatel'skiy Institut Aviatsionnykh Sistem''), for environmental research, had a lateral observation blister which has often caused the aircraft to be misidentified as an An-2PF. * An-2LP (''Lesopozharnyy'' – forest firefighter) – A single prototype converted from an An-2V floatplane, with 630 litre(139 Imp.Gal.) water tanks in each float for dropping on fires. The water tanks could be re-filled in flight, as the aircraft skimmed the surface of suitable bodies of water. Prior to dropping an alkaline wetting agent (NP-1 Sulphanol) was added to the water which was released through the scoops which also picked up the water to refill the tanks. Ten production aircraft were built seeing service in the Siberian and Far East regions of the USSR. * An-2LV (''Lesnoj Vodnyj'' – forest hydroplane) – A firefighting waterbomber. * An-2M (Polish:'' amolotMorski'' – seaplane) – Polish production of the An-2V floatplane, designated An-2M, (not to be confused with the Soviet designation An-2M). Also known as the An-2W. * An-2M (''Modifitsirovannyy'' – modified) – The designation An-2M was also used in the USSR for a much improved agricultural crop-sprayer/duster. The An-2M featured an all-duralumin welded and bonded fuselage, lockable tailwheel, enlarged fibre-glass hopper, Shvetsov ASh-62 radial engine with power take off to an auxiliary gearbox to drive the dusting/spraying equipment, an angular fin of increased area and a hermetically sealed cockpit with no access to the cabin/hopper area. The hopper capacity was increased 42% to 2,000 litres (440 Imp.gal.) delivering product through an outlet enlarged to with dry product being fed to two dusting outlets at the tips of the lower wings. Due to lack of capacity at the Kiev factory and
WSK-Mielec PZL Mielec (''Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze'' - Polish Aviation Works), formerly WSK-Mielec (''Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego'') and WSK "PZL-Mielec" is a Polish aerospace manufacturer based in Mielec. It is the largest aerospace manufacturer i ...
the An-2M was manufactured at DMZ N0.464 (''Dolgoproodnyy Machinery Factory No.464'') to the north of Moscow. * An-2P (Polish: ''Pasażerski'' – passenger) (Russian: ''Passazhirskiy'' – passenger) – Soviet and Polish production of a standard passenger variant. Soviet production An-2P's had 10 permanently installed seats in a heated insulated cabin. Polish production aircraft had 12–14 seats, two jump seats for children and a baby cot. A total of 837 An-2P's were built. * An-2P (''Protivopozharnij'' – fire-fighting with water) – A fire-fighting aircraft with a dumpable hopper filled with water and/or retardant. * An-2PD-5 (Polish: ''Pasażerski amolotDyspozycyjny'' – executive aircraft's) – The production version of the 'An-2PD-6', featuring almost identical interior furnishings with a work table and reading light replacing one of the chairs. * An-2PD-6 (Polish: ''Pasażerski amolotDyspozycyjny'' – executive aircraft's) – A prototype six seat VIP variant of the An-2P produced at WSK-Mielec in 1970, featuring a folding table,
mini-bar A minibar is a small refrigerator, typically an absorption refrigerator, in a hotel room or cruise ship stateroom. The hotel staff fill it with drinks and snacks for the guest to purchase during their stay. It is stocked with a precise invento ...
, pantry and toilet. * An-2PF – Soviet production An-2 aircraft configured for photo-mapping/survey tasks with camera hatches protected by sliding hatches on the undersurface of the fuselage. * An-2PF – A joint request from the Polish State mapping Agency (''Państwowe Przedsiębiorstwo Kartografii'') led to Polish production of eight 'An-2PF' aircraft configured for photo-mapping/survey tasks with camera hatches protected by sliding hatches on the undersurface of the fuselage. * An-2PK – A polar research aircraft developed by WSK-Mielec with heated skis, insulated cabin and an additional cabin heater. * An-2PRTV – A single Polish production An-2, (SP-TVN, c/n1G 15944), modified as a television broadcast relay aircraft for the Polish Radio and Television Co. (''Polskie Radio i Telewizja''). * An-2R (Polish: ''Rolniczy'' – agricultural) – WSK-Mielec manufactured agricultural variant with tank for of liquid or powdered chemicals. * An-2RA – A projected up-graded Agricultural aircraft, based on the An-2R, developed at WSK-Mielec. * An-2RT (Russian: ''Rele Translyator'' – relay translator) – A single An-2 was converted to a telemetry relay station, for missile development work, relaying telemetry from test missiles to a ground station. * An-2S (''Sanitarnyy'' – medical) – The An-2S was an adaptation of the standard An-2T cargo plane with up to six stretcher patients or three stretchers and six walking wounded along with attendants and support equipment. * An-2SKh (''Sel'skoKhozyaistvennyy'' – agricultural) – The agricultural version optimised for crop-spraying and crop-dusting. A metal construction chemical hopper was installed in the cabin near the centre of gravity, feeding a spreader through a 300mm orifice. The original spreader was replaced in 1975 by a standardised RTSh-1 three channel spreader which increased distribution width from to . Liquid chemicals could be sprayed using an interchangeable system which delivered chemical to spraybars via a ram air turbine driven regulator pump to give coverage wide. Powdered or granulated chemicals were loaded through a hatch in the roof of the cabin and liquid chemical through a special connector on the port side of the fuselage. Early An-2SKh's were typically limited to a 6,000-hour life, as opposed to a normal life of 12,000 hours, due to the corrosive effects of the chemicals. The introduction of epoxy based corrosion protection systems partly alleviated the situation, allowing the agricultural An-2s to continue flying for much longer. Five An-2SKh aircraft were converted to firefighters, from 1954, by pressurising the hopper filled with water and/or retardant and ejecting it from a nozzle in place of the dusting/spraying equipment, single aircraft were allocated to Civil Air Directorates across the country but proved relatively ineffectual. * An-2T (''Transportnyy'' – cargo) – The baseline first production model for cargo and mail carriage. * An-2TD (''Transportno-Desantnyy'' – cargo/paratrooper) – paratrooper version with 12 seats, static line attachment cables and drop signalling lights. * An-2TP (''Transportno-Passazhirskiy'' – cargo/passenger) – A convertible passenger/cargo version, with
tip-up seat A folding seat is a seat that folds away so as to occupy less space. When installed on a transit bus, it makes room for a wheelchair or two. When installed on a passenger car, it provides extra seating. In churches, it may have a projection cal ...
s for ten, released in 1949. * An-2TPS (''Transportno-Passazhirskiy Sanitarnyy'' – cargo/passenger medical) – Polish production of ambulance aircraft derived from An-2TP aircraft with three stretchers each side and two medical attendants. * An-2V (''Vodnyy'' – water-based) – A seaplane version of the baseline An-2 fitted with twin floats supported on wire-braced struts at the undercarriage attachment points and rear fuselage. Floatplane An-2s manufactured in Kiev were designated An-4 but there is little evidence that this designation was widely used. At least one An-2V.AN-2V Video
* An-2V (''Vysotnyy'' – high altitude) – Six aircraft were built, at the Kiev factory, as weather reconnaissance An-2V's for use at high altitude. Powered by the ASh-62IR/TK turbo-charged engine, they differed from the 'An-6 Meteo' by not having the observers cockpit forward of the fin. * An-2VA – water bomber. * An-2W (''Wodnosamolot'' – seaplane) – Polish production of the An-2V, also sometimes designated An-2M (not to be confused with the improved variant). * An-2ZA (''Zondirovaniye Atmosfery'' – atmosphere sampling) – The initial designation for a high altitude meteorological research re-designated as the 'An-6 Meteo'. * An-3 (first use of the designation) – A radical redesign of the An-2A to intercept reconnaissance balloons from US intelligence assets, over-flying the USSR. With a high aspect ratio monoplane high-set wing, turbo-charged ASh-62IR/TK and a combined searchlight/gun turret mounted on top of the rear fuselage. * An-3 (second use of designation) – In an effort to replace the An-2SKh, after the poor performance of the abortive
WSK-Mielec M-15 Belphegor The PZL M-15 was a jet-powered biplane designed and manufactured by the Polish aircraft company WSK PZL-Mielec for agricultural aviation. In reference to both its strange looks and relatively loud jet engine, the aircraft was nicknamed ''Belph ...
, it was proposed to fit a turboprop engine on an all new fuselage featuring a hunchback for the cockpit and An-2M tail surfaces. This design was not carried through and a less ambitious re-design resulted in the third and final use of the An-3 designation. * An-3 (third use of designation) – The prototype An-3 with a Glushenkov TVD-20
turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...
engine, sealed cockpit with separate entrance door above lower wing leading edge and air conditioning to improve the cockpit environment. Two prototypes were built (CCCP-06131 and CCCP37901) with a third registration (CCCP26700) which is believed to be a re-registration of one of the other two registrations. The flight tests and trials progressed well and the two prototypes set no less than six World Records for payload to altitude in their class. Due to the collapse of the USSR initial plans for production and variants were shelved until 1993 when production of converted aircraft began, as the An-3T, at the Omsk 'Polyot' factory. ** An-3T – Due to the large number of surplus An-2s available the An-3T was not produced from scratch but by converting aircraft which had at least 50% of their life remaining. All the aircraft were re-registered and given new construction numbers. ** An-3TK – A convertible passenger /cargo version with six foldable twin seats. ** An-3SKh – An agricultural version tested with one of the original prototypes but with no known production conversions. ** An-3P – A forest fire fighting water bomber with a tank installed in the fuselage. ** An-3S – A projected ambulance version with six stretchers and two medical attendants. ** An-3D – Projected military troopship version with tip-up seats for paratroopers. * An-4 – This designation was used for An-2V seaplanes produced at Kiev, but does not seem to be used much. This is either due to very limited production at Kiev or operators not making the distinction between the An-2V and An-4. * An-6 – A transport aircraft fitted with the Shvetsov Ash-62IR/TK turbo-charged engine was produced for use in mountainous areas at high altitudes. An unknown number were delivered to the
Tajik Civil Aviation Directorate Tajik, Tadjik, Tadzhik or Tajikistani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Tajikistan * Tajiks, an ethnic group in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan * Tajik language, the official language of Tajikistan * Tajik (surname) * Tajik cu ...
and the Polar directorate for use in the far north of the USSR and to support the USSR's Antarctic research stations. *An-6 Meteo – After the failure of 'Izdeliye K', the Antonov bureau was tasked with developing the 'An-2ZA' high-altitude weather reconnaissance aircraft based on the An-2. Featuring the same observers cockpit, forward of the vertical stabiliser above the rear fuselage, used on 'Izdeliye K', power was supplied by a turbo-charged Shvetsov Ash-62IR/TK which enabled the 'An-2ZA' to carry out its intended high-altitude research role. On 9 June 1954 OKB-153 test pilot V.A. Kalinin and Flight Engineer V.I. Baklaykin set a World altitude record for Class C-1e-1 () at which had not been broken by 2004. The 'An-2ZA' was re-designated 'An-6 Meteo' early in its career and continued to fly until a take-off accident in September 1958 caused extensive damage. * Grach-2 (''Grach''-Rook) – Students from the SKB MAI (''Studencheskoye Konstruktorskoye Byuro Moskovskii Aviatsionii Institut
ergo Ordjonikidze Ergo may refer to: * A Latin word meaning "therefore" as in Cogito ergo sum *'' Ergo (journal)'', an academic journal * A Greek word έργο meaning "work", used as a prefix ergo-, for example, in ergonomics. * Ergometer (rowing), an indoor rowi ...
' – student construction bureau Moscow Aviation Institute
ergo Ordjonikidze Ergo may refer to: * A Latin word meaning "therefore" as in Cogito ergo sum *'' Ergo (journal)'', an academic journal * A Greek word έργο meaning "work", used as a prefix ergo-, for example, in ergonomics. * Ergometer (rowing), an indoor rowi ...
studied agricultural aircraft utilising the WIG effect. Their first effort, named ''Grach''-2, was a standard An-2 fuselage mated to low-set inverted gull. reverse-delta monoplane wings with couter, constant chord, dihedral sections and fitted with a t-tail. * Grach-3 – The second projected WIG agricultural aircraft from the SKB MAI was the Grach-3. This aircraft was to have been similar to the Grach-2 but utilising a centre section with near constant chord which allowed the tailplane to be dispensed with and pitch controlled by elevators at the rear of the centre section. * Lala-1 – A research prototype with an open-frame rear fuselage, twin tail and twin tailwheels supported by struts under the rear of the fuselage pod. An Ivchenko AI-25 turbofan engine was fitted in the rear of the fuselage pod for use as a development model for the
WSK-Mielec M-15 Belphegor The PZL M-15 was a jet-powered biplane designed and manufactured by the Polish aircraft company WSK PZL-Mielec for agricultural aviation. In reference to both its strange looks and relatively loud jet engine, the aircraft was nicknamed ''Belph ...
agricultural aircraft. *
SibNIA Chaplygin Siberian Scientific Research Institute Of Aviation (SibNIA) (russian: Сибирский научно-исследовательский институт авиации им. С. А. Чаплыгина) is a research institute based in No ...
TVS-2MS – Turboprop conversion of An-2 by Siberian Aeronautical Research Institute (SibNIA) using Honeywell TPE331-12UHR engine. First flown 5 September 2011. Deliveries to the Aerial Forest Protection Service began in 2014, with six flying by August 2014 and 16 in service by early 2017. * SibNIA TVS-2-DT – Fitted with new composite wings (with no bracing struts or wires) and tail. First flight 10 June 2015. * SibNIA TVS-2-DTS – TVS-2-DT fitted with new all-composite fuselage. Production planned at
Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAZ, russian: Улан-Удэнский авиационный завод, ''Ulan-Udėnskij aviacionný zavod'') is a Russian joint-stock company specializing in aircraft manufacturing. It is based in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia. ...
from 2019 to meet a requirement for at least 200 aircraft to be delivered from 2021 to 2025.


Chinese variants

* Feng Shou-2 (Harvester-2) – The name given to the first Nanchang built agricultural 'Y-5II'. * Feihong-98 (FH-98) – Unmanned transport aircraft with a payload of 1.5 tonnes. * Nanchang Y-5 – (''Yunshuji'' – transport) Chinese version of An-2, initially built from Soviet blueprints and with supervision from Soviet advisors, 727 had been built when production was transferred to Harbin in 1968.Gordon,Yefim & Komissarov, Dmitry. "Chinese Aircraft". Hikoki Publications. Manchester. 2008. * Nanchang Y-5II – Crop-sprayer/duster with a chemical hopper/tank in the cabin and interchangeable spraying/dustiong equipment. Cooling of the cockpit was increased to improve comfort in the sub-tropical regions of China. 229 built. * Shijiazhuang Y-5A – First mass-produced, Shijiazhuang built, version, light passenger transport, equivalent to the An-2T, 114 built. * Shijiazhuang Y-5B – Shijiazhuang built agricultural aircraft, equivalent to the An-2 SKh. * Shijiazhuang Y-5B-100 – Y-5B aircraft fitted with triple tipsails on the upper wing tips, which reputedly gave 20% higher climb rate and improved L/D ratio by 15%. * Shijiazhuang Y-5B(T) – A para-dropping version developed for the PLAAF, with up-dated avionics including a GPS. * Shijiazhuang Y-5B(K) – Variously reported as a tourist variant or Agricultural variant. * Shijiazhuang Y-5B(D) – Variously reported as an Agricultural variant or Tourist variant. * Nanchang Y-5C – Amphibian version of Y-5A fitted with two floats. * Nanchang Y-5D – Bomber crew trainer. * Nanchang Y-5K – A VIP passenger variant with five seats. Eleven were delivered to the PLAAF from 1958. A seven seater was delivered to
Ho Chi Minh (: ; born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), commonly known as ('Uncle Hồ'), also known as ('President Hồ'), (' Old father of the people') and by other aliases, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman. He served as Prime ...
in
North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
and two were given to the Nepal Royal Flight for use by
King Birendra Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज वीरेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (28 December 1945 – 1 June 2001) was the tenth Shah Ruler and the King of N ...
. * Shijiazhuang Y-5B (turboprop) – A projected turboprop upgrade conversion programme replacing the 1,000 hp Huosai-5 radial engine with a more powerful turboprop. * Shijiazhuang Y-15 – A turboprop development of Y-5. During its early public debut, Y-15 retained the same biplane configuration of Y-5, but subsequent info released showed a monoplane configuration, indicating modification of the design.


Ukrainian variants

* An-2-100 – Modification of the design first flown in 2013 with a modern 3-bladed reversible propeller and a 1500shp
Motor Sich The Motor Sich Joint Stock Company ( uk, АТ «Мотор Січ») is a Ukrainian aircraft engine manufacturer headquartered in Zaporizhzhia. The company manufactures engines for airplanes and helicopters, and also industrial marine gas turbi ...
Sich MS-14 turboprop engine running on kerosene rather than Avgas. First flew on 10 July 2013 in
Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...


Operators

The aircraft is popular with air charter companies and small airlines, and is operated by private individuals and companies.


Military operators


Current

*
Azerbaijani Air Force Azerbaijani Air Forces and Air Defence often referred to as the Azerbaijani Air Force ( az, Azərbaycan hərbi hava qüvvələri) is the air force and air defence force of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. History The roots of the current organisat ...
; *
Bulgarian Air Force The Bulgarian Air Force ( bg, Военновъздушни сили, Voennovazdushni sili) is one of the three branches of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and p ...
; *
Georgian Air Force The Aviation and Air Defence Command of the Defense Forces of Georgia, Defence Forces ( ka, თავდაცვის ძალების ავიაციისა და საჰაერო თავდაცვის სარდლო ...
; * Moldovan Air Force ; *
Latvian Air Force Latvian Air Force ( lv, Latvijas Gaisa spēki) is the aviation branch of the National Armed Forces. The first air force (AF) units were established 1992. It has no air combat capability, thus the defense of Latvian air space is maintained by NATO ...
; *
Korean People's Air Force The Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force (KPAAF; ; Hanja: 朝鮮人民軍 航空 및 反航空軍 ) is the unified military aviation force of North Korea. It is the second largest branch of the Korean People's Army comprising an estimated ...
; *
Serbian Air Force and Air Defence The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence ( sr-Cyrl, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздухопловна одбрана Војске Србије, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana Vojske Srbije, Wa ...


Former

; *Albanian Air Force ; *Armenian Air Force ; ; *People's Liberation Army Air Force *People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force ; *Croatian Air Force ; *Cuban Air Force ; *Egyptian Air Force ; *Estonian Air Force ; *Hungarian Air Force ; *Mongolian People's Air Force ; *Polish Air Force ; *Romanian Air Force ; *
Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
*Soviet Naval Aviation ; *
Vietnam People's Air Force The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF, ), formally refers itself as the Air Defence - Air Force (ADAF, ) or the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF, ), is the Air force, aerial warfare service branch of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North V ...
; *Yemen Air Force


Specifications (An-2)


Accidents and incidents

As of 19 December 2017 there have been 622 An-2 hull-loss accidents, claiming a total of 774 lives. One of the most recent accidents occurred around 15:00 on 2 July 2017 in the Black Sea, when an Antonov An-2R operated by Albatros crashed in the Kiliya District, Ukraine during an aerial application flight; both pilots survived. In the third known post-WWII act of suicide by pilot, on September 26, 1976, Russian national Vladimir Serkov made an unauthorized takeoff with an Antonov An-2 (Reg # USSR-79868) from Severny Airport, Novosibirsk-Severny Airport. He crashed the aircraft into the stairwell of an apartment complex at Stepnaya st., house 43 / 1, where his ex-wife's parents lived, in an attempt to kill his ex-wife. After completing two laps around the scene, Serkov attempted to pilot the plane to the parents' apartment where his wife and two-year-old son were visiting. The aircraft pierced the stairwell between the 3rd and 4th floors, and being fueled with 800 liters of gasoline, ignited a large fire inside the stairwell that ultimately spread to damage 30 total apartments. Firefighters were on scene in five minutes, taking 57 minutes to extinguish the blaze. A four-year-old and two six-year-old children were killed at the scene from burns. Another four-year-old child died eight days later as a result of burns. In total, 11 residents were injured as a result of fire burns. Serkov's ex-wife (and her parents) and his toddler son were not injured in the incident. The first known post-WWII act of suicide by pilot was also with an Antonov An-2. Timofei Shovkunov stole an An-2 and flew it directly into his apartment building in Voroshilovgrad (now Luhansk) on March 27, 1972, apparently despondent after his wife having left along with his son the day before. He was the lone casualty. "Horrific ‘suicides by plane’ that occurred in the USSR"
by Oleg Yegorov, ''Russia Beyond'', September 10, 2018


See also


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * Bill Gunston, Gunston, Bill. ''The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995''. London: Osprey, 1995. . * Mader, Georg. "Hvratske Zrance Snage: Croatia's embargoed air force". ''World Air Power Journal'', Volume 24 Spring 1996. London:Aerospace Publishing. . pp. 139–147. * Gordon, Yefim & Komissarov, Dmitry. ''Antonov An-2''. Midland. Hinkley. 2004. . * Gordon, Yefim & Komissarov, Dmitry. ''Chinese Aircraft''. Hikoki Publications. Manchester. 2008. . *


External links


an2plane.ru - the most detailed website about the aircraft An-2 plane An-2
(Russian and English)


www.aviation.ru





A very high resolution panoramic image of an An-2 cockpit





GenAIRation Antonov

A short video of a flight with an Antonov An-2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonov An-002 Antonov aircraft, An-002 Soviet and Russian agricultural aircraft 1940s Soviet civil utility aircraft 1940s Soviet military utility aircraft Biplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft STOL aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1947