Antonov An-30

Antonov An-30

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An-30

Role	Aerial cartography
Manufacturer	Antonov
Designed by	Beriev
First flight	21 August 1967^[1]^[2]
Introduced	July 1968
Primary user	Soviet Air Force
Produced	1971-1980^[2]
Number built	123^[2]
Developed from	Antonov An-24

The Antonov An-30 (NATO reporting name: Clank), is a development of the An-24 designed for aerial cartography. It features a distinctive glazed nose and raised cockpit. Limited numbers have been converted into a VIP passenger aircraft.

Development

The first aerial survey version of the Antonov An-24 was designed by the Beriev OKB and designated An-24FK. The FK stood for fotokartograficheskiy (photo mapping). The prototype was converted from a production An-24A at Beriev's No. 49 construction shop during 1966. The An-24FK made its first flight on 21 August 1967. Subsequent acceptance trials were completed in 1970. Redesignated An-30, production began in 1971 at the Kiev machinery plant. Civil certification tests were completed in 1974. 123 production An-30s were manufactured between 1971 and 1980 in Kiev in 2 main versions.

Design

Lukaviatrans An-30A

The Antonov An-30 is a derivative of the An-24 fitted with an entirely new fuselage forward of frame 11. The fuselage nose is extensively glazed, reminiscent of the Boeing B-29. Housed within the new nose section is the navigator and precise navigational equipment, including an optical sight for ensuring accuracy of aerial photography. To enable accurate and repeatable survey flights, standard equipment for the An-30 included computer flight path control technology. This additional equipment replaced the radar. The positioning of the new navigational equipment required the flightdeck to be raised by 41cm in comparison to the An-24, giving the aircraft its other main feature, a hump containing the cockpit, similar to the Boeing 747.

The radio operator and flight engineer sat in the first cabin aft of and below the flightdeck. The mission equipment was located further aft, in a cabin featuring five camera windows in the floor. Each camera window could be closed with covers to protect the glass panels. The covers were located in special fairings protruding from the fuselage underside. In the normal aerial photography role, four or five cameras were carried aboard. Three cameras were mounted vertically, intended for mapping purposes. The remaining two cameras were pointed at an angle of 28° on each side of the aircraft, for oblique photography. The same fuselage compartment contained workstations for two camera operators and a crew rest area.

The aircraft's cameras could be used between 2,000 and 7,000 m (6,500 and 23,000 ft) and the scale of the resultant photographs was between 1:200,000 and 1:15,000,000. The aircraft was supplied with four or five cameras.

The An-30 was powered by two Ivchenko AI-24VT turboprops with a take-off rating of 2,820 ehp.

Operational history

Ukrainian An-30 Ukrainian Air Force

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. 65 were delivered to the Soviet Ministry of Civil Aviation, 6 to other Soviet civil organisations. 18 An-30As were built for export, 7 of which were delivered to China.

An-30B: Version designed for the Soviet Air Force. 26 built. Main differences from An-30A was the avionics fit. Most An-30Bs were retro-fitted with chaff/flare dispensers.

An-30D Sibiryak: Long range version of the An-30A with increased fuel capacity, developed in 1990. 5 aircraft were converted to An-30Ds. All were based at Myachkovo airfield near Moscow. This variant was used for ice monitoring, fisheries monitoring and as a transport aircraft. It had improved communication equipment, including a data-link system. Rescue equipment was also carried on board.

An-30FG: Czech designation for the single Czech Air Force An-30, after being retro-fitted with a western weather radar.

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.