Kazakhstan has bid farewell to its last An-26 military transport aircraft, with the country's final such plane ceremonially sent into retirement, infohub.kz reports.
According to NUR.KZ, citing the press service of the National Guard of the Republic of Kazakhstan, guardsmen organized a send-off for the country's last An-26 military transport aircraft, which completed its final flight.
"The aircraft's history began in 1981. It was built at the Kyiv Aviation Plant and for its first ten years served in the aviation of the Border Troops of the USSR State Security Committee. Its main base was on the territory of the Kazakh SSR. The An-26 was used for missions guarding the southern borders and transporting servicemen and cargo. In 1992, the An-26 continued its service with the National Guard's aviation. Over its years in operation, the aircraft carried out missions transporting personnel and cargo and was also called upon for other official duties," the press service said.
It was noted that over its years in service, the An-26 reliably transported servicemen and cargo, consistently proving its dependability and readiness for official flights. During its service with the National Guard's aviation, the An-26 logged 8,400 flight hours. Its total service life amounted to 44 years.
The final flight was also a special occasion for the crew that had operated the aircraft for many years. Lieutenant Colonel Medet Seitov of military unit 3656 flew the An-26 for 15 years. He became the last instructor pilot of this aircraft on the crew. After the final flight, crew members bid a particularly emotional farewell to the plane with which they had spent a significant part of their service.
"With the An-26 withdrawn from service, the history of aircraft of this type in Kazakhstan's military aviation has come to an end," the National Guard added.