- Side
- Sudanese government and allied militias
Aviation Safety Network records a Sudanese Air Force Antonov An-24, aircraft 700, written off at El Fasher Airport on April 25, 2003, during a Sudan Liberation Army attack on the city.
Support Equipment
An-24
Also known as
- Antonov An-24
- AN-24
- An-24 Coke
- NATO reporting name Coke
- Coke
The An-24 is an Antonov-designed twin-turboprop transport built for short- and medium-haul routes from rough or unpaved airfields. Although it began as a regional passenger aircraft, military operators used An-24 variants for staff, cargo, and transport work, with direct conflict evidence in this catalog centered on Sudanese Air Force losses in Darfur and South Kordofan rather than a dedicated strike role.
Role in Conflicts
Aviation Safety Network lists a Sudanese Air Force An-24 written off east of Lake Abied near Jau on November 7, 2012; broader reporting on Sudanese government aerial bombing remains contextual because the exact An-24 identification comes from the airframe-loss record.
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Soviet Union / Ukraine
- Built by
- Antonov Design Bureau
- Type
- Twin-engine turboprop regional transport aircraft
- Service note
- Cold War regional transport design adapted for military transport and special-purpose service
- Designer
- Antonov Design Bureau
- Designed
- 1957-1959
- Produced
- 1961-1979 in Kyiv production according to Antonov; other Soviet An-24 production ran at Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk
- Number built
- 1,367 Soviet-built An-24 aircraft from Antonov's plant totals
- Developed into
- Antonov An-26, Antonov An-30, Antonov An-32, and Chinese Y-7 family derivatives
Specifications
- Crew
- Multi-crew regional transport aircraft; Antonov's first-flight crew included captain, co-pilot, navigator, radio operator, flight engineer, and lead test engineer
- Passenger/cargo role
- Regional passenger and freighter aircraft adapted for military transport and special-purpose variants
- Length
- 23.53 m per Antonov; SKYbrary lists 23.50 m
- Wingspan
- 29.20 m
- Height
- 8.32 m per Antonov; SKYbrary lists 8.30 m
- Wing area
- 74.98 sq m
- Cruise speed
- 420 km/h per Antonov; SKYbrary lists 242 kt TAS
- Operational range
- 990 km per Antonov; SKYbrary lists 1,700 nautical miles as indicative range
- Operational ceiling
- 9,100 m
- Maximum takeoff weight
- 21,000 kg per SKYbrary
- Powerplant
- Two Ivchenko AI-24-series turboprops; SKYbrary lists two 2,550 shp AI-24A engines for the An24
Transport Design Notes
The An-24's military relevance comes from austere-field transport utility rather than from purpose-built armament. Antonov emphasizes short- and medium-haul service, operation from unpaved airfields, structural reliability, and economical maintenance; SKYbrary frames it as the original aircraft in Antonov's twin-turboprop civil and military transport family.
Austere-field role
High-wing twin-turboprop transport intended for rough-field regional service and later military support tasks.
Production base
Antonov lists Kyiv, Ulan-Ude, and Irkutsk Soviet production lines, including 165 An-24T transport aircraft at Irkutsk.
Conflict evidence
The conflict rows use An-24-specific Sudanese Air Force loss records; broader reports about generic Antonov cargo-plane bombing are treated as context only.
Variants
The An-24 family began as a regional passenger and freighter aircraft, then produced military transport, communications, ice-patrol, survey, firefighting, and Chinese derivative lines. The An-26, An-30, and An-32 are treated as adjacent family members rather than substitute evidence for An-24 conflict use.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| An-24B | Improved passenger/transport production version | Open reference material identifies the An-24B as a main production passenger version; the selected gallery image shows a Ukrainian Air Force An-24B. Sources: Wikipedia An-24, Wikimedia Commons Ukrainian Air Force An-24B image |
| An-24T | Transport version | Antonov records the An-24T transport version's first flight on November 16, 1965, with Irkutsk production aircraft following in January 1966. Sources: Antonov AN-24 history |
| An-24RV | Auxiliary-jet assisted regional transport version | Reference sources identify An-24RV as a widely used later variant; Antonov's chronology also records women's world records set on an An-24RV in 1982. Sources: Antonov AN-24 history, Wikipedia An-24 |
| An-24LP / An-24 Toros | Ice-patrol and special-purpose conversion | Antonov dates the Military Industrial Commission resolution for the An-24LP ice-patrol aircraft to December 12, 1964. Sources: Antonov AN-24 history |
| Xi'an Y-7 | Chinese derivative family | Antonov records the Y-7, described as a Chinese replica of the An-24, first flying on December 25, 1970; SKYbrary lists Y-7-100, Y-7-200, and Y-7E manufactured-as designations. Sources: Antonov AN-24 history, SKYbrary AN24 technical data |
Antonov Transport Family
The An-24 airframe family generated several related Antonov transport and special-mission aircraft. These links show design lineage and family context, not interchangeable conflict-use evidence.
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Rear-ramp tactical transport derivative | SKYbrary describes the An-24 as the original aircraft in the Antonov twin-turboprop civil and military transport family that developed into the AN-26. Sources: SKYbrary AN24 technical data |
 | Aerial survey derivative | SKYbrary describes the An-24 as the original aircraft in the Antonov twin-turboprop family that developed into the An30, while Antonov's An-24 chronology places specialized survey and patrol variants inside the same design lineage. Sources: SKYbrary AN24 technical data, Antonov AN-24 history |
 | Later transport family member | SKYbrary describes the An-24 as the original aircraft in the Antonov twin-turboprop civil and military transport family that developed into the AN32. Sources: SKYbrary AN24 technical data |
Timeline
An-24 Key Events
AN-24 development directive issued
Antonov dates the Soviet Council of Ministers directive for an aircraft carrying a 4,000 kg payload over 400 km at 450 km/h cruise speed to December 18, 1957.
Sources: Antonov AN-24 history
First flight
The AN-24 made its first flight on October 20, 1959, with Georgii Lysenko as captain and Yurii Kurlin as co-pilot.
Sources: Antonov AN-24 history
Kyiv serial production authorized
Antonov records the production-launch resolution for Kyiv aircraft manufacturing facility No. 473 on August 19, 1961.
Sources: Antonov AN-24 history
First technical passenger flight
Antonov states that the AN-24 made its first technical passenger flight on the Kyiv-Kherson route in September 1962.
Sources: Antonov AN-24 history
An-24T transport version flies
Antonov dates the first flight of the An-24T transport version to November 16, 1965.
Sources: Antonov AN-24 history
Y-7 derivative first flight
Antonov records the first flight of the Chinese Y-7 replica with Li Benshun as pilot in command.
Sources: Antonov AN-24 history
Sudanese An-24 destroyed at El Fasher
Aviation Safety Network records Sudanese Air Force An-24 aircraft 700 written off at El Fasher Airport during the Darfur conflict.
Sources: ASN Sudanese An-24 El Fasher loss
Sudanese An-24 lost near Jau
Aviation Safety Network records a Sudanese Air Force An-24 written off east of Lake Abied near Jau during the South Kordofan and Blue Nile conflict period.
Sources: ASN Sudanese An-24 Jau loss
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Antonov AN-24 historyPublisher: Antonov | Note: Supports An-24 identity, regional transport role, unpaved-airfield design purpose, production plants and totals, dimensions and performance figures, variant chronology, and development timeline. | Accessed: 2026-07-13SKYbrary AN24 technical dataPublisher: SKYbrary Aviation Safety | Note: Supports the AN24 technical profile, Antonov manufacturer attribution, family relationship to AN-26/AN30/AN32, Y-7 manufactured-as designations, engine data, maximum takeoff weight, and dimensions/performance cross-checks. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Wikipedia An-24Publisher: Wikipedia | Note: Used as a starting reference layer for aliases, NATO reporting name, variant terminology, operators, and source leads; core specifications and production claims are backed by Antonov and SKYbrary where possible. | Accessed: 2026-07-13ASN Sudanese An-24 El Fasher lossPublisher: Aviation Safety Network | Note: Supports 2003 War in Darfur direct conflict-use context by recording Sudanese Air Force Antonov An-24 aircraft 700 written off at El Fasher Airport on April 25, 2003, during a Sudan Liberation Army attack. | Accessed: 2026-07-13ASN Sudanese An-24 Jau lossPublisher: Aviation Safety Network | Note: Supports 2011 South Kordofan and Blue Nile Conflict direct conflict-use context by recording a Sudanese Air Force Antonov An-24 written off east of Lake Abied near Jau on November 7, 2012. | Accessed: 2026-07-13HRW South Kordofan and Blue Nile bombing reportPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports background on Sudanese government aerial bombing and the South Kordofan and Blue Nile conflict environment; it is used as context because the direct An-24 identification comes from the Aviation Safety Network loss record. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Wikimedia Commons Ukrainian Air Force An-24B imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing for the primary An-24 gallery image; Commons identifies the aircraft as a Ukrainian Air Force Antonov An-24B photographed by Oleg V. Belyakov / AirTeamImages at Kyiv-Boryspil on August 2, 2008. | Accessed: 2026-07-13