Editing Antonov An-12 (section)

==Design and development==
[[File:Antonov An-12BP.jpg|thumb|Antonov An-12BP at China Aviation Museum, Beijing]]

Developed from the [[Antonov An-8]], the An-12 was a military version of the An-10 passenger transport. The first prototype An-12 flew in December 1957 and entered Soviet military service in 1959. Initially, the aircraft was produced at the State Aviation Factory in [[Irkutsk|Irkutsk, Siberia]]. From 1962, production was transferred to [[Tashkent]], where 830 were built. Later, production moved to [[Voronezh]] and [[Kazan]].<ref name="AirInternational"/>

In military use, the An-12 has capacity for up to 100 fully equipped paratroopers or {{cvt|20000|kg|lb}} of cargo, which is loaded through the rear loading ramp/door.<ref name="AirInternational"/>

In terms of configuration, size, and capability, the aircraft is similar to the United States-built [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}} Soviet military and former-Soviet An-12s have a defensive tail gun turret.

===Chinese production===
{{Main|Shaanxi Y-8}}

In the 1960s, China purchased several An-12 aircraft from the Soviet Union, along with a license to assemble the aircraft locally. Due to the [[Sino-Soviet split]], the Soviet Union withdrew its technical assistance. The [[Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation|Xi'an Aircraft Company]] and Xi'an Aircraft Design Institute reverse-engineered the An-12 for local production, and the first flight of a Chinese-assembled An-12 was delayed until 1974 after USSR ceased production in 1973.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/airlift/y8.asp |title= Y8 Turboprop Transport Aircraft |publisher= Sino Defence |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080327011657/http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/airlift/y8.asp |archive-date= 27 March 2008 |df= dmy-all }}</ref>

In 1981, the Chinese version of the An-12, designated [[Shaanxi Y-8|Y-8]], finally entered production. Since then, the Y-8 has become one of China's most popular military and civilian transport/cargo aircraft, with many variants produced and exported. A [[Tu-16]]/[[Xian H-6|H-6 bomber]] navigator cockpit design was chosen for the Y-8 instead of the original An-12 shorter navigator cockpit design, as the H-6 bomber had been in serial production for some time.<ref name="AirForceWorld.com_Y8_navigator_cockpit">{{cite web |url=http://airforceworld.com/pla/y8-transporter-china.htm |title=Y8 navigator cockpit modification |work=AirForceWorld.com |access-date=8 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909125537/http://airforceworld.com/pla/y8-transporter-china.htm |archive-date=9 September 2011  }}</ref> Although the An-12 is no longer in use either in Russia or in Ukraine, the Y-8 is upgraded and produced in China. The latest Y8-F600 is a joint venture between the [[Shaanxi Aircraft Company]], [[Antonov Aeronautical Scientific Technical Complex]] (ASTC), and [[Pratt & Whitney Canada]]. The Y8-F600 has a redesigned fuselage, western avionics, [[Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100|PW150B]] turboprop engines with an R-408 propeller system, and a two-crew [[glass cockpit]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.shanfei.com/2005_english/Product/Y8F600.htm
 |title=Y8F600 aircraft
 |publisher=Shaanxi Aircraft Industry
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060521122248/http://www.shanfei.com/2005_english/Product/Y8F600.htm
 |archive-date=21 May 2006
}}</ref>