Editing Antonov An-8 (section)

==Development==
In December 1951, [[OKB-153]] initiated the design of a twin-engined assault transport aircraft, designated '''DT-5/8''' (''Desahntno-Trahnsportnyy [samolyot]'' – assault transport aircraft), to be powered by two [[Kuznetsov TV-2]] turboprop engines, and fitted with a large rear cargo door to allow vehicles to be driven straight into the hold.<ref name="GordonAn-12p4">Gordon and Komissarov 2007, p. 4</ref> On 11 December 1953, the Soviet Council of Ministers issued directive No.2922-1251 to the Antonov OKB, requiring them to build a twin-turboprop transport aircraft derived from the DT-5/8. Bearing the in-house designation '''''Izdeliye P''''' the resulting aircraft had a high wing carrying two turboprop engines, atop a rectangular-section fuselage which could carry 60 troops or 40 passengers. Alternatively. the aircraft could carry a range of vehicles (including [[ASU-57]] [[assault gun]]s, [[BTR-40]] or [[BTR-152]] [[armoured personnel carrier]]s) or artillery pieces. The aircraft was fitted with a [[tricycle undercarriage]] with main gear units housed in pods on either side of the fuselage, and an upswept rear fuselage providing clearance of the tail unit for loading and unloading.<ref name="GordonAn-12p46">Gordon and Komissarov 2007, pp. 4–6</ref>

The aircraft made its first flight on 11 February 1956 from [[Sviatoshyn Airfield]], Kyiv and made its public debut at the Aviation Day air display at [[Tushino Airfield]] on 18 August that year.<ref name="GordonAn-12p7">Gordon and Komissarov 2007, p. 7</ref> Following State acceptance trials, production was not recommended due to poor spin characteristics, directional stability and control issues, nosewheel shimmy, poor controllability when landing in crosswinds above {{convert|6|m/s|kn|abbr=on}} and also [[phugoid]] oscillations in all three axes which were difficult to control and made piloting the prototype tiring. As well as the aerodynamic faults, the TV-2 engines were unsuitable, being unstable at high altitudes and difficult to start, as well as having a short service life.<ref name="GordonAn-12p7"/>

The Antonov OKB set about rectifying these faults with increased-area vertical and horizontal tail surfaces, anti-spin strakes on the upper rear fuselage sides, deleting the wing [[leading-edge slats]], adding local structural reinforcements and replacing the TV-2 engines with [[Ivchenko AI-20]]D turboprop engines, which had the added benefit of reducing the empty weight by {{convert|3|t|lb}}. These changes resulted in the modified aircraft being ordered into production at the GAZ-34 factory in [[Tashkent]]. The new design required the use of new production techniques, such as stamping and forging of large high-strength parts, extrusion of long sections, chemical milling of large skin panels and other new techniques.<ref name="GordonAn-12p7"/>

Given the service designation An-8, the new transport was built in the GAZ-34 factory in [[Tashkent]] from 1957 to 1961, as a larger-capacity replacement for the earlier [[Lisunov Li-2]] (DC-3), with a large unpressurized hold, a manned tail gun position, chin radome for navigation/mapping radar and a glazed nose for the navigator.<ref name="Simpson p.46">Simpson, Rod. "Airlife's World Aircraft". Airlife Publishing Ltd. London. 2001. {{ISBN|1-84037-115-3}}</ref> A total of 151 An-8s were built in Tashkent.<ref name="GordonAn-12p7"/>