The Antonovs of the 3rd Transport Squadron of the BAF were already doing their practice touch-and-go's when I arrived at the airport. Antonov An-32 is a direct decendent of the An-24s that have been in service all over the world for over 45 years. Re-engined and given higher mounting engine nacelles the An-32s began re...placing the aging fleets of the earlier varients starting in the early 80s. Although, old and badly in need of upgrades the Antonovs were very much doing what it was designed to do - easy to maintain, built to withstand harsh weather conditions in the tropics. Over 350 aircraft were manufactured, of them more than 200 remain in service with the armed forces of 19 counties. India remains the biggest user with over 100 operational aircraft out of 125 delivered. Bangladesh Air Force maintains 3 aircrafts in their