AN-3T has 1375 HP TurboProp TVD-20-01
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR AN-3 PHOTO GALLERY

A Russian An-3T single-turboprop aircraft that was left in Antarctica 2 years ago is to be flown back home to Moscow to fulfill requirements of the Madrid Protocol under which Russia is obliged to remove it from the Pole.

The expedition to collect it is led by the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma and well-known polar explorer, Arthur Chilingarov. The aircraft has been at the Antarctic Amundsen-Scott base since January 2002 due to an engine failure.

It seems that a test crew has already flown the An-3T from the South pole to the US research station at Mc-Merdo. The 735 NM (1,360 km) flight lasted over 7 hours and achieved a height of over 13,000 ft, exceeding the published service ceiling for the aircraft.

Russian aircraft removed from South PoleThe AN-3 aircraft is a modified AN-2, which has been in operation for 50 years. It is a huge bi-plane with a 1,375 hp engine and a ski/wheel undercarriage which enable it to operate out of 500 m rough strips. Over 15,500 AN-2 aircraft have been produced and it is still in production in China.

Powerplant                 1375 HP  vs  1000 HP

Gross T.O. Wt.            5800 KG  vs  5500 KG

Payload  Wt.                1800 KG  vs  1500 KG

Rate of Climb                5 M/sec    vs   2.7 M/sec

Cruise Speed                220 - 255 KM/Hr    vs     190 KM/Hr