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Today we will get acquainted with one of the most unusual-looking modern aircraft – the An-72. It is a light military transport aircraft created by the Antonov Design Bureau in the 1970s. Equipped with a pair of jet engines located on the top of the wing, the An-72 flies using the Coanda effect, which gives the aircraft an advantage at low speeds, as well as a very exotic appearance. At the time of its creation, it was a revolution in aviation. A similar project, the Boeing YC-14, was being developed at the same time in the USA. With excellent takeoff and landing performance, the An-72 became an important element of Soviet military transport aviation, and soon acquired many modifications: arctic, patrol, passenger, as well as AWACS and reconnaissance aircraft. In civilian versions, the aircraft bears the index An-74. Now production has ended. In 2024, about a hundred An-72 and An-74 aircraft of various modifications are still in service. 00:00 – The An-72 00:38 – The Coanda effect 02:26 – US projects 03:47 – Soviet projects 04:55 – The An-72 project 07:38 – Description of the An-72 13:09 – A dizzying path 17:13 – Cheburashka 18:46 – The An-74 and other versions 20:55 – Fight for survival