An-32 Cline
ICAO AN32A Soviet transport re-engined for hot, high airfields, and India's workhorse. Live An-32 positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30s
No An-32 Cline is transmitting ADS-B at the moment.
Military aircraft are not obliged to broadcast, so this happens regularly. The count refreshes every thirty seconds.
Airframe
- Manufacturer
- Antonov
- Role
- Tactical airlift
- Class
- L2T — Landplane, 2 turboprop engines
- Crew
- 3 to 4
- First flight
- 9 July 1976
- In service
- 1984
Operators airborne
Nothing of this type is up right now.
About the An-32 Cline
The An-32 is an An-26 with far more powerful engines, mounted high above the wing rather than in line with it — a distinctive arrangement forced by propeller ground clearance once the bigger engines were fitted. The reason for all that power was India, which wanted a transport that could operate from Himalayan airstrips in summer heat.
India duly became the largest operator by a wide margin, and its fleet flies supply missions to some of the highest airfields in the world. Ukraine, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Peru and several African air forces fly it too.
Indian aircraft dominate this page when it is populated at all, and ADS-B coverage over much of their operating area is thin.
Callsign prefixes
- IAF
- Indian Air Force
- UAF
- Ukrainian Air Force
How to recognise it
- —Two very large turboprops mounted on top of the wing, not through it — unmistakable.
- —A high wing, rear ramp and prominent multi-wheel undercarriage in fuselage fairings.
- —A glazed navigator station under the nose, as on most Antonov transports.
Common questions
+ Why are the An-32's engines mounted above the wing?
To give the much larger propellers enough ground clearance. The An-32 uses engines nearly twice as powerful as the An-26 it derives from, and there was no room to fit them in the original position.
+ Who operates the An-32?
India by a wide margin, plus Ukraine, Bangladesh, Peru, Sri Lanka and several African air forces. India has upgraded much of its fleet to keep it flying into the 2030s.
+ What does Cline mean?
It is the NATO reporting name. Soviet and Russian transports are given names beginning with C — Candid for the Il-76, Curl for the An-26, Cline for the An-32.