AN-32: Soviet-Origin Transport Aircraft

AN-32: Soviet-origin transport aircraft, the IAF’s workhorse-INDIAN EXPRESS 

Five personnel of the Indian Air Force were killed when an AN-32 military transport aircraft crashed during landing at Jorhat in Assam. One other person on board survived and was rescued; he is undergoing treatment.This is the third major crash of an AN-32 in the past decade.

What is the AN-32?

• The AN-32 is a Soviet-origin, twin-engine turboprop military transport aircraft purchased by India from the erstwhile Soviet Union in 1984.
• It has served as a key tactical transport aircraft and is often called the workhorse of the Indian Air Force.
• The aircraft can carry around 6.7 tonnes of cargo or nearly 50 passengers, with a maximum speed of about 530 km/h.
• It is especially useful for transporting troops, equipment and supplies across difficult, remote and high-altitude terrain.
• The AN-32 can operate from far-flung airfields with limited ground infrastructure, making it valuable for border and forward-area operations.
• During conflicts, it supports troop mobilisation, movement of military material, limited bombing roles and paratrooping operations.
• It played a significant role during the Kargil War, 1999, and Operation Parakram, 2001–02, by carrying personnel and cargo to border areas through multiple sorties.
• Overall, the AN-32 remains important for the IAF due to its ruggedness, reliability and ability to perform in challenging operational conditions.

Modernisation Programme

• After an AN-32 crash in 2009, India signed a $400-million contract with Ukrainian manufacturer Antonov.
• The purpose was to upgrade most of the IAF’s 105 AN-32 aircraft.
• The upgrade included:
  • Overhaul of airframes.
  • Overhaul of turboprop engines.
  • Installation of advanced navigation equipment.
  • Installation of advanced communication equipment.
• The modernisation programme was stalled after Russia formally annexed Crimea in 2014.
• Later, India and Ukraine agreed to resume the upgrades.
• Ukraine developed alternatives to some Russian-made systems used on the aircraft.
• The upgrade work was carried out at the IAF’s Base Repair Depot, Kanpur.
• Equipment for the upgrade was transferred from Ukraine.
• About half of the aircraft had been modernised in Ukraine.
• Around 38 aircraft had been modernised at the Base Repair Depot.