The Antonov An-2 is a single-engine Soviet utility biplane that first flew on 31 August 1947. More than 18,000 were built in the Soviet Union, Poland and China, and it can take off in about 170 m (560 ft) carrying 12 passengers or 2,140 kg (4,718 lb) of cargo. Developed by Antonov.
The Antonov An-2 is a single-engine Soviet utility biplane that first flew on 31 August 1947. Developed by Antonov.
See Specifications for full detail.
The Antonov An-2, known to NATO as Colt, is a single-engine utility biplane designed by Oleg Antonov's design bureau in the Soviet Union for crop dusting, forestry, light cargo and passenger work. It first flew on 31 August 1947, and more than 18,000 were built in the Soviet Union, Poland and China. [1] [2]
Its 45-year production run was at one point the longest of any aircraft, according to Guinness, until the C-130 passed it. The An-2 is still flown in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and many other countries, and about 47 countries have operated it in civil and military roles. [1] [2]
The requirement dates from 1946, when a Soviet ministry asked for a small utility aircraft to replace the Polikarpov Po-2 on crop-dusting, light cargo, ambulance and survey work in areas without roads. Antonov's bureau, then based in Novosibirsk, chose a biplane at a time when monoplanes were the trend. [1] [2]
The prototype, designated SKh-1, flew on 31 August 1947 from Yeltsovka airfield in the Novosibirsk region with an ASh-21 engine. A second prototype with an ASh-62 engine raised the payload from 1,300 kg to 2,140 kg, and that version went into production. [1]
The An-2 is a biplane with a 59 ft 9 in (18.2 m) upper wing and a 46 ft 7 in (14.2 m) lower wing. Leading-edge slats extend at about 64 km/h (40 mph), and after a power failure the aircraft can descend at roughly 40 km/h forward speed. Approach speed is about 80 km/h, and typical takeoff and landing runs are about 170 m (560 ft) and 215 m (705 ft). [1] [2]
Power comes from one nine-cylinder Shvetsov ASh-62IR radial of 1,000 hp driving a four-blade constant-speed propeller, and it burns 185 to 200 litres of fuel per hour. Maximum speed is 160 mph (258 km/h), cruise is 118 mph (190 km/h) and range is 525 mi (845 km). [1]
Soviet production began at the state factory in Kyiv in 1949 and reached up to 5,000 aircraft there by 1960. Production then moved to WSK Mielec in Poland, which built most of the remaining aircraft, with counts ranging from about 11,900 to more than 13,000 depending on the source. China licensed the design in 1957 and built it as the Y-5 at Nanchang and later Shijiazhuang. Limited assembly from spare stocks continued until 2001, including four aircraft for Vietnam. [1] [2]
Variants include the An-2T cargo model, the An-2S ambulance with up to six stretchers, the An-2SKh crop sprayer, the An-2TD with 12 paratroop seats and the An-2V floatplane. The An-2ZA weather-research version set a class altitude record of 11,248 m (36,903 ft) on 9 June 1954. Turboprop conversions include the An-3, produced as the An-3T from 1993 at Omsk, the An-2-100, which first flew on 10 July 2013 with a 1,100 kW MS-14 turboprop, and the SibNIA TVS-2MS, which entered Russian forest-protection service in 2014 with 16 in service by early 2017. [1]
Aeroflot flew a large fleet of An-2s on local services, and Estonia used the type on island services between Kuressaare and Kaerdla. Former Aeroflot aircraft found work with regional operators in Africa, Central and South America, Cuba and Southeast Asia. [1]
Civil operators have used it for crop dusting, parachute training, freight and bush transport. On 6 May 2016 an An-2 made a forced landing in a residential area of San Bernardino, California, after water contaminated its fuel system, and nobody was injured. On 14 November 2022 one seized by US Customs and Border Protection overturned in the Everglades during a forced landing, and both pilots survived. [1] [2]
The An-2 has served with the Soviet Air Force and Warsaw Pact air forces, mainly for transport and paratroop training. North Korea has used it to infiltrate special forces, the Republic of Korea Air Force flies it in aggressor squadrons, and the Ukrainian Air Force and the 10th Naval Aviation Brigade of Ukrainian Naval Aviation also operate it. Its low speed and low radar signature are reported to make it hard to intercept. [1] [2]
On 12 January 1968 four North Vietnamese An-2s approached the US radar site at Lima Site 85 in Laos, and the two that attacked dropped 120 mm mortar shells through the floor and fired rockets from wing pods. Ground fire crashed one into a mountainside, and an Air America helicopter crew shot down the other with an AK-47. In 1991 the Croatian Air Force converted crop-sprayers to drop improvised bombs, and one was shot down over Vinkovci on 2 December 1991 by an SA-6 missile. In the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war Azerbaijan flew unmanned An-2s, and at least 11 were destroyed. [3] [1]
As of 2015 Russia had more than 1,500 An-2s in operation, Kazakhstan 294 and Ukraine 54. Russian An-2s were seen at Seshcha Air Base near the Ukrainian border on 2 March 2022, and a serviceable example can cost as little as US$30,000. [1]
In September 2024 Vladimir Putin ordered the UZGA LMS-901 Baikal into production to replace the An-2, with engine certification expected in 2025 and deliveries in 2026. The SibNIA TVS-2-DT, a composite-structure version, first flew on 10 June 2015, and production at Ulan-Ude was planned for a requirement of at least 200 aircraft from 2021 to 2025. [1]
The Antonov An-2 has a top speed of 139 kn (160 mph / 258 km/h).
A total of 18,000 were built.
Yes, the Antonov An-2 is still in service.
The Antonov An-2 first flew on August 31st 1947.
The Antonov An-2 has a range of 525 mi (845 km, 456 nmi).
Operators include Aeroflot, Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, plus 3 more.
Filter for type AN2. Sightings are most likely over Russia and Eastern Europe, where the largest fleets operate.
| Performance | |
| Max Speed | 139 kn (160 mph / 258 km/h) |
|---|---|
| Cruise SpeedCruise Speed — The economical speed an aircraft sustains for the bulk of a flight - lower than maximum speed, chosen for the best balance of time and fuel burn. Glossary → | 118 mph |
| RangeRange — How far an aircraft can fly without refuelling. Quoted figures vary with payload, speed and reserves - see also ferry range and combat radius. Glossary → | 525 mi |
| Service CeilingService Ceiling — The highest altitude at which an aircraft can still climb at a useful rate (typically 100 ft/min). Above it, the air is too thin to keep climbing meaningfully. Glossary → | 14,764 ft |
| Airframe & Weight | |
| Wingspan | 59 ft 9 in upper wing; 46 ft 7 in lower wing |
| Length | 40 ft 8 in |
| Height | 13 ft 5 in |
| WeightMTOW — Maximum Take-Off Weight - the heaviest an aircraft is certified to be at the start of its take-off run, including fuel, crew, payload and the aircraft itself. Glossary → | empty: 7,275 lb; MTOW: 11,993 lb |
| Power & Payload | |
| Engines | 1 x Shvetsov ASh-62IR nine-cylinder radial, 1,000 hp (750 kW), driving a four-blade constant-speed propeller |
| Crew | 1 to 2 |
| CapacityPayload — Everything an aircraft is carrying that isn't the aircraft or its fuel: passengers, cargo, or weapons. Payload and fuel usually trade off against each other. Glossary → | 12 passengers or 2,140 kg (4,718 lb) of cargo |
| Program & Service | |
| Manufacturer | Antonov |
| Origin | Ukraine |
| First Flight | August 31st 1947 |
| Service Entry | January 1st 1949 |
| Number Built | 18,000 |
| Unit Cost | Reported: ~$155,000 average second-hand asking price (unconfirmed) |
10 notable events involving the An-2 Colt, 1968 to 2025. 17 deaths are recorded across the 7 of these with a figure listed. Curated rather than exhaustive.
Two North Vietnamese An-2s attacked the US radar site at Lima Site 85 in Laos with mortar shells and rockets. One crashed into a mountainside after ground fire, and an Air America helicopter crew shot down the other with an AK-47.
Timofei Shovkunov flew a stolen An-2 into an apartment building in Voroshilovgrad. He was the only casualty.
Vladimir Serkov crashed a stolen An-2 into an apartment stairwell in Novosibirsk. The fire killed three children at the scene and a fourth eight days later, and injured 11 residents.
A Croatian Air Force An-2 was shot down over Vinkovci by an SA-6 missile.
An An-2 lost engine power near Pskov and made a forced landing in woodland. All three crew and ten paratroopers survived.
An An-2 made a forced landing in a residential area of San Bernardino, California, after water contaminated its fuel system. Nobody was injured.
An An-2 crashed on takeoff near Kamako and five of the seven occupants were killed.
An An-2 seized by US Customs and Border Protection overturned during a forced landing in the Everglades. Both pilots survived.
An An-2 hit a tuk tuk while landing. Four people in the tuk tuk were killed and eight were injured, and the three crew were uninjured.
An Air Kasai An-2 crashed near Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing all seven people aboard.
| An-2T / An-2P / An-2S | The An-2T is the standard cargo and mail model, the An-2P carries passengers and the An-2S is an air ambulance with up to six stretchers. The type's usual load is 12 passengers or 2,140 kg of cargo, which the second prototype's ASh-62 engine made possible when it raised the payload from 1,300 kg. |
| An-2SKh / An-2M / An-2TD / An-2V | Role-specific versions: the An-2SKh crop sprayer and duster, the An-2M with a larger hopper built at the Dolgoprudny factory from 1965, the An-2TD with 12 paratrooper seats and the An-2V floatplane. Agricultural work was the type's original purpose under the 1946 requirement. |
| An-2ZA (An-6 Meteo) | A high-altitude weather research version, also called the An-6 Meteo. On 9 June 1954 it set a class altitude record of 11,248 m (36,903 ft), more than twice the 4,500 m (14,764 ft) service ceiling of the standard An-2. The record came only seven years after the prototype's first flight. |
| An-3 / An-2-100 / TVS-2MS | Turboprop conversions of the airframe. The An-3T went into production in 1993 at Omsk by converting surplus An-2s, and the An-2-100 first flew on 10 July 2013 with a 1,100 kW MS-14 turboprop. The SibNIA TVS-2MS entered Russian forest-protection service in 2014, with 16 in service by early 2017. |
| Y-5 (China) | The Chinese licence-built version, produced at Nanchang and later Shijiazhuang after China licensed the design in 1957. The Nanchang Y-5 reached 727 aircraft, the Y-5II 229 and the Shijiazhuang Y-5A 114, and further Y-5 variants followed, including two Y-5K VIP aircraft for Nepal's Royal Flight. |
No photos added yet for this aircraft.
No newly associated news articles since this aircraft was added to PlanesDB. When new news articles are published, they will be automatically added and tracked here.
Numbered as cited in the Overview article. Click a reference to see where it's used.
Additional reading you might find interesting...
PlanesDB entries are living documents - this is how this one has evolved, and who helped make it happen. Spotted something out of date? Help update it.
