Antonov An-88

[boxkite]

Do any drawings or illustrations exist of the projected Antonov An-88 derivative of the An-71?

 

[overscan]

Only the verbal description in Lotnictwo Wojskowe Rosji; An-72 with phased array antennas on each side of the fuselage.

 

[Apophenia]

Is the An-88 the same thing as the Izdeliye 88 / An-72R? According to FlankerMan on the Key Publishing Forum, a photo of the An-72R was published in AFM, November 2004

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=33858

BTW, Deino was also on that forum. Might he have kept a copy of the An-72R image??

Edit: An-72R from Spyflight -- http://www.spyflight.co.uk/an72.htm

 

[overscan]

There seem to be two stories about An-72R/An-88, one being that it was an AWACS project, one that it was some kind of recce machine with SLAR.

It seems unlikely to be SLAR if, as suggested, the radar panels are on both sides of the fuselage - as a standoff SLAR recce aircraft you would only want the radar on one side.

However, An-72R would seem to indicate a recce role.

 

[Meteorit]

Here's another An-72R picture:

 

[Deino]

...
BTW, Deino was also on that forum. Might he have kept a copy of the An-72R image??
...

Hmmm ... I saved three pictures ... the one Meteorit posted in the post before mine and these two ...

Hope it helps, Deino

 

[flateric]

Posted by Anonymous at Aviaforum.Ru
http://aviaforum.ru/printthread.php?s=57a52418ff14d508e939299e63a9421e&t=2037
An-72R has a Reg No.783573 [it carried unusual 6-digit registration, only used by several various type a/c of Antonov OKB in 1981-88 timeframe] and its buy No. №36572083573 is not matching reg No in the case. 83573 is a No. out of Kharkov Aircraft Factory (KhAZ) registration numbers row, and sources may be wrong. And it could be 35th An-72 in order built, and planned serial aircraft designation was planned as An-73 (while An-88 or 'airplane '88' designation is known as well). There was one more An-72R, BTW, but its Reg. No is unknown. Flight testing year was 1987.

 

[flateric]

An-72BR (aka An-72R aka 'aircraft '88')
Never was called 'An-88'
R = Retranslator aircraft, would act in team with An-71. No recon functions as it turns out...