ATR (Aerei da Trasporto Reionale / Avions de Transport Regional) was founded in 1981 as a joint venture between Aeritalia (now Leonardo) of Italy and Aerospatiale (now Airbus) of France. The company gained a modest following with their introduction of the "ATR 42" in 1985. Over 450 of the type followed in production and this design went on to serve as the basis for the larger "ATR 72" product.
Like the ATR 42, the ATR 72 incorporated a high-wing mainplane arrangement offering strong lifting properties and good short-field operation. A "T-style" tail unit was used and a rounded, slim fuselage brought all of the components together in a single sleek offering. The undercarriage was wheeled and retractable. The engines were slung under the wing mainplanes and installed within streamlined nacelles. First-flight of a prototype was on October 27th, 1988 and service introduction (through Finnair) followed on October 27th, 1989. Over 900 of the type have been produced to date (2017) and several major variants have emerged throughout its run. The design has seen service in both civilian and military sectors, the latter being the Italian Air Force, the Pakistan Navy and the Turkish Navy.
Variants
The original form was the ATR 72-100 which incorporated the ATR 72-101 of September 1989 powered by 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PW124B engines and featuring two crew access doors along the fuselage sides. The ATR 72-102 arrived in late-1989 with the same engines but a cargo door fitted at front and a crew door at rear. The ATR 72-200 was offered with PW124B engines of 2,400 horsepower (each). The ATR 72-201 and ATR 72-202 were primary products of the group and both featured increased MTOW because of the engine change. The ATR 72-210 sported a larger cargo door for improved access and a switch was made to PW127 engines of 2,750 horsepower (each). The powerplants gave the aircraft better "hot and high" performance and was fitted to both the ATR 72-211 and ATR 72-212 models of late 1992.
The ATR 72-212A, appearing in early 1997, was offered with a choice of engines - PW127F or PW127M. Each engine turned six-bladed propellers and performance was improved as a result (including MTOW). Additional benefits were added to the cockpit to help streamline operations. The ATR 72-500 was originally showcased as the ATR 72-500. A version with slightly different equipment was seen as the ATR 72-600.
The ATR 72-212A
The ATR 72-212A is crewed by two and seats 70 passengers. Overall length is 89 feet with a wingspan of 88.8 feet and a height of 25 feet. Empty weight is 28,682lb against a MTOW of 50,705lb. Performance includes a cruise speed of 315 mph, a range out to 950 miles and a service ceiling of 25,000 feet. Rate-of-climb is 1,355 feet-per-minute.
Other Forms
The ATR 72 ASW variant was built to serve as a maritime (over water) patrol platform in military spheres. The design was built atop the framework of the ATR 72-212A offering and held provision for various navy-centric armament such as anti-ship missiles, torpedoes and depth charges. Beyond their given submarine-hunting capabilities, the aircraft could also be used in the Search And Rescue (SAR) role when needed.
The ATR 80 was a follow-up model intended to seat more passengers (78). A pair of Allison AE2100 turboprop engines were to power the aircraft. This project did not see much advancement.
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March 2017 - The ATR 72MP (72-600) series aircraft was unveiled at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition in Langkawi, Malaysia.
February 2018 - Iran Aseman Airlines lost an ATR 72 with sixty-six souls aboard on February 18th, 2018.
July 2018 - On July 17th, 2018, ATR announced the delivery of its 1,000th ATR 72 aircraft, marking a milestone for the 1980s-era project formed from the original French-Italian partnership.
October 2021 - ASL Aviation Holdings of Ireland has announced its intention to convert as many as ten ATR 72 airframes to hydrogen power through its partnership with Universal Hydrogen.
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(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
✓Special-Mission: Airborne Early Warning (AEW)
Specially-equipped platform providing over-battlefield Command and Control (C2) capability for allied aerial elements.
✓Special-Mission: Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
Equipped to search, track, and engage enemy underwater elements by way of specialized onboard equipment and weapons.
✓Special-Mission: Anti-Ship
Equipped to search, track, and engage enemy surface elements through visual acquisition, radar support, and onboard weaponry.
✓Special-Mission: Electronic Warfare (EW)
Equipped to actively deny adversaries the ElectroMagnetic (EM) spectrum and protect said spectrum for allied forces.
✓Special-Mission: MEDical EVACuation (MEDEVAC)
Extraction of wounded combat or civilian elements by way of specialized onboard equipment and available internal volume or external carrying capability.
✓Special-Mission: Search & Rescue (SAR)
Ability to locate and extract personnel from areas of potential harm or peril (i.e. downed airmen in the sea).
✓Transport
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.
✓Commercial Aviation
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.
✓VIP Service
Used in the Very-Important-Person (VIP) passenger transport role, typically with above-average amenities and luxuries as standard.
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
Length
89.1 ft (27.17 m)
Width/Span
88.6 ft (27.00 m)
Height
25.1 ft (7.65 m)
Empty Wgt
28,660 lb (13,000 kg)
MTOW
50,265 lb (22,800 kg)
Wgt Diff
+21,605 lb (+9,800 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the ATR 72-600 production variant)
monoplane / shoulder-mounted / straight
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.
Shoulder-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted at the upper section of the fuselage, generally at the imaginary line intersecting the pilot's shoulders.
Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.
(Structural descriptors pertain to the ATR 72-600 production variant)
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the ATR 72-600 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
None.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
ATR 72 - Base Series Designation
ATR 72-100 - Family name; model of 1989
ATR 72-101 - Dual passenger doors; PW124B engines
ATR 72-102 - Front cargo, rear passenger doors; PW124B engines.
ATR 72-200 - Family name; model of 1989
ATR 72-201 - Increased MTOW
ATR 72-202 - Increased MTOW
ATR 72-210 - Family name; model of 1992
ATR 72-211 - PW127 engines
ATR 72-212 - PW127 engines
ATR 72-212A - PW127F or PW127M engines; six-bladed propeller units; increased MTOW; improved performance; revised cockpit.
ATR 72-500 - Early market name for ATR 72-212A model
ATR 72-600 - Early market name for ATR 72-212A model; featuring revised equipment.
ATR 72 ASW - Military Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) platform.
ATR 72 CARGO - Freighter model
ATR 72 CORP - Corporate passenger model
ATR 82 - Proposed 78-seat version; abandoned.
ATR QC - Proposed "Quick Change" conversion offering to serve both passenger hauling and cargo transport markets.
ATR 72MP - Maritime Patrol variant
P-72 - Italian Air Force designation of the ATR 72MP model.
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