Antonov An-71
{{Short description|Soviet airborne early warning aircraft}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = An-71
| image = AN-71 CCCP-780361 Zhulyany.jpg
| caption = Antonov An-71 at the Ukraine State Aviation Museum
| type = Tactical AWACS
| manufacturer = Antonov
| designer =
| first_flight = 12 July 1985
| introduction =
| retired =
| produced =
| number_built = 3
| status = Cancelled
| unit cost =
| primary_user = Soviet Air Force (intended)
| more_users =
| developed_from = Antonov An-72
| variants =
}}
The Antonov An-71 (NATO reporting name: Madcap) is a Soviet AWACS aircraft intended for use with VVS-FA (Fighter Bomber) forces of the Soviet Air Force, developed from the An-72 transport. Only three prototypes were built before the program was cancelled.
Background
= Soviet Air Force AWACS doctrine =
Prior to the fall of the Soviet Union, the Air Force was divided into three aircraft based groups of units. They were the VVS-DA (Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily Dal'naya Aviatsiya) or Long Range Aviation (Bombers), the VVS-FA (Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily Frontovaya Aviatsiya) or Frontal Aviation (Fighters, Fighter Bombers and Attack aircraft), and the VVS-VTA (Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily Voenno-Transportnaya Aviatsiya) or Military Transport Aviation. The PVO (Voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony or Voyska PVO) which was the primary fighter / interceptor and surface-based defensive force was not part of the VVS; as a result, the A-50 Mainstay AWACS aircraft and its predecessor the Tu-126 Moss served exclusively with the Voyska PVO and did not assist in the direction of tactical aircraft. The An-71 was designed to be used overland to support the VVS-FA in tactical operations. This doctrine of each force having its own AWACS planes is contrary to most Western air forces' use of land based AWACS aircraft; this doctrinal difference lead in part to the fallacy that the An-71 was designed to be used by the Soviet Navy on its aircraft carriers.{{cite book|last=Gordon|first=Yefim|title=Red Star Volume 23 Soviet/Russian AWACS aircraft|year=2005|publisher=Midland/Ian Allan Publishing|location=England|isbn=1-85780-215-2|pages=61–84}}
Development
File:Отекатель антенны РЛС на хвостовом оперении Ан-71.JPG
Its design was based on An-72, with a completely redesigned rear fuselage supporting the radar dome (rotodome) atop the broad-chord forward-swept fin. The cargo hold contained the electronic equipment and six operators stations.
Development never progressed past the prototype stage, the first of which flew on 12 July 1985. The program was cancelled with the fall of the Soviet Union when issues with the radar Vega-M Kvant could not be resolved.
File:Antonov An-71 Batuzak-1.jpg
File:Antonov An-71 at Ukraine State Aviation Museum.jpg
In 2010, one example was transferred to the Ukraine State Aviation Museum for restoration and display.[http://www.airliners.net/photo/Aeroflot-(Antonov-Design/Antonov-An-71/1801931/&sid=c40ae888f8fc8d441ceb946f9a826570 Transporting the Madcap to the museum].
= Carrier-based variant =
The An-71 Madcap is often erroneously cited as a carrier-based AWACS aircraft, which it was not, as is already described above under AWACS doctrine. However, a highly modified design, the An-75, was proposed for use on the Soviet aircraft carriers under construction, but the AV-MF (Soviet Naval Aviation) cancelled its development when it was realized that too much of a redesign would be needed to make the An-75 safe to operate off any of the proposed aircraft carriers. The AV-MF decided to seek a second purpose-built AWACS proposal using an improved Kvant-M version of the existing An-71/An-75's Kvant Radar by the Vega-M design bureau. The An-75 would have had engines mounted under the wing rather than above, similar to the later An-74TK-300, and would have had many other structural and aerodynamic changes. In the end, the An-75 would have shared only slight commonality with the An-71/An-72 aircraft families and was deemed too costly to continue, considering the clean-sheet design of the Yak-44E.
= Export =
In the early 2000s, Ukraine unsuccessfully negotiated with India on the sale of an An-71, priced at US$200 million. The An-71 would have had the capability to detect 400 targets at ranges of up to {{Convert|370|km|mi}}.{{Cite journal|last=Singh|first=Pulkit|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-110222512.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924051639/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-110222512.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 September 2015|title=India and Israel to ink Phalcon deal|journal=Journal of Electronic Defense|publisher=Association of Old Crows|date=1 October 2003|issn=0192-429X|accessdate=23 June 2015}} {{link note|note=Partial story rendition from HighBeam.com archive}}
Operators
;{{USSR}}
Specifications (An-71)
File:Antonov An-71 Madcap three-view silhouette.png
{{Aircraft specs
|ref={{citation needed|date=September 2019}}
|prime units?=met
|crew=6
|length m=23.5
|length note=
|span m=31.89
|span note=
|height m=9.2
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=19760
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=32100
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
|eng1 number=2
|eng1 name= Progress D-436K
|eng1 type=turbofan engines
|eng1 kn=
|eng1 note=
|eng2 number=0
|eng2 name=
|eng2 type=
|eng2 kn=
|eng2 note=
|max speed kmh=650
|max speed note=
|max speed mach=
|cruise speed kmh=530
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=
|range note=
|combat range km=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=10800
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=
|avionics= *Vega-M Kvant search radar
}}
See also
{{Portal|Aviation}}
{{Aircontent
|related=
|similar aircraft=
|see also=
}}
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopaedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey, 1995. {{ISBN|1-85532-405-9}}.
- {{Cite book |last1= Gordon |first1= Yefim |last2= Komissarov |first2=Dmitriy |title= Antonov's Jet Twins: The An-72/-74 Family |year=2005|publisher=Midland Publishing Ltd |series=Red Star |volume=21|isbn= 978-1857801996 |location= Hinckley, United Kingdom }}
External links
{{commons category|Antonov An-71}}
- [http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/ram/an-71.html An-71 Article, Images] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922235717/http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/ram/an-71.html |date=2009-09-22 }}
- [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/an-71-specs.htm Specs at globalsecurity.org]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160601000525/http://www.antonov.com/aircraft/antonov-gliders-and-airplanes/an-71 An-71 at Antonov's website] (accessed 2016-05-14)
- [https://archive.today/20120707010504/http://aerospace.boopidoo.com/philez/Su-15TM%20PICTURES%20&%20DOCS/Overscan's%20guide%20to%20Russian%20Military%20Avionics.htm Brief description of Kvant radar, in Overscan's guide to Russian Avionics website] (accessed 2016-05-15)
{{Antonov aircraft}}