History
The Antonov An-2 (USAF/DoD reporting name Type 22,[3] NATO reporting name Colt[4]) is a Soviet mass-produced single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bureau beginning in 1947.[1] Its durability, 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 forestry and agriculture, but the basic airframe is adaptable and numerous variants have been developed. These include hopper-equipped crop-dusters, scientific versions for atmospheric sampling, water-bombers for fighting forest fires, air ambulances, seaplanes, and versions for dropping paratroopers.[5]
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 750 kW (1,010 hp) nine-cylinder Shvetsov ASh-62 radial engine.[1]
Design and development
Origins
The Antonov An-2 was designed to meet a 1940s Soviet Ministry of Forestry requirement to replace the smaller Polikarpov Po-2, which was used in large numbers in both agricultural and utility roles. Antonov designed a large single bay biplane of all-metal construction, with an enclosed cockpit and a cabin with seats for twelve passengers. The first prototype, designated SKh-1, powered by a Shvetsov ASh-21 radial engine, flew on 31 August 1947 from Yeltsovka Airport in Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia.[6] The second prototype was fitted with a more powerful Shvetsov ASh-62 engine, which allowed the aircraft’s payload to be increased from 1,300 to 2,140 kg (2,870 to 4,720 lb), and in this form saw production.[7]
Initial production was at State Factory 473 in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, where the majority 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. After 1960, most An-2s were constructed at Poland’s WSK factory in Mielec. It is believed that over 13,000 were built in Poland before manufacturing ended in 1991.[8]
Until 2001, limited production was undertaken using remaining stocks of spares, including a small batch of four aircraft that were produced for Vietnam.[8] China also builds the An-2 under licence as the Shijiazhuang Y-5.[1] 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 states that the 45-year production run for the An-2 was for a time the longest for any aircraft and challenged the over two decade-long run of the 1920s Polikarpov Po-2 it replaced. The An-2’s record has since been exceeded.
.png)
