IATA A30ICAO AN30

Antonov AN-30

Antonov

TravelerPulse profile

Soviet aerial survey and photo-reconnaissance turboprop aircraft.

First flight

1967

Category

Regional turboprop

Range

2,630 km

Engines

Two Ivchenko AI-24VT turboprops

Status

In service

The Antonov An-30 is a specialized aerial survey aircraft developed in the Soviet Union during the 1960s, derived from the An-24 regional turboprop. It was designed primarily for photographic surveying, cartographic mapping, and atmospheric research, featuring a distinctively modified forward fuselage with a glazed nose section to accommodate survey cameras and observer positions. The aircraft entered service with Aeroflot and various Soviet-bloc air forces and survey organizations, proving well suited to methodical photographic mapping missions over large territories. Its high-mounted wings and specially designed camera hatches in the lower fuselage allow for unobstructed downward photography. The An-30 has been operated by a number of countries for open-skies treaty inspection missions, making it internationally notable in arms control verification roles. Though small numbers remain in limited service, the type is largely retired from frontline use.

Notable operators

Operated primarily by Aeroflot, Soviet and Russian military survey units, and various Eastern European states including Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Ukraine, often under Open Skies Treaty obligations.

Notable facts

›Derived from the Antonov An-24 regional airliner with a redesigned glazed nose for aerial survey work.
›Equipped with multiple camera hatches in the lower fuselage for vertical and oblique photography.
›Used extensively for Open Skies Treaty inspection flights under international arms control agreements.
›The elevated cockpit provides the navigator/observer with an unobstructed forward and downward view.
›Approximately 115 aircraft were built between 1967 and 1980.