Iraq converted An-32 transports for bomb delivery during the anti-ISIS air campaign; Iraqi Air Force statistics cited by TWZ credited An-32s with 990 strike missions between June 10, 2014, and December 31, 2017.
Support Equipment
An-32
Also known as
- Antonov An-32
- AN-32
- Cline
- NATO reporting name Cline
- An-32 Sutlej
- Sutlej
- An-32B
- An-32P Firekiller
The An-32 is an Antonov twin-turboprop transport derived from the An-26 for hot-and-high operations, with stronger AI-20-series engines, high-lift changes, and Kyiv production for export and Soviet-aligned users. Its catalog record spans normal airlift, emergency-service transport, and an unusual Iraqi bomber-conversion role documented during the anti-ISIS air campaign.
Role in Conflicts
- Side
- Ukraine
SIPRI and open-source aid trackers record two second-hand An-32B transport aircraft transferred from Croatia to Ukraine in 2024; reporting identifies at least one airframe as delivered to Ukraine's State Emergency Service rather than as evidence of Ukrainian Air Force combat sorties.
Role detailsTransport Aircraft Used As Bombers
Iraq's An-32 row is unusual because it is documented as strike use by a converted transport aircraft rather than normal airlift. TWZ, citing Iraqi Air Force statistics, reported 990 An-32 strike missions in the June 2014-December 2017 anti-ISIS period and described bomb-rack and cargo-bay delivery modifications. The Ukraine row is deliberately narrower: it records wartime transfer and logistics relevance, not confirmed Ukrainian combat employment.
Iraq role
Converted An-32 transports used for unguided bomb delivery against ISIS targets.
Ukraine role
Two second-hand Croatian An-32B transports recorded as transferred to Ukraine in 2024.
Source limit
No direct source found for Ukrainian Air Force An-32 strike missions, Russian An-32 use, capture, or verified airframe loss in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Soviet Union / Ukraine
- Built by
- Antonov Design Bureau
- Type
- Twin-engine tactical transport aircraft
- Service note
- Late Cold War transport design with continued military, emergency-service, and cargo use
- Designer
- Antonov Design Bureau
- Designed
- 1975-1976
- Produced
- 1982-1996 serial production according to Antonov
- Number built
- 358 serial aircraft according to Antonov; some registries count prototypes or later completions differently
- Developed from
- Antonov An-26
- Developed into
- Antonov/Taqnia An-132 development line
Specifications
- Crew
- Multi-crew transport aircraft; Antonov's first-flight crew included captain, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer, radio operator, and lead flight test engineer
- Transport role
- Cargo, passengers, paratroops, casualty evacuation, special cargo, firefighting conversion, and limited bomber-conversion use where modified
- Payload
- Baseline transport payload about 6.7-6.9 tonnes in open references; modernized An-32B-100/RE descriptions cite up to 7.5 tonnes
- Length
- 23.68 m per Antonov; SKYbrary lists 23.70 m
- Wingspan
- 29.20 m
- Height
- 8.75 m per Antonov; SKYbrary lists 8.80 m
- Wing area
- 74.98 sq m
- Cruise speed
- 460 km/h per Antonov; SKYbrary lists 250 kt TAS
- Maximum speed
- 800 km/h listed by Antonov as a flight-characteristics figure
- Operational range
- SKYbrary lists 1,200 NM; other open references cite about 2,500 km depending payload/fuel profile
- Operational ceiling
- 8,000 m per Antonov
- Maximum takeoff weight
- 27,000 kg per SKYbrary for the baseline An-32 profile
- Powerplant
- Two ZMKB Progress/Ivchenko AI-20D-series turboprops; SKYbrary lists AI-20D Mk 5 engines with reversible-pitch propellers
Hot-And-High Transport Design
The An-32's distinguishing feature is not a new fuselage but a transport package adapted for high-altitude airfields and hot climates. Antonov describes stronger engines, enhanced wing high-lift devices, and roller-track cargo equipment added to the An-26 basis; SKYbrary summarizes the type as a high-altitude An-26 version with more power and better performance.
Design basis
An-26-derived high-wing transport developed under Indian Air Force requirements.
Operating niche
Hot-and-high airfield work, short-field transport, cargo movement, paradrop, casualty evacuation, and emergency-service adaptation.
Production base
Antonov records serial manufacture at the Kyiv Aviation Plant from 1982 to 1996.
Variants
The An-32 family begins with the hot-and-high transport derived from the An-26, then adds modernized transport, two-crew avionics, maritime-patrol, re-engining, and firefighting concepts. The variant list emphasizes design and mission differences rather than treating every operator-specific retrofit as a separate aircraft.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| An-32B | Improved production version | Antonov dates the formal An-32B designation decision to May 11, 1987, and records a restricted-category type certificate for the An-32B in 1995. Sources: Antonov AN-32 history |
| An-32B-100 / An-32RE | Modernized transport | Open reference material describes the -100/RE modernization path with higher maximum takeoff weight and payload, while SKYbrary preserves the baseline 27,000 kg MTOW figure for the An-32 type profile. Sources: Wikipedia An-32, SKYbrary AN32 technical data |
| An-32B-110 / An-32B-120 | Two-crew avionics variants | Reference variant lists distinguish metric and imperial avionics packages for two-crew operation; these are included as designation context rather than as separate conflict-use evidence. Sources: Wikipedia An-32 |
| An-32MP | Maritime patrol concept | The An-32MP appears in variant references as a maritime-patrol version for coastal surveillance and patrol tasks. Sources: Wikipedia An-32 |
| An-32P Firekiller | Aerial firefighting version | Antonov records the An-32P's first flight on February 16, 1993; SKYbrary also lists Firekiller as a manufactured-as designation for the type. Sources: Antonov AN-32 history, SKYbrary AN32 technical data |
Antonov Transport Family
The An-32 belongs to the An-24/An-26 transport family, but family links are lineage context rather than substitute evidence for conflict use.
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Family baseline transport | Open reference material treats the An-32 as a later An-24-family member, while Antonov and SKYbrary connect the type through the An-26 transport line. Sources: Wikipedia An-32, SKYbrary AN32 technical data |
 | Direct transport predecessor | Antonov states that the An-32 was developed on the basis of the An-26, with stronger engines and high-lift/cargo-handling changes for the hot-and-high role. Sources: Antonov AN-32 history |
Timeline
An-32 Key Events
High-altitude aircraft development ordered
Antonov dates the Soviet Ministry of Aviation Industry order for the high-altitude-airfield aircraft program to June 16, 1975.
Sources: Antonov AN-32 history
An-32 first flight
Antonov records the An-32 maiden flight on July 9, 1976, with Volodymyr Tkachenko as captain and a six-person test crew.
Sources: Antonov AN-32 history
Indian Air Force export order authorized
Antonov's chronology says the Soviet Council of Ministers order for An-32 development and manufacture covered export deliveries to the Indian Air Force.
Sources: Antonov AN-32 history
First preproduction aircraft rolls out
The first preproduction An-32 left the Kyiv Aircraft Production Association assembly shop in October 1982, according to Antonov.
Sources: Antonov AN-32 history
Cargo-altitude records set
Antonov records 14 world altitude records with various cargoes set on the An-32 in October-November 1985.
Sources: Antonov AN-32 history
An-32B designation assigned
Antonov dates the government resolution for An-32 modification and the An-32B designation to May 11, 1987.
Sources: Antonov AN-32 history
An-32P Firekiller first flight
The firefighting An-32P first flew on February 16, 1993, according to Antonov's chronology.
Sources: Antonov AN-32 history
Iraqi An-32 strike-count period begins
TWZ cites Iraqi Air Force statistics covering June 10, 2014, through December 31, 2017, that credited converted An-32 transports with 990 strike missions against ISIS.
Sources: TWZ Iraqi An-32 bomber missions
Croatian An-32B delivery to Ukraine confirmed in imagery
Army Recognition reported that imagery confirmed at least one former Croatian An-32B delivered to Ukraine and remarked as a Ukrainian State Emergency Service aircraft.
Sources: Army Recognition Croatia An-32B transfer, Defense Express Croatia An-32B transfer
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Antonov AN-32 historyPublisher: Antonov | Note: Supports An-32 identity, manufacturer background, An-26 basis, hot-and-high design purpose, Kyiv serial production, production total, selected dimensions/performance figures, variant milestones, and timeline. | Accessed: 2026-07-07SKYbrary AN32 technical dataPublisher: SKYbrary Aviation Safety | Note: Supports An-32 Sutlej naming, Antonov manufacturer attribution, high-altitude An-26-version framing, manufactured-as designations, dimensions, powerplant, MTOW, cruise speed, and range data. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Wikipedia An-32Publisher: Wikipedia | Note: Used as a starting reference layer for aliases, NATO reporting name, An-24 family terminology, variant names, and source leads; higher-value claims are backed by Antonov, SKYbrary, TWZ, and transfer sources where possible. | Accessed: 2026-07-07TWZ Iraqi An-32 bomber missionsPublisher: TWZ | Note: Supports 2014 War Against the Islamic State direct conflict-use context by reporting Iraqi Air Force An-32 bomber conversions and Iraqi statistics crediting An-32 aircraft with 990 strike missions from June 10, 2014, to December 31, 2017. | Accessed: 2026-07-07SIPRI Arms Transfers DatabasePublisher: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War transfer context by recording two second-hand An-32 transport aircraft transferred from Croatia to Ukraine in 2024. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Oryx Ukraine military aid listPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War transfer context by listing two delivered An-32B aircraft among military aid supplied to Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Defense Express Croatia An-32B transferPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War transfer context by reporting Ukrainian receipt of two Croatian An-32B transports and identifying one former Croatian Air Force aircraft with Ukrainian State Emergency Service markings. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Army Recognition Croatia An-32B transferPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War transfer context by reporting a confirmed former Croatian An-32B delivery to Ukraine's State Emergency Service and a two-aircraft pledge from Croatia. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Wikimedia Commons Antonov AN-32 of Indian Air Force imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary An-32 gallery image; Commons lists Damanbir as author and a CC0 1.0 public-domain dedication. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Wikimedia Commons Indian Air Force An-32 Daulat Beg Oldi imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for an Indian Air Force An-32 taking off from Daulat Beg Oldi ALG; Commons lists Manas.chafekar as author and CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Wikimedia Commons Croatian An-32B Ruzyne imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a Croatian Air Force An-32B photograph by Petr Kadlec, listed on Commons under CC BY-SA 3.0/GFDL terms. | Accessed: 2026-07-07