A vintage Antonov An-2 in Poland. (Bjoern Schwarz/Flickr CC BY 2.0)
Smithsonian: North Korea's Military Still Uses Stealth Planes From the 1940s
The An-2 can hover and fly backwards
Details are still emerging about a July 15 plane crash thought to be that of a North Korean military aircraft, as reported by UPI's Elizabeth Shim. But there's another mystery afoot — the plane itself, which is rumored to be an Antonov An-2. Why is North Korea still flying a Soviet aircraft that dates from the 1940s, anyway?
In fact, the An-2 has been part of North Korea's arsenal for a while — it's been linked to other fatal accidents from mounting air-to-surface weapons on the planes. Designed by Oleg Antonov for the Soviets’ Ministry of Forestry, the An-2 first took to the skies in 1947, writes Stephen Dowling for BBC Future. It was supposed to be used for crop dusting and transport. The biplane design includes room for a ton of cargo in the form of soldiers, cows or crops.
WNU Editor: It can fly backwards ?!?!?!?