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AN-2 Colt
AN-3 Colt
Y-5 Colt

An-2 was initially developed as an agricultural aircraft. Hence, the initial project name was SKh-1 (Selskoe Khozaistvo - Agriculture). The world's largest single engine biplane, the 1000 hp radial engine and 60 foot wingspan allow short field take offs and landings. The first prototype flew on August 31, 1947, and the aircraft went in production in 1949. Over 5000 were built. China began producing the AN-2 aircraft in the early 70s and it is still used by the North Korean military for troop transport. The AN-2 Colt provides combat support and combat service support to include reconnaissance, airborne or airland resupply as well as airborne insertion of detachments. The crew consists of two pilots and can accomodate eight passengers. The AN-2 is night capable but the cockpit is not adapted for NVG use.

The Y-5 is Chinese copy of the Antonov An-2.

The An-3 is modification of the An-2 airplane, powered by a TVD-20 turboprop engine with the AV-17 three-blade propeller. The An-3 has new crew cabin design, heating and ventilation equipment, electrical engineering, flight/navigation equipment, alarm system, anti-fire equipment, and be used in the following versions: cargo, cargo/passenger, agricaltural, extinguishing forest fire, ambulance.

The biplane are rectangular-shaped with curved tips, with one high-mounted and one low-mounted (shorter), connected and braced by two struts. A single radial piston engine (some versions are turboprop) is mounted in the nose. The fuselage is Short and thick with solid, blunt nose, a stepped cockpit, and fixed landing gear. The tail fin is tapered with a large, round tip. The flats are low-mounted on the tail fin and rectangular-shaped with curved tips.

Specifications

Country of Origin USSR, Poland
Builder
RoleLight-transport (10 equipped troops), general utility
Similar Aircraft U-6A Beaver, OV-1 Mohawk, OV-10 Bronco
Wing Span 59 ft, 8 in (18.19 m)
Length 41 ft, 9 in (12.75 m)
Height 4.1 m
Weight 3330 kg - empty
5500 kg - maximum takeoff
5800 kg - maximum takeoff [An-3]
1500 kg - maximum payload
1800 kg - maximum payload [An-3]
Engine 1xASh-62 IR, 985 hp
1xTVD-10B, 959 hp [AN-3]
Maximum speed250 km/h
Cruising speed220 km/h / 220-260 km/h [AN-3]
Range 1025 km - with maximum fuel
300 km - with maximum load
Service Ceiling5000 m
Runway 650 m - dirt takeoff-landing strip
650 m - dirt takeoff-landing strip [An-3]
400 m - surfaced takeoff-landing
ArmamentUsually none
Crew Two
Cost
User Countries Afghanistan, Albania (Y-5), Angola, Benin, Bulgaria, Cambodia, CIS, Cuba, Germany, Iraq, Laos, Mali, Mongolia, Nicaragua, North Korea, People’s Republic of China (Y-5), Poland, Romania, Tanzania, Vietnam

Sources and Resources


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http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/an-2.htm
Maintained by Robert Sherman
Originally created by John Pike
Updated Tuesday, September 21, 1999 10:18:15 AM