Design features
Their characteristic external feature was the large fairings installed along the sides, under which the antennas of the target equipment were located. Outwardly, "product-88" is almost like an ordinary An-72 , but along the right and left side there is a flat fairing (the plane stands back from the side by a maximum of 0.2-0.3 m), approximately 13 — 14 of the total height of the fuselage, it starts in the area of the air intake, goes to the end of the chassis fairing, then moves up a small step and goes somewhere to the middle of the ramp. thus, the antenna of this radar is installed in the inflows on both sides of the fuselage.
The developer of the special complex was Moscow NPO "Palma" (chief designer A. A. Lebid). According to this program, three serial An-72s (ser. No. No. 01-04, 01-05, 02-01) were converted.
Purpose
To ensure the operation of the An-71, around 1988, the An-72BR repeater aircraft (An-72R, product "88") was developed with antennas of radio technical devices on the sides of the fuselage. An-72R was developed as an analogue of the Boeing E-8A J-Stars . It was intended for radar reconnaissance and long-distance detection of ground targets and targeting them with ground and air weapons.
Production
Production of all aircraft with the An-72R index was carried out at KhDAVP .
Research samples
4 prototypes were built by converting standard products into special-purpose aircraft.
The first of them has the serial number "Ser. No. 01-03" made its first flight in 1986 . It was an An-72R prototype with a regular (not enlarged) stabilizer.
A second aircraft was also ready in 1986 with the serial number "Ser. No. 01-04" and the aircraft number CCCP-783061
The third plane was ready in 1987 and had the serial number "Ser. No. 01-05" and ship number CCCP-783573. The tests took place on the territory of the RSFSR at the Zlet NGO .
The fourth aircraft from (ser. No. 10-09) was to be converted from standard equipment and design into An-72R. It was handed over to Oleg Antonov State Technical University in 1991 , and work on it continued until about 1994 . Then the work stopped. It remained in storage in Svyatoshino in a semi-dismantled state.
It was intended for radar reconnaissance, long-range detection of ground targets and targeting of "ground and air weapons". The developer of the special complex was Moscow NPO "Palma" (chief designer A. A. Lebid). According to this program, three serial An-72s (ser. No. No. 01-04, 01-05, 02-01) were converted.
Their characteristic external feature was the large fairings installed along the sides, under which the antennas of the target equipment were located. The planes were handed over to the Moscow NGO "Zlet" for tests, which could not be completed. Another An-72 (ser. No. 10-09) was sent to the Kyiv Mechanical Plant (KMZ) for conversion to pilot production in 1990 , but remained unfinished.
The current state of the program
After the military abandoned the An-71 in the early 1990s, work in this direction was stopped.
An-72R (ser. No. 10-09) at Svyatoshino airfield. Kyiv, September 2004
The An-72R prototype was equipped with a regular-sized stabilizer. In storage in Sviatoshyn without engines, avionics and any markings.
A second aircraft was also ready in 1986 with serial number "ser. #01-04" and aircraft number CCCP-783061 . Liaison plane. In storage in Kyiv-Svyatoshino.
The third plane was ready in 1987 and had the serial number "Ser. No. 01-05" and ship number CCCP-783573. The tests took place on the territory of the RSFSR at the Zlet NGO . Current status is unknown.
The fourth plane, half disassembled, is stored in Svyatoshino.