Short snippet of an Antonov An-70 flight demonstration at Paris Air Show 2013 in Le Bourget. Gotta love those intense-blue coaxial props! :D
The Antonov An-70 (Russian/Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-70) is a medium-range transport aircraft powered by four propfan engines with coaxial counter-rotating propellers. It was developed in the late 1980s by the Antonov Design Bureau to replace the obsolete An-12 military transport aircraft. The maiden flight of the first prototype took place in December 1994 in Kiev.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the programme became a joint development between Russia and Ukraine. The former compounded the issue of a reduced market with its intermittent commitment to the project. Repeated attempts to start production have had limited success. Western European countries, including Germany, at one stage assessed the aircraft for procurement but later decided against it.
The An-70 is a monoplane with a high-mounted wing design that features four distinctive propfan engines. Designed by the Progress Design Bureau, each of the D-27 engines is rated at 13,800 shp (which can be uprated to 16,000 shp), which is used to drive the SV-27 contra-rotating scimitar propellers designed by Aerosila; eight on the front propeller and six on the aft propeller. The propfan engines deliver slipstream to the supercritical wings that feature double-slotted trailing edges to provide high lift coefficients at low speeds. The modernisation of the aircraft during 2010–2012 saw upgrades to the engines, including the incorporation of FADEC, and the further separation of the two propellers. According to DASA's evaluation, the propfan engines were 10 percent more efficient than conventional turboprops.
Similar to many aircraft designs of the Soviet Union, the An-70 was designed as an airlifter that could operate from unprepared fields. In short take-off and landing (STOL) configuration, the aircraft could lift off from a 600 m dirt strip with 25 tonnes of cargo and fly for 3,000 km. Alternatively, it could fly the same distance with 35 t of cargo if it took off from a 1,800 m paved runway. For a payload-heavy mission, the An-70 can haul 47 t of cargo for a range of 1,500 km but if range was essential, the aircraft can carry a load of 17 t over 8,000 km. In exceptional circumstances, the An-70 subjected to lower-g take-offs, can airlift a 47 t T-80U main battle tank and fly it for 3,000 km. The fully pressurised internal cabin measures 4 m wide and 4.1 m high and has a length of 18.6 m from the front to the ramp; with the ramp included, the total cabin length is 22.4 m. In comparison, the turbofan-powered Il-76 has a lower cross-sectional cargo area, but exceeds the An-70 in payload capability and ramp length. The An-70's cargo hold is serviced by four electrical hoists that facilitate autonomous cargo loading. A central floor can be rapidly installed for the accommodation of 300 soldiers or 200 injured personnel over two decks.
SPECIFICATIONS
Crew: 4 (two pilots, navigator and flight engineer)
Capacity: 300 troops or 206 stretcher cases
Payload: 47000 kg
Length: 40.7 m
Wingspan: 44.06 m
Height: 16.38 m
Empty weight: 66230 kg
Max. takeoff weight: 145000 kg
Powerplant: 4× Progress D-27 propfans, 10,350 kW each
PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 780 km/h
Cruise speed: 750 km/h
Stall speed: 113 km/h
Range: 6,600 km or 5,000 km with 20 or 35 t of cargo
Service ceiling: 12000 m
Rate of climb: 24.9 m/s
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