The Antonov An-178 is a cargo variant of the An-158 99-passenger airliner, itself a stretched fuselage version of the original An-148 (detailed elsewhere on this site) introduced in 2009. The An-178 represents a medium-lift tactical military- / civilian-market transport alternative to competing designs such as the emerging Brazilian Embraer KC-390 and the Russo-Indian UAC Il-214 MTA. It is intended as a successor to the aging line of Antonov An-12, An-26 and An-32 models still in service globally - but which have seen their best operating days (all are Cold War-era products). The An-178 initiative was launched in early 2010 and the aircraft officially rolled out in April of 2015 (Paris Air Show 2015). A first-flight by way of prototype was had on May 7th, 2015.
The An-178 borrows many of the proven qualities of the An-148/An-158 series, particularly its high-lift, high-mounted wing mainplanes. Engine nacelles are fitted - one per wing - to the wing undersides. The flight deck offers excellent vision over-the-nose and the tail configuration is of a traditional "T" arrangement. The empennage is elevated to provide the necessary access to the cargo ramp under the tail, giving proper access to the hold within the belly of the airplane. Much of the wings and forward fuselage are taken directly from the An-158 without much modification. The main landing gear legs number four and are single-wheeled to contend with the weights involved in transporting military goods to and fro. The nose leg features the standard two-wheel fitting. Construction used throughout the aircraft is largely of composites and lightweight aluminum.
Power is served through 2 x Progress D-436-148FM turbofan engines approximately 15,000lb of thrust each. This provides the aircraft with a cruising speed in the 500 mile per hour range with operating ceilings of 42,650 feet. Its cargo-hauling capability is 22,045 lb over a range of 2,500 miles. 40,000 lb can be transported to 620 miles.
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January 2021 - The Ukrainian military will take on three initial An-178 transports and the project begins to gain some steam.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Antonov An-178 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. Payload reserved for cargo.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
An-178 - Base Series Designation; based on the stretched-fuselage An-158 model series.
General Assessment
Firepower
Performance
Survivability
Versatility
Impact
Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.
Overall Rating
The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.
20
Rating is out of a possible 100 points.
Relative Maximum Speed
Hi: 500mph
Lo: 250mph
This entry's maximum listed speed (497mph).
Graph average of 375 miles-per-hour.
City-to-City Ranges
NYC
LON
LON
PAR
PAR
BER
BER
MOS
MOS
TOK
TOK
SYD
SYD
LAX
LAX
NYC
Antonov An-178 operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
Max Altitude Visualization
Design Balance
The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.
Aviation Era Span
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
Unit Production (4)
4
36183
44000
Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).
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Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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Azerbaijan (ordered); Iraq (ordered); Saudi Arabia (ordered)
