The An-28 was the winner of a competition against the Beriev Be30 for a new light passenger and utility transport for Aeroflot's short haul routes.
The An-28 is substantially derived from the earlier An14. Commonality with the An14 includes the high wing layout, twin fins and rudders, but it differs in having a new and far larger fuselage, plus turboprop engines. The original powerplant was the TVD850, but production versions are powered by the more powerful TVD10B.
The An-28 made its first flight as the An14M in September 1969 in the Ukraine. A subsequent preproduction aircraft first flew in April 1975. Production of the An-28 was then transferred to Poland's PZL Mielec in 1978, although it was not until 1984 that the first Polish built production aircraft flew. The An-28's Soviet type certificate was awarded in April 1986.
While of conventional design, one notable feature of the An-28 is that it will not stall, due to its automatic slots. An engine failure that would usually induce the wing to drop 30° is combated by an automatic spoiler forward of the aileron that opens on the opposite wing, restricting wing drop to 12° in five seconds.
PZL Mielec has been the sole source for production An-28s, and has developed a westernised version powered by 820kW (1100shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6A65B turboprops with five blade Hartzell propellers, plus some western (BendixKing) avionics. Designated the An-28PT, first flight was during early 1993 and it is in limited production. Marketed as the M28 Skytruck, the type received Polish certification equivalent to US FAR Part 23 in March 1996.
The An-28 was further developed into the stretched An-38.
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