What was the An-26's bubble window for?

Short answer

The An-26's bulged windows were observation windows, part of its military equipment alongside folding canvas seats for paratroopers, an overhead hoist and anchor cables for parachute static lines. The aircraft inherited most of the An-24's airframe.

Published: November 2, 2026 · Updated: November 2, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Antonov An-26 de la Fuerza Aérea Rumana, Royal International Air Tattoo, Fairford, 2023Colin Cooke Photo (CC BY SA), vía commons

Military equipment on board

The An-26 carried equipment for military use: folding canvas seats for paratroopers, an overhead sliding hoist, bulged observation windows and anchor cables for the parachutes' static lines.

Where the aircraft came from

The An-24T, the tactical transport of the family, had proven itself supporting Soviet troops at improvised airfields, but its ventral cargo hatch limited cargo handling. The An-26 took over most of the An-24's airframe, with high-mounted cantilever wings and two Ivchenko AI-24 turboprops mounted on them.

Another glazed Antonov: the An-30

The An-30, another derivative of the An-24, designed in the Soviet Union for aerial photographic mapping, has a largely glazed nose. Its cockpit was raised by 41 cm compared with the An-24's, giving it its second distinguishing feature, a hump housing the cockpit. In its usual task of aerial photography it carried four or five cameras, three of them mounted vertically for mapping work.