The Antonov An-30, is a development of the An-24 designed for aerial cartography.
The first aerial survey version of the Antonov An-24 was designed by the Beriev OKB and designated An-24FK.
The FK stood for fotokartograficheskiy (Aerial cartography) Aircraft.
The prototype was converted from a production An-24A at Beriev’s No. 49 construction shop during 1966.
The An-24FK made its first flight on 21 August 1967, with state acceptance trials being completed in 1970 and civil certification completed in 1974.
Redesignated An-30, production began in 1971 at the Antonov factory.
123 production An-30s were manufactured between 1971 and 1980 in Kiev in two main versions.
In addition to its principal use as a survey aircraft, it has also been used by Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, Russia and Ukraine to carry out surveillance under the Open Skies Treaty.
The An-30 has also been used as a weather control aircraft as the An-30M.
Some have been fitted with frozen tanks of carbon dioxide to be ejected into the sky to form artificial rain clouds.
Between 1971 and 1980 a total of 115 aircraft were built and 23 were sold abroad to Afghanistan, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Mongolia and Vietnam.
An-30s completely mapped Afghanistan in 1982.
Cuban An-30s saw active service in Angola in 1987.