PZL M28 Skytruck

Making its first visit to the Air Tattoo this year will be a PZL M28 Skytruck operated by the Estonian Air Force. Originally developed as the Antonov An-28 to replace the lumbering An-2 biplane on Aeroflot's short haul routes within the USSR. Eventually construction was transferred to PZL Mielec in Poland in 1978. The upgraded PZL M28 Skytruck first flew in 1993 using western avionics and has found success as a Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) transport with militaries around the world, including the US Air Force Special Operations as the C-145A. PZL were purchased by the American firm Sikorsky in 2007 who have continued to produce around 10 Skytrucks per year. Estonia received two retired C-145A from the US government as a donation with the first arriving in 2019.

Photo Credit: Andrey Nesvetaev