Roden 042 AN-12BK Cub 1:72

The An-12 (NATO code name "Cub") is one of the most famous Soviet types, developed by Oleg K. Antonov's design bureau in the late 1950s. Predecessor of the An-12, the twin-engined An-8 was the Soviet Union's first true cargo aircraft (it had a special ramp installation in the rear of the fuselage for easy freight loading), but at that time comparable foreign designs were equipped with four engines, for flight safety. At the end of 1955 the design bureau led by Oleg Antonov received orders for two new four-engined aircraft: the civilian An-10 and the military An-12.

  Many successful features adopted on the An-8 were used during development of the A-10 and An-12 projects. Very soon, in March 1957, the first flight of the An-10 took place, and of the An-12 in December of the same year. After much intensive testing, series production began in the following year at the Irkutsk aircraft factory. In 1960 the Voronezh aircraft factory joined in production, and in 1962 Tashkent's factory. Production ceased in 1973 after 1,213 of this type had been produced. The An-12BK, equipped with more powerful AI-20M engines and some minor changes, was a widely used variant which began production in 1967. Other interesting modifications of the type are the polar An-12PL, the An-12BKL bomber which could carry up to 12 tons of bombs, the An-12BK-PPS with special radio equipment, the An-12BKT tanker, the naval rescue An-12PS and others.

  Apart from the USSR, many countries have operated the An-12: Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, Cuba, Egypt, Iraq, Bulgaria, India, Algeria, Indonesia, Guinea, Ghana, Yemen, and China. China later built its own unlicensed copy of the An-12, designated the Y-8.