Antonov A-11

A-11
A-11
	An unmarked A-11 on display at the Central Air Force Museum, Monino
General information
Type	High performance single seat glider
National origin	Soviet Union
Manufacturer	Antonov
Designer	Oleg Antonov, Konstantinovitch
Number built	150
History
First flight	12 May 1958

Last updated November 09, 2025

The Antonov A-11 is a single-seat, high performance, all-metal sailplane built in the Soviet Union in the late 1950s. 150 were produced.

Design and development

The almost all-metal A-11 was Antonov's first non-wood framed sailplane.^[1] It is a cantilever mid-wing monoplane, with straight tapered wings mostly swept on the trailing edge and set with 1.5° of dihedral but no washout. A single spar with a metal-skinned leading edge forward of it and fabric covering aft forms most of the span but the curved tips are supported by twin spars. The fabric-covered ailerons are slotted, with set-back hinges and mass balances. They can be drooped together through 8° to act as flaps. Inboard, there are slotted flaps on the trailing edges and spoilers, mounted at mid-chord and quite close to the fuselage, of the gapless kind opening upwards only.^[2]^: 342–3^[3]

The fuselage of the A-11 is a metal monocoque of pod and boom form, with a gradual transition between the two. It carries an all-metal, straight edged 90° V- or butterfly tail, its control surfaces mass-balanced with external weights. The three-piece canopy stretches smoothly from the nose to above mid-chord without a stepped windscreen. There is a retractable monowheel undercarriage, sprung but without brakes, assisted by a rubber-mounted skid forward of the wheel and a tail bumper aft, formed by a short, shallow ventral fin ^[2]^: 34–6^[3]

The A-11 first flew on 12 May 1958. It was approved for aerobatics, spins and cloud flying.^[2]^: 38-9

Aircraft on display

Information from Ogden^[4]

Central Russian Air Force Museum, Monino
Panevėžys Airfield Monument

Specifications (Antonov A-11)

Data from The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II^[2]^: 342–3

General characteristics

Crew: one
Length: 6 m (19 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 16.5 m (54 ft 2 in)
Height: 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) at cockpit
Wing area: 12.15 m² (130.8 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 22.4
Airfoil: TsAGI R 111 A^{[note 1]}
Empty weight: 294 kg (648 lb)
Gross weight: 400 kg (882 lb)

Performance

Stall speed: 60 km/h (37 mph, 32 kn)
Never exceed speed: 350 km/h (220 mph, 190 kn)
Aerotow speed: 200 km/h (124.3 mph; 108.0 kn)
Winch launch speed: 120 km/h (74.6 mph; 64.8 kn)
g limits: +8.66 -3.9 at 300 km/h (186.4 mph; 162.0 kn)
Maximum glide ratio: 32 at 97 km/h (60.3 mph; 52.4 kn)
Rate of sink: 0.74 m/s (146 ft/min) at 86 km/h (53.4 mph; 46.4 kn)
Wing loading: 33 kg/m² (6.8 lb/sq ft)

Notes

↑ Most sources refer to P III; Simons refers to R III for the airfoil of the A-9 glider. The difference is generated by transliteration between Cyrillic script and Roman where p in Cyrillic is R in Roman script.

References

↑ Simons, Martin (2006). Sailplanes 1945–1965 (2nd revised ed.). Königswinter: EQIP Werbung & Verlag GmbH. p. 135. ISBN 3-9807977-4-0.
1 2 3 4 Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson (1963). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue.
1 2 Taylor, John W R (1962). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1962–63. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. p. 342.
↑ Ogden, Bob (2011). Aviation Museums and Collections of North America (2 ed.). Tonbridge, Kent: Air-Britain (Historians). pp. 357, 464. ISBN 978-0-85130-385-7.

Bibliography

Ogden, Bob (2011). Aviation Museums and Collections of North America (2 ed.). Tonbridge, Kent: Air-Britain (Historians). pp. 357, 464. ISBN 978-0-85130-385-7.
Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson (1963). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue. pp. 242–243.
Simons, Martin (2006). Sailplanes 1945–1965 (2nd revised ed.). Königswinter: EQIP Werbung & Verlag GmbH. p. 135. ISBN 3-9807977-4-0.
Taylor, John W R (1962). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1962–63. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. p. 342.

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[n1-5] Most sources refer to P III; Simons refers to R III for the airfoil of the A-9 glider. The difference is generated by transliteration between Cyrillic script and Roman where p in Cyrillic is R in Roman script.

[SimonsII-1] Simons, Martin (2006). Sailplanes 1945–1965 (2nd revised ed.). Königswinter: EQIP Werbung & Verlag GmbH. p. 135. ISBN 3-9807977-4-0.

[OSTIV-2] 1 2 3 4 Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson (1963). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue.

[JAWA62-3] 1 2 Taylor, John W R (1962). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1962–63. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. p. 342.

[Ogden-4] Ogden, Bob (2011). Aviation Museums and Collections of North America (2 ed.). Tonbridge, Kent: Air-Britain (Historians). pp. 357, 464. ISBN 978-0-85130-385-7.

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[note 1]

v t e Antonov aircraft
Airliners	An-10 An-24 An-28 An-74 An-140 An-148 An-158 An-180 An-218
Transports	OKA-38 An-2 An-3 An-4 An-8 An-12 An-14 An-22 An-26 An-32 An-38 An-50 An-70 An-72 An-74 An-112 An-124 An-132 An-170 An-178 An-188 An-225 An-325 AKS
Reconnaissance and surveillance	An-6 An-30 An-71
Experimental	An-13 E-153 SKV An-181
Gliders	A-1 A-2 A-7 A-9 A-10 A-11 A-13 A-15 A-40
Microlights	T-2M