Download or read book Antonov Jet Twins written by E. Gordon and published by Ian Allan Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The need to provide a state-of-the-art jet successor to the ubiquitous An-26 led Antonov to develop a twin-turbo-fan tactical airlifter, the An-72, which made use of the Coanda effect, improving wing lift and field performance dramatically. The prototype flew in 1977, but it was not until the mid-1980s that production began in Khar'kov. The baseline military airlifter soon spawned a wide selection of derivatives. First was the An-74; originally conceived as a specialized version for Arctic and Antarctic support, it entered production as an ordinary civil transport. Concerted efforts by the Antonov OKB to enhance the capabilities of the An-72/An-74 family led to the development of the An-72P armed border patrol version, the convertible cargo/passenger An-747T and An-74TK, the An-74S flying hospital and the radically redesigned An-74TK-300 with engines on underwing pylons - an arrangement which improved the all-important economic efficiency. The most intriguing An-72 derivative was the unorthodox An-71 AEW aircraft; originally meant for shipboard operations, it was prevented from entering production by the political and economic situation.