Definition
The Antonov An-10 (NATO reporting name: “Cat”) is a Soviet four-engined turboprop airliner and cargo aircraft designed for short- and medium-range transport missions.
Overview
Developed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the late 1950s, the An-10 first flew on 24 July 1957 and entered service with Aeroflot in 1959. It was intended to replace earlier piston‑engine transports such as the Ilyushin Il‑14, offering higher speed, greater payload, and improved passenger comfort. Production continued until 1964, with a total of 248 aircraft built, including several variants for passenger, cargo, and military use. The type was gradually phased out of Soviet civil service in the 1970s, though some airframes remained in limited operation with regional carriers and as freighters into the early 1990s.
Etymology/Origin
The designation “An‑10” follows Antonov’s internal naming convention, where “An” denotes the design bureau (named after its founder, Oleg Antonov) and the numeral indicates the sequential project number. The NATO reporting name “Cat” was assigned according to the NATO phonetic system for Soviet turboprop aircraft, which uses the letter “C” for this class.
Characteristics
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Twin‑aisle turboprop airliner / cargo aircraft |
| Crew | Typically 3 (pilot, co‑pilot, flight engineer) |
| Passenger capacity | 80–120 seats, depending on interior configuration |
| Cargo capacity | Up to 13 t (28 500 lb) of payload in dedicated freighter versions |
| Length | 32.9 m (107 ft 11 in) |
| Wingspan | 35.0 m (114 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in) |
| Powerplant | Four Ivchenko AI‑20D turboprop engines, each delivering ~4,200 shp (3,130 kW) |
| Maximum speed | 540 km/h (336 mph; 291 knots) |
| Range | Approximately 2,500 km (1,550 mi; 1,350 nmi) with typical payload |
| Service ceiling | 9,500 m (31 200 ft) |
| Landing gear | Retractable, tricycle arrangement with dual main wheels on each side |
| Construction | All‑metal airframe with high‑mounted wing; pressurized cabin; conventional tailplane |
| Avionics | Basic navigation and communication suite typical of 1950s Soviet civil aircraft; later retrofits added radar and modern radios in some operators |
Related Topics
- Antonov An-12 – a larger, four‑engine turboprop transport derived from the An‑10’s design philosophy.
- Ilyushin Il‑14 – the piston‑engine transport that the An‑10 was designed to replace.
- Ivchenko AI‑20 engine – the turboprop powerplant used on the An‑10 and several other Soviet aircraft.
- Aeroflot – the state airline that operated the An‑10 as part of its domestic fleet.
- NATO reporting names – the system used by NATO to assign English code names to Soviet and later Russian military and civil aircraft.