Antonov An-26
Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.The Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name: Curl, nicknamed Nastia in the USSR) is a twin-engined turboprop regional airliner and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986. It is the third member of the Antonov An-24 family, coming after the An-24 and An-30, while preceding the An-32 and cancelled An-132. The An-26 is still license-produced in China as the modern version of the Xi'an Y-7. Early versions of the Y-7 utilized the An-24 design.
Specifications
Figures for the An-26 variant, the most representative of the family
The type first flew in 1969 (57 years ago) · About 1,403 units built · Production ended in 1986
Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.
The story of the type
Development
While the An-24T tactical transport had proved successful in supporting Soviet troops in austere locations, its ventral loading hatch restricted the handling of cargo, and in particular vehicles, and made it less effective than hoped in parachuting men and supplies. As a result, interest in a version with a retractable cargo ramp increased, and the Antonov design bureau decided in 1966 to begin development on the new An-26 derivative, in advance of an official order. The cargo ramp was based on that design and allowed the cargo deck to be sealed and pressurised in flight. When loading cargo, it could either be lowered to allow vehicles to be driven in, or slid beneath the aircraft's fuselage, so that cargo could be loaded straight in off a truck bed. In March 1968, the OKB received official permission to begin development. Particular attention was given to the military mission, and the majority of early An-26 production was delivered to the VTA (voyenno-transportnaya aviatsiya).
Using the majority of the An-24 airframe, it has high-set cantilevered wings, wing-mounted twin Ivchenko AI-24 turboprops with a turbojet engine in the starboard nacelle for use as an auxiliary power unit and also for extra take-off thrust, plus long main undercarriage legs. The An-26 includes military equipment, such as tip-up paratroop canvas seats, an overhead traveling hoist, bulged observation windows and parachute static line attachment cables. It can be configured in 20–30 minutes from the troop transport or freight mission to the medical evacuation role with up to 24 stretchers fitted.
The An-26 made its public debut at the 27th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget where the second prototype, CCCP-26184 (c/n00202), was shown in the static aircraft park.
The An-26 is also manufactured without a license agreement in China by the Xian Aircraft factory as the Y-14, later changed to be included in the Xi'an Y-7 series.
Total production
Operational history
The An-26 has a secondary bomber role with underwing bomb racks. The racks are attached to the fuselage in front of and behind the rear landing gear. In the bombing role it was extensively used by the Vietnam People's Air Force during the Cambodian–Vietnamese War (by modifying the cargo bay with a bomb release system, allowing captured South Vietnamese Mark 82 bombs to roll out of the cargo bay) and Sudanese Air Force during the Second Sudanese Civil War and the War in Darfur. Russian Forces have also trained with the An-26 as a bomber. In 1977, the Afghan Air Force received the An-26 aircraft and in 1986, they had 36 of them which were used for airborne assaults conducted by the Afghan Army's commando and parachute battalions and two military transport squadrons.
One An-26 was involved in the Purulia Incident in 1995 in which arms were dropped in the Purulia district of West Bengal, India. The reason behind the drop is not disclosed to the public due to national security.
Variants
"Curl-A" : Twin-engine tactical transport aircraft.
Convertible passenger/cargo aircraft modified from An-26 aircraft at the Kyiv plant from 1999.
An arctic surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft retrofitted with Nel'mo equipment.
("Weather") Another aircraft for weather control duties, similar to the An-26 Tsiklon, with a simplified equipment test lab.
("Flight") A single aircraft retrofitted for the purpose of research of unified air traffic control and monitoring system throughout the USSR, with a comprehensive navigation test lab including precision compasses and Doppler speed/shift sensors.
("Sphere") A single production aircraft built as a laboratory for atmospheric research.
("Shtab" = "Headquarters") some An-26s delivered to the Soviet and DDR air forces for use as staff transports/mobile command posts.
("Life") A single mobile operating room, surgery and intensive care unit ('25 Blue', c/n5406), for the Ukrainian Air Force.
A one-off assault transport prototype with higher performance due to removal of some military equipment.
(Avtomatizirovannaya sistema lyotnogo kontrolya – automated flight control and monitoring system) : A modern flight control and monitoring system equipped with automatic calibration and navigation systems. Recognizable by the distinctive pod low on the forward fuselage side.
A civil cargo version equipped with ramps which can be swung up against the cabin walls when not in use. It was also equipped with two ZMDB Progress (Ivchyenko) Al-24VT turboprop powerplants to deliver higher thrust.
The prototype An-26B retrofitted as a mobile civilian emergency hospital.
("Cyclone") A weather research/control and cloud-seeding aircraft for the Central Aerologic Laboratory. This aircraft was used for rain induction and protection using cloud-seeding chemicals dropped from slab-sided pods hung from pylons.
Convertible passenger/cargo aircraft modified from An-26B aircraft at the Kyiv plant from 1999.
Alternative designation for the An-26L.
Alternative designation of the An-26RL Arctic surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.
(Dal'niy – long-range) An extended range version with extra fuel in wing tanks and additional external tanks attached to the airframe of the fuselage. One aircraft ('21 Yellow', c/n 13806) was retrofitted and delivered, but no further orders were forthcoming.
("Great Auk") A single An-26 aircraft converted to a Kaira test airframe for the development of airborne Laser guided systems.
("Drop" [of liquid]) After completion of the laser designator trials the An-26K Kaira was retrofitted to search or optically guided weapons as the navigation systems. During a night test flight at low level, in March 1989, the An-26K Kaplya suffered a massive bird strike, which consequently destroyed the windshield and injured the pilot, who involuntarily downed the aircraft into the Azov Sea.
(Kontrol'no-Poverochnaya Apparatura – Testing and calibration equipment) : A navigation aids inspecting aircraft with comprehensive navigation equipment and calibration equipment.
A single An-26, (14 Orange, c/n 00607), used at Sperenberg Airfield near Berlin, for airfield and NAVAID calibration.
(Letayuschaya Laboratoriya – Protivolodochnoy Oborony – ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) testbed) : A single An-26A aircraft, (c/n 0901), retrofitted and modified to accommodate range of sophisticated laboratory for surveillance systems, detecting and tracking stealthy nuclear submarines.
Firefighting version. At least 9 converted.
("Rescuer") Flying hospital with an emergency surgery facility. Two converted.
(Protivopozharnyy – firefighting) : Aircraft fire-bomber, retrofitted with water tanks in pods on either side of the lower fuselage, which could be substituted for dispensers for silver iodide flares for rainmaking.
Overview and history adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · technical figures from the manufacturer’s published specifications and standard aviation references
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This page was last updated on October 11, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 11). Antonov An-26. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/an26
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“Antonov An-26.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 11 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/model/an26. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
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BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_model_an26,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Antonov An-26}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-11},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/an26},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/an26}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/model/an26 |title=Antonov An-26 |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-11 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}