Antonov An-71

Antonov

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1946
Headquarters	Kyiv , Ukraine
Products	Aircraft, including An-71 airborne early warning and control aircraft

The Antonov An-71 (NATO reporting name: Madcap) was a Soviet airborne early warning and control aircraft developed primarily for the VVS-FA (Fighter Bomber) units within the Soviet Air Force. Originating from the An-72 transport platform, only three prototypes were completed before the project was terminated.

Soviet Air Force AWACS doctrine

Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Air Force was organized into three principal aviation branches: VVS-DA (Long Range Aviation), which operated bombers; VVS-FA (Frontal Aviation), responsible for fighters, fighter-bombers, and attack aircraft; and VVS-VTA (Military Transport Aviation), focusing on transport missions. The PVO (Air Defense Forces), tasked with fighter-interceptor and ground-based air defense roles, functioned separately from the VVS. Consequently, AWACS platforms such as the A-50 Mainstay and its predecessor, the Tu-126 Moss, were exclusively assigned to the PVO and did not provide tactical command support to frontline aviation units. The An-71 was specifically designed for overland tactical operations to assist VVS-FA forces. This separation of AWACS assets per service contrasted with most Western air forces' integrated use of land-based AWACS, contributing to misconceptions that the An-71 was intended for carrier-based operations within the Soviet Navy.

Development

File:Отекатель антенны РЛС на хвостовом оперении Ан-71.JPG

An-71 radar rotodome

The An-71’s design derived from the Antonov An-72, featuring a substantially modified aft fuselage that carried a large radar dome (rotodome) mounted on a wide-chord, forward-swept vertical stabilizer. Its electronic systems and six operator stations were housed within the cargo compartment.

Development halted at the prototype phase, with the maiden flight occurring on 12 July 1985. The project was discontinued following the Soviet Union’s collapse, largely due to unresolved complications with the Vega-M Kvant radar system.

File:Antonov An-71 Batuzak-1.jpg

An-71 exhibited at Ukraine State Aviation Museum

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An-71 preserved at Ukraine State Aviation Museum

In 2010, one of the prototypes was relocated to the Ukraine State Aviation Museum where it underwent restoration for public exhibition.

Carrier-based version

The An-71 Madcap is frequently mistakenly identified as a carrier-capable AWACS platform, which it was not, as explained earlier in the section on AWACS operational doctrine. Nevertheless, a significantly altered variant, the An-75, was proposed for deployment on the Soviet aircraft carriers then being developed. The AV-MF (Soviet Naval Aviation) ultimately terminated its progress upon recognizing that extensive redesign efforts would be required to ensure the An-75’s safe operation from any of the intended aircraft carriers. Consequently, the AV-MF pursued an alternative concept for a dedicated AWACS aircraft featuring an upgraded Kvant-M radar system, developed by the Vega-M design bureau, building on the existing An-71/An-75 Kvant radar technology. Unlike the An-71/An-72 family, the An-75 would have incorporated engines mounted beneath the wings—similar to the configuration seen in the later An-74TK-300—and included numerous other aerodynamic and structural modifications. Ultimately, the An-75 shared minimal commonality with its predecessors and was judged prohibitively expensive to continue development, especially given the concurrent clean-sheet design of the Yak-44E.

Export attempts

During the early 2000s, Ukraine engaged in unsuccessful negotiations with India regarding the sale of an An-71 aircraft, offered at a price of US$200 million. The proposed An-71 model was capable of tracking up to 400 targets at distances reaching 370 kilometres (230 mi).

Operators

Template:USSR

• Soviet Air Force
• Aeroflot

Specifications (An-71)

File:Antonov An-71 Madcap three-view silhouette.png

Three-view illustration of An-71

Further reading

• Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopaedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey Publishing, 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.

External links

• Article and Images on An-71 Archived 2009-09-22 at the Wayback Machine
• Specifications at globalsecurity.org
• Official Antonov page for An-71 (accessed 2016-05-14)
• Summary of Kvant radar technology, from Overscan's Russian Avionics guide (accessed 2016-05-15)