The An-24 was designed in the late 1950s as the Soviet counterpart of the Fokker F.27 in both appearance and capabilities. The twin-turboprop An-24 was produced by three Soviet aircraft factories; many remain in operation. The Soviet Air Force needed a modern turboprop tactical transport with paradropping capability. Thus the airliner evolved first into the quick fix An-24T and then into the An-26 which introduced a unique sliding cargo ramp developed by Antonov and protected by many international patents. This paved the way for the hot and high An-32 and the big head An-30, a specialised aerial photography machine. The book lists all known operators on a country-by-country basis and is richly illustrated with photographs in the liveries of assorted civil and military operators.