An-32 CLINE (ANTONOV)

The An-32 Cline is a direct development of the An-24 Coke. Major recognition differences of the Cline are the engines mounted over the wings, and a large belly fin beneath the tail section. The wings are high-mounted and equally tapered from the engines to the blunt tips. Two turboprops mounted in pods over the wings which extend beyond the wings' leading and trailing edges. The fuselage is long and tubular, with upswept rear section and solid, rounded nose and stepped cockpit. The fin is unequally tapered with blunt tip and angular fairing. Flats are high-mounted on the body, back-tapered with blunt tips, and have a positive slant.

After two decades of operations, airplanes of the An-32 family have proved to be reliable, easy to maintain, manoeuvrable both in air and on the ground. During this period over 350 aircraft were manufactured, and now they are operated in 22 countries. The total operational time of the vehicles produced exceeds 1,209,000 flight hours, or 1,079,400 flights.

The An-32 family comprises light transport multipurpose airplanes that can be delivered both in military and civil variants. Their main purpose is to transport cargoes at short and middle-range routes. The military transport An-32 (prototype) is designed for transportation, parachuting and landing of troops, military equipment and cargoes, as well as for transportation of wounded men.

The aircraft can operate in different climatic conditions, including hot climate of Africa (to +55?), in mountain climate of India and Latin America (up to 4500 m high). These airplanes can take off from paved and unpaved aerodromes and from limited runways. The whole An-32 family has a set of anticorrosion measures to protect the power units of the airframe, which allows secure operations in damp maritime climate.

Mechanization of handling operations and availability of a turbine-generator set for power supply and starting engine operation ensure the autonomous aircraft operation at poorly equipped aerodromes. The undercarriage with low pressure tires and high position of engines allow operating the vehicles at unpaved aerodromes and landing strip. The cockpit and the cargo compartment are hermetic and fitted with an air conditioning system. The split-type temperature control in the compartments ensures simultaneous maintaining in the cargo b compartment the temperature necessary for particular cargo and securing normal temperature conditions for the crew.

Dimensions of the cargo compartment and hatches allow transporting bulky cargoes, self-powered wheel equipment and cars. Demountable roller equipment allows parachuting of twelve small cargoes pallets of the weight 500 kg each, or different variants of modular pallets for large cargoes with the maximum weight of cargo with the platform and the parachute system equal to 3000 kg. The modified An-32s, namely the civil An-32B and the military An-32V, are fitted with perfected airborne equipment for pilotage by two crew members. This equipment includes: an indicator of the hazardous ground proximity speed, navigation and landing equipment, automatic radio compass, meteorological and navigational radar, radio stations of the microwave and UHF band. The aircraft is also equipped with a satellite navigation system connected with the pilots' navigation flight device, radio buoy.