Antonov's turboprop twins : An-24/An-26/An-30/An-32

The An-24 was designed in the late 1950s as the Soviet counterpart of the Fokker F.27 in both appearance and capabilities.

The twin-turboprop An-24 was produced by three Soviet aircraft factories; many remain in operation.

The Soviet Air Force needed a modern turboprop tactical transport with paradropping capability.

Thus the airliner evolved first into the 'quick fix' An-24T and then into the An-26 which introduced a unique sliding cargo ramp developed by Antonov and protected by many international patents.

This paved the way for the 'hot and high' An-32 and the 'big head' An-30, a specialised aerial photography machine.

Antonov's twin-turboprop family has seen civil and military service in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, North, Central and South America, making it a best-seller among Soviet commercial designs.

The book lists all known operators on a country-by-country basis and is richly illustrated with photographs in the liveries of assorted civil and military operators.