Antonov An-72

what is it?

The Antonov An-72 (NATO reporting name: Coaler) is a transport aircraft, developed and produced by the Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov. The An-72 and the related An-74 get their nickname, Cheburashka, from the large engine intake ducts, which resemble the oversized ears of the popular Soviet animated character of the same name. Design work on the An-72 commenced during the early 1970s, likely as the Soviet Union's response to the American Advanced Medium STOL Transport (AMST) programme that was ultimately terminated.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · shoulder wing · retractable tricycle gear · 31.9 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 700 km/htop speed
• range 4,325 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 52passengers
• size 34.5 tmax take-off weight
• built 121made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 49 years ago, in 1977.
• 🏎️Top speed is 5.4× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 31.9 m: about 7 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 6 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 4,325 km: 24× Amsterdam to Brussels.

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1977-12-22

number built

121

role

transport aircraft

origin

🇺🇦 Ukraine

makers

Antonov, Antonov Serial Production Plant, KhAZ

engines

2× Lotarev D-36 series 1A / Lotarev D-36

passengers

52

length

28.1 m

wingspan

31.9 m

height

8.7 m

max take-off weight

34.5 t

top speed

700 km/h

range

4,325 km

wings

shoulder wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

ICAO code

AN72

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.