An-72 – Why is this Soviet plane so strange?

Aviation began to develop at a rapid pace back in the second half of the 1930s. The Second World War had a particular impact on this process. The end of the latter turned many manufacturers of such equipment to a peaceful track. But they were in no hurry to abandon turboprop models. After all, such aircraft were cheaper to produce, and they could take off from short strips, as well as land. But jet models are much faster. It was based on this that the An-72 was developed in the early 1970s. As was customary in the USSR, the model turned out to be multi-purpose.

The An-72 and all its versions were called "Cheburashkas". All because of the atypical placement of the engines - on top of the wing. This is necessary to create the Coanda effect. The aircraft turned out to be high-tech and modern, with outstanding technical characteristics. Alas, this applies to experimental models. Other machines went into production. Their load capacity and flight range were increased almost twice. All because of the requirements of Aeroflot, which came up with the idea of ​​using this model en masse, both for cargo and passenger transportation. And so the exotic "Cheburashka" was created. You can learn more about this machine by watching the video on the "SkyShips" channel.