About this book: The Antonov An-12 Cub was the Soviet Union's equivalent of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules: a military and civil transport aircraft of outstanding versatility and longevity. From the mid-1960s onwards, there was not a single major event in the history of the Soviet Union, and later Russia, where this formidable four-engined transport aircraft was not involved, ranging from the development of sparsely populated areas to direct participation in military operations of all kinds. Though the An-12 first flew as long ago as 1957, it is still in front-line service with many operators around the world to this day. 

Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov's comprehensive study of this outstanding aircraft begins with the An-12's predecessors, the An-8 twin-engined military transport and the An-10 four-engined airliner, before describing the development of the An-12 itself. The many variants of the type are covered, including not just 'normal' civil and military transports, but also the various maritime, ECM, ELINT, training and other specialized versions of the An-12 that were produced over the years, and the Chinese Shaanxi Y8 'clone' of the An-12. The book then describes the An-12's service in civilian and military operations around the world, and provides a comprehensive listing of the type's many operators, both in the former USSR and elsewhere. 

Illustrated by some 300 photographs, many of them previously unpublished, this book will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in Soviet/Russian aviation, and of transport aviation in general. 

Contents: 

Introduction

1. The Predecessors

2. The Winged 'Ukraine'

3. Birth of an Airlifter

4. Mission Variety

5. Cloning the Cub: Chinese Versions

6. An-12 Anatomy

7. In times of War and Times of Peace, or Forty Years of Service

8. Cubs at Home...(CIS Operators)

9. ...And Abroad (Non-CIS Operators)

Appendix 1: Accident Attrition

Appendix 2: An-12 Drawings

Notes; Index