At the "Motor" aircraft repair enterprise (Omsk), demonstration tests of the updated An-2 aircraft, adapted for operation in harsh polar regions, have been completed. The vehicle, equipped with a ski chassis instead of traditional wheels, practiced takeoff and landing on deep snow cover.
The project is being implemented as part of the "Russian Arctic" program, which is being conducted by the Omsk enterprise in conjunction with the regional branch of the Russian Engineering Union. Specialists carried out a deep modernization of the legendary biplane (popularly known as the "corncob"): they lengthened the upper wing, improved the chassis design, and installed modern equipment. The result is a multi-purpose aircraft capable of effectively solving a variety of tasks in the Arctic.
The machine is designed for:
- patrolling and protecting the northern state borders;
- performing sanitary (medical) flights;
- delivering goods as part of the northern delivery to remote settlements;
- other operations in extreme climatic conditions.
As noted in the Engineering Union, the unique characteristics of the modernized An-2 have already been confirmed by real flights in Arctic conditions. The head of the enterprise, Yuri Petrov, an honorary polar explorer of Russia, emphasized that the aircraft demonstrated outstanding capabilities in the Arctic.
Tests at the Omsk test site made it possible to verify the reliability of the ski chassis and the overall adaptation of the machine to snowy surfaces.
Read more materials:
- The first agro-aviation company based on domestic aircraft An-2, TVS-2MS and MV-500 is being created in Tatarstan
- They will fly again: six engines for Boeing aircraft were imported into Russia from Asia
- S7 Group: production of "Tango" aircraft will grow to 2 per month by 2026
