Antonov An-12 (UR-CAJ)

The first two days of this week have been wonderful days for us. The skies are full of international visitors. First, we captured an E/A-18G Growler of the Royal Australian Air Force's 6 Squadron (RAAF Base Amberley). And it wasn't just one of the 6 SQN Growlers; it was the unit's colorbird ... featuring a kangaroo on the nose and a boomerang on the tail. A fabulous photo! And then we caught this Antonov (followed 30 minutes later by a second one) yesterday as they arrived and departed from KRNO. So in the past two weeks, we have enjoyed a very rare (possibly first-ever) visit by an A330, a distinctly rare visit by an RAAF warbird, and an almost-unheard of visit by two Antonovs. My very deepest Thanks to everyone who provided the heads-ups that these visitors were coming. We are all tremendously appreciative.

Cool!

Nice catch Gary, did you catch their smokey departures, it's like they're burning coal!!

Hey, Greg & Mark (Big grin) ... Hi, guys. Many Thanks for the complis. Mark >>> I sure did! Man, I haven't seen such heavy black smoke since I last saw those CV-990s in the 60s (and, also, when I saw those B-52 Alert Force launches during my USAF days). Gotta say; it was pretty dang neat seeing all that black smoke. (OK, the environmentalists are having fits right now reading my last sentence but I can't help but be honest; it was a great flashback to the Coronado and BUFF days for me. lol) I was thinking about posting a departure pic of this one showing all that thick smoke, and I AM going to post a second shot of it; however, I decided to choose a snap that shows off two of the unique features of this An-12BK "Cub" ... the drooping outer panels on the wings and the tail gun turret. I'll post it now for those aviation fans who have never had a chance to see those two features. The droop can be seen (slightly) in this shot but it is much more obvious in the pic I'll post now, and of course the turret is not visible in this pic at all due to the angle.

Thank you for a great photo and informative comment.

What is it with Antonov nose windows? Is there a functional need for visibility out the front end like this?

Leon ... Hi. Thank you for the comment & compli. John ... The An-12 was first flown in the mid-50s. Back then, the Cold War was being waged (and, it seems, may be starting up again nowadays). The "Cub" (that's its NATO reporting name) was the Russian version of the C-130. When built, the Cubs were designed with the capability to drop bombs; thus, the aircraft had a bombardier. Also, it had a tail gunner. I posted a second photo of this same aircraft as it was taxiing on to runway 34L to depart, and in that photo the tail gun cannon turret is viewable along with the tail gunner's windows just above the turret. (To view, click on my name and then scroll to NEWEST ... both photos will come up side-by-side.) Today, some Antonov models are in use as civilian cargo and/or passenger aircraft; however, in the event of war, they can be quickly nationalized and placed back in use in military roles.

Great photo !!!Thank you !!!

And I say "thank you" back to you, Vaides, for your comment. (Wave)

Speaking of "grins" Gman..............do you have a selfie stick? I wanna see what your face looks like when you crest Rattlesnake Hill and know what is arriving.........those "air 2 air" shots are killer, and throw in an AN-12 for fun..? argh! 5x Cubs.