IAI Arava (Willow)

STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) Transport Aircraft

Israel | 1973

"Over 100 of the Israeli Arava were produced from 1972 to 1988 and these fielded across multiple foreign air forces."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/11/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

During the middle Cold War (1947-1991) period, Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) produced the IAI "Arava" for the lightweight Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) role coveted by many military services of the world. Design work began in 1965 and a first-flight, in prototype form (this example later lost in flight-testing), was recorded on November 27th, 1969 (a second prototype followed into the air on May 8th, 1971). Serial production then went on to yield 103 total units - the work spanning from 1972 to 1988.

Despite its rather modest production total, the Arava has gone on to see global use under various national flags, from Argentina and Bolivia to Thailand and Venezuela (see Operators section for complete listing of users). The aircraft is in the same class as the Ukrainian Antonov An-28 "Cash", Spanish CASA C-212 "Aviocar", the Canadian de Havilland DHC-6 "Twin Otter" light-class haulers - all detailed elsewhere on this site.

For its STOL capability, the Arava achieved this through a lightweight design coupled to powerful turboprop engines and a braced, high-mounted monoplane wing assembly. Its overall design was relatively conventional with a "podded" centralized fuselage nacelle containing the flightdeck and cargo hold. The mainplanes were fitted at the shoulder and each member held an engine nacelle which protruded from the leading edge. Along the aft line of the members emanated tailbooms leading to the rear of the aircraft. The tailbooms were joined at the rear by a shared horizontal plane between them and further capped by individual vertical fins. The raised nature of the tail unit allowed for unfettered access to the cargo section of the aircraft. For ground-running, a fixed (non-retracting) tricycle undercarriage was installed - its fixed nature reducing both operational cost and complexity.

Dimensions included a running length of 41.5 feet, a wingspan of 68.8 feet, and a height of 17 feet. Empty weight is 8,815lb against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 15,000lb.

The aircraft are typically crewed by two pilots seated in a traditional side-by-side configuration. The cargo hold carries room for up to twenty-four combat-ready infantry or, in their place, sixteen fully-equipped paratroopers (the latter for airborne assaults). This can further be substituted for general cargo loads and medical litters as required by mission parameters.

Power to the aircraft has been through 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PT6A-34 series of proven turboprop engines, these particular units yielding 750 horsepower each. The engines are used to drive three-bladed propeller units and this helps to propel the aircraft to speeds of just over 200 miles-per-hour (general cruising being closer to 195-198 mph). Range is out to a useful 655 miles with a service ceiling of 25,000 feet being possible and a rate-of-climb reaching 1,300 feet-per-minute being reported.

Various forms of the base design were eventually realized: the Model 101 was brought online to serve the civilian transportation market and was eventually joined by the one-off Model 101A. The Model 101B, Model 102, and Model 102B were all also intended for civilian airspace use. The Model 201 began the line of militarized forms and the Model 202 introduced winglets as well as an onboard Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) while the Model 202B was equipped for the Electronic Warfare (EW) role. Other military models could be further equipped with weapon stations and hardpoints - supporting machine guns (medium and heavy types), rocket pods, and aerial torpedoes.

The proposed Model 203 was to rely on jet propulsion but was not furthered. Likewise, the Model 301 was to be equipped with a French Turbomeca "Astazou" engine and the Model 401 would have been an enlarged variant with turboprop engines - neither was evolved.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the IAI Arava (Willow) STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) Transport Aircraft.

2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PT6A-34 turboprop engines developing 750 horsepower each.
Propulsion

202 mph
325 kph | 175 kts
Max Speed

25,000 ft
7,620 m | 5 miles
Service Ceiling

656 miles
1,055 km | 570 nm
Operational Range

1,300 ft/min
396 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the IAI Arava (Willow) STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) Transport Aircraft.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

41.7 ft
12.70 m
O/A Length

68.9 ft
(21.00 m)
O/A Width

17.1 ft
(5.20 m)
O/A Height

8,818 lb
(4,000 kg)
Empty Weight

14,991 lb
(6,800 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the IAI Arava (Willow) STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) Transport Aircraft .

Cargo hold used for 16 airborne troopers or 24 infantry.

Armed military models seen equipped with machine guns, aerial torpedoes, and rocket pods.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the IAI Arava (Willow) family line.

Arava 101 - Base passenger transport

Arava 102 - Passenger airliner variant

Arava 102B - Transport variant

Arava 201 - Militarized troop transport variant

Arava 202 - Militarized transport with lengthened fuselage and revised wing assemblies.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the IAI Arava (Willow). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 103 Units
Contractor(s): Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) - Israel

[ Argentina; Bolivia; Cameroon; Colombia; Ecuador; El Salvador; Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras; Israel; Liberia; Mexico; Nicaragua; Papua New Guinea; Swaziland; Thailand; Venezuela ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (202mph).

Graph Average of 225 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

103

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

GROUND ATTACK

CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT

AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING

ANTI-SHIP

MEDEVAC

SEARCH & RESCUE

MARITIME / NAVY

TRANSPORT

COMMERCIAL AVIATION

VIP SERVICE

SPECIAL FORCES

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for Special Forces

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Going Further...
The IAI Arava (Willow) STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) Transport Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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