SAIC Y-5
Shijiazhuang Aircraft Industry Corporation · China · first flew 1957 · light aircraft
The Y-5 is a Chinese licence-built copy of the Antonov An-2, a large single-engined radial biplane prized for its short-field ruggedness and load-carrying utility.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 12.4 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-bay biplane with two stacked wings
- Large radial-piston nose and fixed tailwheel gear
- Unequal-span wings braced with a single strut
Unmistakable as a large biplane, it shows two stacked, unequal-span wings joined by a single interplane strut. A big radial piston engine dominates the blunt nose above fixed tailwheel undercarriage. Its sheer size sets it apart from typical light biplanes.
Specifications
- The SAIC Y-5 has a length of 12.4 m (41 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 18.18 m (60 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 256 km/h (159 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
China acquired An-2 production rights in the 1950s and flew its first Y-5 in 1957 at Nanchang. Manufacture later transferred to Shijiazhuang, which produced the type in quantity for decades. It served as China's first mass-produced utility transport.
Variants
Standard passenger and freight versions were joined by agricultural crop-dusting, parachute-training and aerial-survey configurations. The modernised Y-5B introduced updated systems and remained in production into recent years. Numerous field conversions support niche utility roles.
Where you'll see it
It has no UK service and operates chiefly with Chinese civil, agricultural and military-support users. Comparable An-2 airframes are, however, familiar on the UK display and warbird scene. Export and surplus Y-5s continue light-transport and skydiving work across Asia.
Related aircraft
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