Antonov An-30D 'Sibiryak' Cartography 1/72 Scale Plastic Model Kit Amodel 72223

An-30 (product "FK" or An-24FK, according to NATO codification: Clank - "Clang") - aerial surveillance and aerial photography aircraft. Developed in OKB im. O. K. Antonova together with OKB im. G. M. Berieva. An-30 is a deep modification of the An-24 passenger aircraft and is designed for aerial photography and airborne geophysical work. It is also used in military aviation for aerial reconnaissance.

The development of the An-30 began in July 1964, when the Soviet government set before the Design Bureau. O. K. Antonov, the task was to create a specialized aircraft for aerial photography on the basis of the An-24 passenger aircraft. The customer was the Main Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet (GVF) of the USSR with the support of the Air Force. Initially, the machine was conceived in two different formats: for civil aviation and for the Air Force, but later settled on a single layout with the installation of various photographic equipment and special equipment on the basic modifications of the An-30A and An-30B.

The draft design and layout under the designation An-24FK was presented to the customer in 1965. Instead of the Emblem radar, it was planned to equip a glazed cockpit for the navigator-aerial photographer in the extended nose, install additional fuel tanks in the center section, ventral fairing, tightly sew up the tailgate, and also raise the cockpit to improve visibility and access to the navigator's cockpit, which became a hallmark all An-30s. A full crew was planned of seven people: two pilots, a navigator-aerial photographer, a radio operator, a flight mechanic and two operators. At the same time, photographic equipment was being prepared to allow shooting for topographic maps at a scale of 1:3000 and 1:150000.

In the spring of 1967, at the pilot plant of the OKB im. Beriev in Taganrog, a prototype was made - An-24FK in version "A". The crew of test pilot I. E. Davydov made the first flight on it on August 21, 1967. A total of 32 flights were made according to option "A". At the beginning of the next year, the An-24FK in version "B" was tested at the Air Force Research Institute, 13 flights were made. The aircraft was tested by test pilots Yu. N. Kurlin, Yu. N. Ketov, B. V. Stepanov, V. A. Zalyubovsky, test navigator G. N. Gumenyuk, radio operator Yu. Yushkov.

In July 1968, all factory tests were completed. The overhaul life of the An-30 was set at 6,000 flight hours or 4,000 flights over five years. After the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation (GosNII GA) from April 7 to June 17, 1970 conducted state tests of the An-24FK in version "A" (lead test pilot K. A. Romanov, chief engineer B. M . Emelyanov), the aircraft was put into operation under the name An-30. Tests have shown that the new aircraft has a significant advantage over its predecessors - Li-2FK, Il-14FK and Il-14FKM.