Demonstration tests of the upgraded An-2 aircraft, adapted for operation in harsh polar regions, have been completed at the Motor aircraft repair enterprise (Omsk). The aircraft, equipped with ski landing gear instead of traditional wheels, carried out takeoff and landing on deep snow cover.
The project is being implemented as part of the "Russian Arctic" program, which is being carried out by the Omsk enterprise jointly with the regional branch of the Russian Engineering Union. Specialists carried out a deep modernization of the legendary biplane (popularly known as the "crop duster"): they lengthened the upper wing, improved the landing gear design, and installed modern equipment. As a result, they created a multi-purpose aircraft capable of effectively handling a variety of tasks in the Arctic.
The aircraft is intended for:
- patrolling and protecting the northern state borders;
- performing sanitary (medical) flights;
- delivering cargo as part of the northern supply program to hard-to-reach settlements;
- other operations in extreme climatic conditions.
As noted by the Engineering Union, the unique characteristics of the modernized An-2 have already been confirmed by real flights in Arctic conditions. Enterprise head Yuri Petrov, an Honored Polar Explorer of Russia, emphasized that the aircraft demonstrated outstanding capabilities in the Arctic.
Tests at the Omsk testing ground made it possible to verify the reliability of the ski landing gear and the aircraft's overall adaptation to snowy surfaces.