Antonov An-30

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

Design and development

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

Operational history

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

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

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

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

Variants

An-30A

Version designed for civilian aviation, 66 built.An-30D "Sibiryak"

Version of the An-30A with better navigation equipment and larger fuel capacity, which appeared in 1990. The variant was used in the Arctic to ice monitoring, fisheries monitoring and as a transport aircraft. It has improved communication equipment, such as an on-board fax machine. The cameras allow additional data on the film to expose.An-30M "Meteozashchita"

Version equipped for weather research. It can spray dry ice into the atmosphere for weather control duties. The dry ice was stored in 8 containers per 130 kg instead of the photographic equipment.An-30V

Version designed for Soviet Air Force with better equipment, 26 built.

Operators

Military operators

• Afghan Air Force received an An-30 in 1985.
• Czech Air Force retired their An-30 in 2003.
• Romanian Air Force operates two An-30s and has one in stand-by.
• Soviet Air Force

Civil operators

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

• Civil Aviation Administration of China operates 1 aircraft.
• MIAT Mongolian Airlines operates 1 aircraft.
• Moskovia Airlines operates 1 aircraft.
• Lukiaviatrans operates 5 aircraft.
• Myachkovo Air Services operates 4 aircraft.
• Novosibirsk Air operates 3 aircraft.
• Polet Airlines operates 3 aircraft.
• Practical Geodinamics Center operates 3 aircraft.
• ARP 410 Airlines operates 2 aircraft.
• Ukraine National Airlines operates 6 aircraft.
• Vietnam Air Service operates 1 aircraft.

Specifications (An-30)

{{aircraft specifications

|plane or copter?=plane |jet or prop?=prop

|ref={Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89}

|crew=7 |capacity= |length main= 24.26 m |length alt= 79 ft 7 in |span main= 29.20 m |span alt= 95 ft 9½ in |height main= 8.32 m |height alt= 27 ft 3½ in |area main= 75 m² |area alt= 807 ft² |airfoil= |empty weight main= 15,590 kg |empty weight alt= 34,370 lb |loaded weight main= kg |loaded weight alt= lb |useful load main= kg |useful load alt= kg |max takeoff weight main= 23,000kg |max takeoff weight alt= 50,706lb |more general=

|engine (jet)= |type of jet= |number of jets= |thrust main= kN |thrust alt= lbf |thrust original= |afterburning thrust main= kN |afterburning thrust alt= lbf |engine (prop)= ZMKB Progress AI-24T |type of prop= turboprops |number of props=2 |power main= 2,103 kW |power alt= 2,803 ehp |power original=

|max speed main= 540 km/h |max speed alt= 291 knots, 335 mph |cruise speed main= 430 km/h |cruise speed alt= 232 knots, 267 mph |stall speed main= km/h |stall speed alt= knots, mph |never exceed speed main= km/h |never exceed speed alt= knots, mph |range main= 2,630 km |range alt= 1,420 nm, 1,634 mi |more range= (with no reserves) |ceiling main= 8,300m |ceiling alt= 27,230 ft |climb rate main= m/s |climb rate alt= ft/min |loading main= kg/m² |loading alt= lb/ft² |thrust/weight= |power/mass main= W/kg |power/mass alt= hp/lb |more performance=

|armament=

|avionics= 5 positions for large cameras. Other survey equipment can be fitted. }}

See also

References

External links

• Pictures of An-30

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Last updated on Wednesday July 02, 2008 at 21:59:36 PDT (GMT -0700)
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