Antonov An-24 variant
Antonov An-24 An-24T
The production tactical transport, built at Irkutsk: ventral loading hatch, cargo winch and an escape hatch behind the nose gear to carry airborne troops to frontline bases.
- November 16, 1965
- First flight
- 197
- Units built
History
The An-24 puts on a uniform
The An-24T is the production tactical transport version — the second use of that designation. It has a ventral loading hatch, a cargo winch and an escape hatch behind the nose landing gear, and its mission is to carry airborne troops and infantry to frontline bases. A total of 197 aircraft were built at the Irkutsk factory, on top of Kiev's 985 and Ulan Ude's 180. Its initial designation was An-34.
A failed first attempt
There was an earlier An-24T: a tactical transport project rejected at acceptance testing for poor field performance and range, and for being unable to load or air-drop vehicles. The name was later reused for the version that did reach production.
Descendants and mission variants
The An-24T gave rise to the An-24RT with auxiliary turbojet, the An-24TV export freighter and the communications relay conversions, made on An-24T and An-24RT airframes. In 1968 the experimental An-24T «Troyanda» was also built, conceived to develop sonobuoy and infra-red submarine detection systems, with sensors in large teardrop fairings either side of the forward lower fuselage and extra equipment in extended wing centre-section fairings: the Soviet answer to nuclear submarines that were virtually undetectable with the technology available.