Antonov/Taqnia An-132

Last updated
An-132
Antonov An-132D maiden flight at Gostomel (cropped).jpg
On its 31 March 2017 maiden flight
Role Military transport aircraft
National origin Ukraine
Saudi Arabia
Manufacturer Antonov Serial Production Plant
Taqnia Aeronautics
Design group Antonov State Enterprise
First flight31 March 2017 [1]
StatusCancelled
Produced2016
Number built1
Developed from Antonov An-32

The Antonov/Taqnia An-132 was an improved version of the Antonov An-32 twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft that was under development jointly by Saudi Arabia and Ukraine. [2] [3] It was cancelled in April 2019. [4]

Contents

Development

Origins

The origins of the An-132 can be found in the Antonov An-24, a Soviet short-range passenger turboprop aircraft developed in the late 1950s by the Soviets. [5] The principal advantage of this aircraft over others was its ability to operate in rugged and undeveloped airfields. For this reason, the An-24 became a popular aircraft in Soviet aviation, and subsequently friendly countries in Comecon. Design work was conducted by the Antonov Design Bureau, and manufactured in large quantities at the Kyiv Aviation Plant, Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, and Irkutsk Aviation Plant.

In the 1960s, a military variant of the aircraft, the Antonov An-26, was produced for the Soviet Air Forces.

In the 1980s, at the request of the Indian Air Force, for operating in the high-altitude environments of Northern India, the An-26 was fitted with more powerful Ivchenko AI-20 engines. This version of the aircraft was designated as the Antonov An-32. Production of the An-32 continued after the fall of the Soviet Union at the Aviant Aviation Plant.

Partnership with Saudi Arabia

A revolution occurred at the beginning of 2014 in Ukraine, resulting in a deterioration of relations between the new Ukrainian government and Russia. Due to inheriting the industrial supply chains of the Soviet Union era, Antonov was heavily associated and reliant on partnered industries in Russia. As a result of this crisis, the company began to search for other partners. In late 2014, Saudi Arabia initiated the negotiation of a development of new aircraft with Ukraine, focussing on a modernised version of the An-32, replacing Soviet and Russian systems with western components.

The new An-132 would receive a number of updates from the old An-32. [6] The Ivchenko AI-20 engines manufactured by Motor Sich would be replaced with Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150 turboprop engines, widely used in many regional airliners. The American firm Honeywell would provide aircraft avionics and Auxiliary Power Unit units would be supplied by United Technologies. The aircraft would also feature British-made propellers, French air management systems, and many other European and American components that would replace the original Russian parts. This modernisation process would result in the An-132 possessing twice the range of the original An-32, as well as improving cargo capacity from 6,700kg to 9,200kg.

A Saudi Arabian government owned company named Taqnia served as the major partner in the project. The company wished to develop a production line in Riyadh by 2017, with the goal of both Saudi Arabian and Ukrainian production lines being operational in 2018.

Design

Prototype during production. Antonov An-132D Belyakov 02.jpg
Prototype during production.

The An-132 is a turboprop-powered transport aircraft. While the An-132 inherits the aerodynamic features of its predecessor, the An-32, many of its Soviet and Russian origin parts are replaced by Western European and American made components.

It is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150 turboprop engines, which drive an arrangement of six-bladed R408 propellers supplied by Dowty Propellers. This arrangement produces 5,071 shp, allowing the aircraft to achieve "hot and high" takeoff performance, and operate in sparse conditions.

The aircraft features Honeywell avionics, a Liebherr air management system and a Hamilton Sundstrand-supplied Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). [7]

Operational history

20 December 2016 roll out Antonov An-132D roll out.jpg
20 December 2016 roll out

The Antonov An-132 struggled to compete with European and American competitors and lacked access to its previous Russian aligned customers. An initial order of 80 aircraft by the Royal Saudi Air Force was publicised in 2015 as being highly useful for both military and civilian purposes. However, with the RSAF already negotiating the purchase of extra Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules, as well as EADS CASA C-295 at the time, little space was left for the An-132. The initial Saudi Arabian commitment to the project was $150 million USD, which covered one third of the development costs, and two thirds of testing costs. The production of an An-132D technology demonstrator began in 2015. On a snowy winter morning of December 2016, the completed prototype was rolled out at Sviatoshyn Airfield in Kyiv. [8] [1] [9] The aircraft was open for public examination, with Antonov praising its characteristics in demanding situations such as desert environments.

In March 2017, the prototype embarked on its maiden flight to Riyadh, for testing in desert conditions. At the same time, 50 Saudi engineers undertook training at the Antonov Technical School. However, production lines had yet to have been established in Saudi Arabia. At the Paris Air Show in June 2017, it was revealed that the Saudi Arabian production line was scheduled to begin production. A Saudi Arabian derived variant was announced, stating that a significant part of the aircraft would be built using composite materials, produced in Saudi Arabia. [9] In 2017 and 2018, the An-132 prototype continued with flight tests. [10]

An-132 at Aero India 2019. An132D Aero India 2019.jpg
An-132 at Aero India 2019.

At Aero India in February 2019, representatives from Ukraine and India discussed offering the An-132 as a potential replacement for their existing fleet of An-32 transport aircraft. [11] The aircraft performed a number of demonstration flights during the air show.

In April 2019, Antonov CEO Oleksandr Donets announced that cooperation had been suspended, indicating that Taqnia was no longer a partner in the project. [12] [13] Saudi Arabia neglected to comment on this occurrence. The primary reason for this change suggested by aviation experts is that the RSAF decided to focus their efforts towards building their fleet of already operated aircraft, such as the C-130J Super Hercules. Others have suggested that the project was dropped as part of the anti-corruption campaign and consolidation of government spending by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or that the project was never taken seriously by Saudi Arabia to begin with.

In 2021, the aircraft's registration was revoked by the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine as its airworthiness certificate had expired. The prototype was very heavily damaged during the Battle of Antonov Airport in 2022. [14]

Variants

Undeveloped variants

Antonov has studied a number of An-132 variants that have not gone beyond the concept stage. [15]

Operators

Former operators

Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine

Cancelled orders

Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia

Accidents and incidents

Specifications (An-132)

Data from An-132 [17]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 "AN-132D first flight: A new page in the history of Ukraine's aircraft industry" (Press release). UkrOboronProm. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "New Antonov aircraft will be powered by Pratt&Whitney Canada" (Press release). Antonov. 16 October 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2015.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ↑ "Saudi Arabia To Build Antonov Cargo Planes". Defense News. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Ukraine's Antonov confirms the suspension of its An-132D development
  5. ↑ "Taqnia An-132: the curious tale of Saudi Antonovs". www.aerotime.aero. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  6. ↑ "AN-132 Light Multipurpose Transport Aircraft". Airforce Technology. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  7. ↑ "Antonov complete preliminary design of An-132 airlifter". Aviation Analysis Wing. September 7, 2015.
  8. ↑ Trimble2016-12-20T20:01:47+00:00, Stephen. "Antonov rolls out An-132 demonstrator". Flight Global. Retrieved 2022-11-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. 1 2 Trendafilovski, Vladimir (May 2017). "Airborne". Air International. Vol. 92, no. 5. pp. 6–7. ISSN   0306-5634.
  10. ↑ Isby, David C. (September 2016). "Ukraine/Saudi An-132D Plans". Air International . Vol. 91, no. 3. p. 19. ISSN   0306-5634.
  11. ↑ Peri, Dinakar (2019-02-24). "Issues in upgrade of An-32 aircraft resolved". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  12. ↑ "An-132D programme stalls". Jane's Defence. April 30, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Ukraine suspends joint venture with Saudi Arabia to build An-132 aircraft". Middle East Monitor. April 29, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Antonov Airlines Company". 6 April 2022.
  15. ↑ "AN-132". antonov.com. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  16. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "Incident multiple aircraft , 24 Feb 2022". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  17. ↑ Butowski, Piotr (February 2017). "An-132". Air International. Vol. 92, no. 2. pp. 6–7. ISSN   0306-5634.
  18. ↑ Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 advanced propeller system (PDF). Dowty Propellers (Brochure). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2009.
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