Ukraine plans revival of the production of the An-74 cargo aircraft
Ukraine is considering resuming production of the Antonov-74 cargo aircraft for the Ukrainian Air Force, as well as for export, the government said on Saturday 16 January 2021.
The An-74 represents an evolution of the An-72 Coaler Soviet military transporter developed back in the 1970s. Compared to its predecessor it features increased fuel capacity, cabin for five crewmembers, larger radar in a bulged radome, improved navigation equipment, as well as better de-icing equipment, and provisions for combined wheel-ski landing gear for operations in the arctic regions. In total, 195 An-72/An-74s were built between 1985 and 2004, 62 of which were An-74.
In recent years, Ukraine was forced to abandon many plans for building aircraft, mainly due to a severe economic crisis and cut ties with Russia, where a significant part of the components was produced. The last development of the dire situation has seen numerous cancellations of orders for the An-178 aircraft due to inability of Ukrainians to supply these within schedule due to missing parts. This way Antonov lost orders from the Royal Saudi Air Force and Iraqi Army Aviation, Azerbaijani Silk Way Airlines, as well as the famously scandalous deal with the Peruvian Interior Ministry.
With the plans to revive the An-74, Ukrainians are obviously aiming at the African and Asian market where the An-72/74 has proven popular due to its capabilities to be used on unprepared surfaces. The robust landing gear and high-flotation tyres allow operations on sand, grass, gravel and other unpaved landing strips.
The relatively unusual placement of engines utilizing the Coanda effect also results in very good STOL capabilities of the design; the takeoff roll of just 2,000 ft and the landing run of only 1,350 ft are truly exceptional values for a jet-powered aircraft.
There are no details regarding the components used, but it can be safely assumed that the new-built aircraft would be reengined with the Progress D-436 three-shaft high bypass turbofans developed by the Ukrainian company Ivchenko-Progress. Compared to the original Lotarev D-36 engine powering the An-74s of the past, the D-436 incorporates an upgraded higher rpm fan, a lower emissions combustor, new compressor sections and a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system.
Photo: Bushell, kindly provided by RussianPlanes.net and Igor Bubin, kindly provided by Planespotters.net