The Antonov An-26 'Curl' wass the next major derivative of the successful An-24 short-range transport. While the An-24 had been primarily a civil design, the An-26 was a dedicated cargo transport and as such featured a completely-redesigned rear fuselage which was characterized by a large ramp to facilitate loading. It was also the first Soviet aircraft with a pressurized cargo hold while other features of the cargo hold included an electrically powered winch and conveyer which facilitated air dropping of freight. The An-26 was also used extensively as a paratroop aircraft (for both troops and freight). Export customers were found aplenty among the USSR's customers and was locally-produced in China as the Y-7 (described in a separate entry). Hundreds are still in use today by dozens of countries although the grand majority of these perform civil duties, others have since been replaced by the improved An-32.
As a cargo transport, the first production variant of the An-26 entered service in 1969 and was designated An-26 'Curl-A'. An improved variant, the An-26B, was introduced early in the 1980's and was complemented by the An-26 'Curl-B' Sigint version. Chinese versions were initially dubbed Y-17 but later changed back to Y-7H-500 so as to follow the designation of their own Xian-built An-24s.
Preceded by:
An-24 'Coke' (1962)Succeeded by:
An-32 'Cline' (1977)![]() | |
Design | An-26 |
Code Name | Curl-A |
Type | Transport |
Year | 1969 |
Crew | 4 |
Dimensions | |
Length | 23.80 m |
Height | 8.580 m |
Wing Span | 29.20 m |
Wing Area | n/a |
Weight | |
Empty | 15,020 kg |
Maximum | 24,000 kg |
Wing Loading | 320.1 kg/m² |
Performance | |
Speed | 440 km/h |
Ceiling | 7,500 m |
Range | 1,100-2,550 km |
Powerplant | |
Engine | 2 x AI-24VT Ivchyenko 2,103 kW |
Thrust/Weight | 0.34 |
Armament | |
Guns | - |
Payload | 5,500 kg |
Production | |
Built | n/a |
Total | 1,000 |