Antonov An-72 / An-74 (Coaler)

Tactical Medium Military Transport Aircraft [ 1986 ]

The Antonov An-72 Coaler proved to be a successful design despite its unconventional arrangement - resulting in good maneuverability at low altitudes as well as inherent STOL capabilities.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/28/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the Russian Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

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Because of the sheer size of the Soviet military during the Cold War era (1947-1991), its various services required various transport types to move man, machines and supplies about. The Antonov An-72 (NATO codename of "Coaler") became a product of the period, intended for the logistically-minded tactical transport role. The rather unique aircraft incorporated turbofan engines over the shoulder-mounted wings which made for maximum clearance of the jet wash and promoted excellent inherent lifting properties. The An-72 was eventually adopted as a successor to the aging Antonov An-26 "Curl" transport family (detailed elsewhere on this site) and would go on to see service with various Soviet states and allied nations around the globe.

First flying in December of 1977 (in prototype form of which two would be built), actual production models were not available until the mid-1980s and, even then, these were highly-modified from their original presented forms. The An-72 was designed with Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) in mind so robustness and reliability were key qualities but an natural capability became excellent maneuverability despite the size of the aircraft. The high-mounted engines were purposefully placed so the engine exhaust could feed over trailing edge wing devices, effectively increasing low-level performance.

The An-72 ("Coaler-A") platform went on to spawn other variants that included the maritime surveillance-minded An-72P (Patrol), the An-71 "Madcap" AEW (Airborne Early Warning) aircraft and the An-74 "Improved Coaler", the latter with upgraded engines and a more traditional/conventional engine mounting. The An-72P was developed in conjunction with Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) and featured a revised "glass" cockpit, specialized Elta-brand radar, and an Electronic Warfare (EW) fit as well as long-range day-or-night observation equipment and related systems/subsystems. It also held provision for rocket and bombs and was armed through a single 23mm GSh-23L series autocannon. The An-72AT was a dedicated transport developed to accommodate foreign shipping containers. The An-72S became a VIP transport and could be used in the MEDEVAC role when configured as such.

About 195 of the series were built under the An-72 and An-74 guises and production has spanning from 1977 to the present. The An-74 was developed (and produced in parallel to the An-72) along the lines of cold weather support and operated through a crew of five, added more fuel storage and installed a larger radar. It was introduced in 1983.

Another notable offshoot, the An-71, emerged in 1985 through a first-flight on July 12th. Only three prototypes of this mark were produced and the variant's program was ultimately cancelled. The version was intended for the Tactical AWACS (Airborne Early Warning And Control = AEW&C) role and carried a dish installation over the rear fuselage.

Current (2017) military operators of the Coaler family line include Equatorial Guinea, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. The type also sees service in the civilian sector with various operators worldwide. Several have already given up on the series for more modern designs.

As designed, the An-72 featured a length of 92 feet, a wingspan of 104.7 feet and a height of 28.4 feet. Empty weight was 42,000lb against an MTOW of 76,060lb. Power was served from 2 x Lotarev D-36 1A turbofan engines developing upwards of 14,330lb of thrust (each) and maximum speed reached 435 miles-per-hour with a cruising speed of around 375 mph. Range was listed out to 2,690 miles.

The An-72/An-74 series eventually took on the nickname of "Cheburashka", a Soviet cartoon character, owing to its large over-wing engines resembling the character's large ears.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1986

Origin

Soviet Union

Status

ACTIVE
In Active Service.

Crew

3

Production

195
UNITS

Antonov Design Bureau - Soviet Union

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Angola; Armenia; Egypt; Equatorial Guinea; Estonia; France; Georgia; Kazakhstan; Iran; Laos; Libya; Moldova; Peru; Russia; Soviet Union; Sudan; Ukraine

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

SPECIAL-MISSION: MECICAL EVACUATION
Extraction of wounded combat or civilian elements by way of specialized onboard equipment and available internal volume or external carrying capability.

MARITIME / NAVY
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.

TRANSPORT
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.

VIP SERVICE
Used in the Very-Important-Person (VIP) passenger transport role, typically with above-average amenities and luxuries as standard.

Length

94.2 ft
(28.70 m)

Width/Span

104.7 ft
(31.90 m)

Height

28.4 ft
(8.65 m)

Empty Wgt

41,998 lb
(19,050 kg)

MTOW

76,059 lb
(34,500 kg)

Wgt Diff

+34,061 lb
(+15,450 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Antonov An-72 (Coaler-C) production variant)

Installed: 2 x Lotarev D-36 turbofan engines developing 14,330 lb of thrust each.

Max Speed

438 mph
(705 kph | 381 kts)

Ceiling

38,173 ft
(11,635 m | 7 mi)

Range

497 mi
(800 km | 432 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Antonov An-72 (Coaler-C) 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)

Typically None but, if equipped, can include any of the following (An-72P model):

1 x 23mm gun pod.
2 x UB-23M rocket launcher system.
4 x 220lb internally-held conventional drop bombs.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft machine gun pod

Graphical image of aircraft aerial rockets

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

0
Hardpoints

An-72 ('Coaler-A') - Base Series Designation

An-72A ('Coaler-C') - Base Production Model Designation

An-72AT ('Coaler-C') - International Cargo Specialized Variant.

An-72S ('Coaler-C') - VIP Passenger Transport

An-72P - Maritime Patrol Variant; fitted with 23mm cannon, 4 x internal bombs, specialized tracking equipment and rocket pods.

An-71 "Madcap" - Airborne Early Warning And Control platform (AWACs); only three prototypes completed before cancellation; 2 x Progress D-436K turbofan engines.

An-74 - Improved "Coaler"; specialized for extreme cold operation; uprated engines; improved avionics system.

An-74A - Enlarged Nose Radome

An-74D - Variant

An-74T - Freighter Variant

An-74TK - Convertible Passenger/Cargo Variant

An-74MP - Maritime Patrol Version

An-74P "Salon" - VIP Transport Variant

An-74-100 - An-74TK with navigation station added.

An-74-200 - An-74TK with reduced flight crew (2).

An-74TK-200C - An-74TK-200 cargo variant.

An-74T-200 - Military transport

An-74T-200A - Military transport

An-74-400 - Proposed "Stretched" Transport Variant.

An-74TK-300 - D-436 turbofan engines in conventional underwing mounting.

An-75 - Proposed modified version of the An-71 prototypes for use aboard Soviet carriers.

An-174 - "Stretched" Transport/Passenger Variant.

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Images Gallery

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Image of the Antonov An-72 / An-74 (Coaler)

Image from the Russian Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

2 / 4

Image from the Russian Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

3 / 4

Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

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Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

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