Antonov An-38: a practical twin-turboprop for tough routes

The Antonov An-38 was conceived to extend the reach of the An-28 family into the 25 to 30 seat commuter and short take-off and landing (STOL) market. The requirement for a larger derivative emerged during a 1989 sales tour of India, where airlines expressed interest in a stretched, re-engined development capable of carrying more passengers and payload over remote, poorly equipped routes. As Antonov's official program history notes, the type was developed on the basis of the An-28 STOL aircraft, differing from it through an extended fuselage, new equipment and new engines.

Development was authorised by Soviet government enactment on 13 November 1990. Detailed design began in early 1991, and by the end of 1991 the documentation was transferred to the Novosibirsk Aviation Production Association (NAPO) for prototype construction. The prototype made its maiden flight on 23 June 1994, and a second An-38-100 prototype powered by Honeywell (then AlliedSignal) TPE331 engines flew on 3 November 1995. The airworthiness certificate for the An-38-100 was issued on 24 April 1997 against Russian AP-25 requirements, and NAPO launched series production the same year. The first production aircraft flew on 27 September 1997, with the type entering limited commercial service in Russia, chiefly across Siberia, shortly afterwards. In December 1995, Antonov and NAPO had formed the joint venture Siberian Antonov Aircraft to produce, market and support the type.

The aircraft is a high-wing, twin-turboprop design with fixed landing gear suited to unpaved, ice- and snow-covered airfields. The An-38-100 carries up to 27 passengers or a maximum payload of about 2,500 kg, cruising at speeds up to roughly 405 km/h. Like other rugged regional turboprops, it was built for demanding utility operations of the kind familiar to cargo carriers worldwide, including operators such as Aloha Air Cargo.

What sets the An-38-100 apart from its sub-variants

The principal differences across the An-38 family lie in the powerplant and the avionics fit rather than in the airframe. The An-38-100 is the baseline version powered by two Western Honeywell TPE331-14GR-801E turboprops, each rated at about 1,118 kW and driving five-blade propellers. The An-38-110 shares those engines with a reduced avionics package, while the An-38-120 adds enhanced equipment such as VOR/DME, a voice recorder and a ground proximity warning system. The An-38-200, which first flew on 11 December 2001 and completed state tests on 28 November 2002, replaces the Western engines with Russian Omsk MKB Mars TVD-20-03B turboprops. Further reference data is consolidated in independent aerospace encyclopedias such as this technical summary.

The key variant identifiers for the An-38-100 can be summarised as follows:

• Engines: two Honeywell/AlliedSignal TPE331-14GR-801E turboprops, around 1,118 kW each
• Propellers: five-blade units
• Capacity: up to 27 passengers, single-class commuter layout
• Maximum payload: approximately 2,500 kg
• Configuration: high-wing, fixed tricycle landing gear for rough-field STOL operations
• Certification: Russian AP-25 airworthiness certificate, 24 April 1997

The program never reached its commercial targets. NAPO had anticipated sales of around 170 aircraft by 2010, but production was suspended between 2000 and 2003, and a March 2003 agreement to resume manufacturing yielded little additional output. Development of the An-38-200 was also briefly delayed by minor issues with its Aerosila AV-36M propeller. In total only about 11 aircraft were built, and by August 2019 just two remained in service, with a single example still flying with ALROSA into 2021. Limited domestic demand, competition from established regional turboprops and the economic conditions of the period are widely cited as the reasons the otherwise capable design saw such restricted production.

The Antonov An-38 is a twin-turboprop regional and utility transport developed from the smaller An-28. Its design priorities are short-field capability, simple operation from unprepared strips and a roomy, square-section fuselage that can be quickly reconfigured between passengers and cargo. These goals explain the classic trade-off built into the aircraft: a high-lift, high-wing layout with a fixed or simplified landing gear philosophy that favours rugged field performance over high cruise speed. As a stretched derivative, the An-38 inherits the An-28's STOL DNA while offering a larger cabin (up to 27 passengers) and uprated powerplants.

What matters technically for this variant is the balance between payload and range: like most light regional turboprops, the An-38 cannot carry maximum passengers and maximum fuel at the same time, so published figures only make sense when tied to a stated load. This payload-versus-range relationship is one of the practical economics that separates light regional types from larger operators, a theme explored in our overview of the differences between low-cost and legacy airlines.

• Type: twin-turboprop high-wing STOL regional transport, derived from the An-28
• Length: approx. 15.67 m, per the type summary on Wikipedia
• Wingspan: approx. 22.06 m
• Height: approx. 4.6 m
• Empty weight: approx. 5,300 kg
• Maximum payload: approx. 2,500 kg
• Passenger capacity: up to 26–27 seats
• MTOW: around 8,800 kg for the An-38-100 in the most directly cited spec table (some databases list higher rounded values)
• Cruise speed: approx. 380 km/h
• Service ceiling: approx. 4,200 m (about 13,800 ft)
• Range (load-dependent): approx. 1,650 km with 9 passengers and reserves, around 1,450 km with 17 passengers, and roughly 600 km at full 27-seat load
• Engines (An-38-100): 2 × Honeywell TPE331-14GR-801E turboprops, about 1,118 kW (≈1,500 shp) each, with five-blade Hartzell propellers
• Engines (An-38-200): 2 × Omsk TVD-20 turboprops

Systems and handling-relevant technology

The An-38 is built around uncomplicated, maintenance-friendly systems suited to remote bases. Its single-shaft TPE331 powerplants on the -100 are direct-drive turboprops, an architecture noted for very rapid throttle response compared with free-turbine designs, which is useful on short runways where precise power management matters. The five-blade reversible-pitch propellers improve thrust at low speed and shorten the landing roll through reverse and braking.

Operationally, the type is documented for night and instrument (IFR) flight, supported by an integrated navigation suite and weather radar; export configurations could be specified with Western avionics such as Bendix/King equipment. Industry references including Jane's describe the later An-38-200 as carrying the An-38-120 equipment standard with a TCAS-2000 collision avoidance system, reflecting the manufacturer's intent to keep the airframe viable for modern regional operations.

Published performance numbers for the An-38 should be read with care. Field-length figures in particular vary widely between sources, from short test-condition takeoff runs to the more conservative operational values listed in references such as SKYbrary. These differences reflect sub-variant, cabin density, actual weights, atmospheric assumptions (temperature, altitude) and runway condition, so any single quoted distance or range should be treated as representative rather than absolute.

Engine options: TPE331 and TVD-20

The An-38 has been offered with two distinct powerplants. The An-38-100 uses the Honeywell TPE331, a single-shaft turboprop family originally developed by Garrett AiResearch (later AlliedSignal, now Honeywell Aerospace). Design work began in 1959 and the engine was certified in 1965; the family combines a two-stage centrifugal compressor, reverse-flow annular combustor and a three-stage axial turbine, with ratings spanning roughly 575 to 1,650 shp across its variants. Honeywell reports more than 13,000 engines delivered and over 122 million flight hours, as detailed on the manufacturer's TPE331 product page. The same engine family powers a wide range of commuter and utility types, including the British Aerospace Jetstream 31/32, the Dornier 228, the Fairchild/Swearingen Metroliner, the Mitsubishi MU-2, the Cessna 441 Conquest, the CASA C-212 and the Shorts Skyvan, as catalogued by the Canadian Museum of Flight.

The An-38-200 instead uses the Russian Omsk TVD-20, a single-shaft turboprop developed by the Omsk engine design bureau as an indigenous powerplant for the An-38 programme. Open Western-style documentation for the TVD-20 is limited, so detailed figures should be treated as approximate; its widely documented operational application remains the An-38 family itself. The choice between the imported TPE331 and the domestic TVD-20 effectively defined the two production standards, allowing operators to balance Western support networks against locally sourced powerplants.

The Antonov An-38 is a 26 to 27 seat twin-turboprop commuter and utility aircraft developed from the An-28, built for thin regional sectors in remote, climatically severe regions. Only 11 airframes were produced, so its commercial footprint has always been small and concentrated. Typical missions are short-haul passenger, cargo and combi flights linking regional hubs to isolated settlements. According to Antonov, the standard An-38-100 carries 27 passengers over roughly 900 km, while payload-dependent range falls to about 600 km with a full cabin and rises to around 1,650 km with 9 passengers plus reserves. Most airline stage lengths sit between 100 and 500 km, with cruise speeds of about 380 km/h.

Operationally, the An-38 serves point-to-point regional networks rather than dense hub-and-spoke trunk routes. Its STOL capability, low-pressure tyres and certification from about -50 °C to +45 °C let it use unpaved, gravel, grass, ice and snow-covered airstrips, as documented by SKYbrary. A 2,500 kg payload and a quick-change cabin support mixed passenger and freight operations to communities with minimal ground infrastructure. The main challenges for operators are the tiny fleet size, limited spares support, reliance on imported Honeywell TPE331 engines on the An-38-100, and weak economics on very low-yield sectors, which has kept utilisation and active numbers low.

Where the Antonov An-38 operates

Production and use have been heavily concentrated in Asia, specifically in Russia and its Siberian, Far Eastern and Arctic regions, where small regional carriers fly passengers, mail and cargo to remote diamond-mining areas and northern settlements. Presence in Europe, North & South America and Africa is effectively absent: no authoritative source records sustained scheduled An-38 airline service in those regions, and export ambitions toward India and Vietnam remained at the order or lease stage. The type competes in the same rugged STOL niche as the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and the Let L-410.

• Europe: No documented scheduled airline operator. The aircraft was designed by the Antonov bureau in Ukraine and built at Novosibirsk in Russia, but European commercial service is not recorded by authoritative fleet sources.
• North & South America: No recorded airline operators. The An-38 was never marketed successfully into the Americas, and no fleet database lists carriers on either continent.
• Asia: ALROSA (Russia) is the principal recent operator, flying the type on Yakutia regional routes in support of diamond-mining logistics. Vostok Aviation Company (Russian Far East) was an early launch customer with the first three aircraft delivered by mid-1995. Other Russian users included NAPO-Aviatrans, which operated the second prototype in 1999 to 2000, with interest and orders noted from Chukotavia and Siberia Airlines. Two Vostok aircraft were also leased to Layang Layang Aerospace in Malaysia in 2001 for tourist flights, cargo and aerial photography.
• Africa: No recorded operators. The type has no documented commercial presence on the continent.

Typical seating and cabin layouts

The standard commuter layout seats 26 to 27 passengers, three-abreast with a centre aisle, at roughly 75 cm (29.5 in) pitch, as detailed in manufacturer-derived fleet data. Regional network operators typically use this single-class commuter configuration, while seats and the baggage area fold against the cabin walls to free the floor for up to 2,500 kg of cargo. Documented alternative fits include a combi arrangement, an ambulance layout with 6 stretchers plus seated casualties and a medic, a forest-patrol or paradrop version for up to 22 to 26 jumpers, and an 8 to 10 seat executive interior. Antonov states the cabin can be reconfigured in about 30 minutes, which makes the type well suited to flexible mixed-use operations across thin regional networks, as confirmed by consolidated technical references.

The Antonov An-38 has one of the smallest operational footprints of any modern regional turboprop, which shapes how its safety record should be read. Only around 11 airframes were completed, the type entered limited service in 1997, and just one or two examples remained in airline use by the early 2020s. With such a tiny fleet, total flight hours, cycles and sectors flown are very low compared with mainstream commuter aircraft. Statistically, this means the An-38-100 and An-38-200 have accumulated only a fraction of the exposure seen by widely produced types, so any single event carries disproportionate weight and broad accident-rate comparisons must be treated with caution.

Notable Occurrences and Their Outcomes

Public, authoritative databases record very few events for this aircraft. The most clearly documented entry is a non-fatal occurrence in service.

• 2023, RA-41901, Russia: An An-38-100 operating a regional flight on the Yakutsk to Molodo route with 12 passengers and 3 crew was logged by the Aviation Safety Network as an incident rather than a hull loss. No injuries were reported. Events of this kind typically lead operators to review route planning, crew procedures and maintenance follow-up, reinforcing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for short, remote-field operations.
• Development phase, 1990s: Specialist type histories reference a test-flight loss during the certification programme. Because this is not fully catalogued in open occurrence databases, details vary between sources and it should be treated as a prototype event rather than a commercial accident. Lessons from flight-test campaigns generally feed back into airframe refinement and certification requirements before a type enters service.

Beyond these, recognised databases do not list a confirmed fatal commercial crash of an in-service Antonov An-38. Reports of accidents tied to specific operators or locations that cannot be corroborated in authoritative records should be regarded as unverified.

How Safe Is the Antonov An-38?

Judged against its limited traffic volume, the An-38 has not produced a pattern of fatal commercial accidents, though its small fleet and short service history make any rate figure fragile. The design philosophy follows its An-28 lineage: a rugged, high-wing, twin-turboprop utility aircraft built for unprepared strips and harsh regional conditions, with the An-38-100 using Honeywell TPE331 engines and the An-38-200 using Omsk TVD-20 powerplants. Real-world safety still depends heavily on disciplined SOPs, crew training and the regulatory oversight applied by the certifying authorities, the same human and organisational factors that underpin crew standards and operational culture at any airline. For context on how outcomes are improved across the industry, organisations such as SKYbrary and the International Civil Aviation Organization publish guidance and data that drive continuous improvement. Even with a niche type like this, the wider record confirms that commercial aviation remains one of the safest modes of transport.