thanks seems like An-24 and 26 can also be used to drop barrel bombs
Antonov had already developed a method to attach four racks to that older aircraft, two on each side of the fuselage, able to carry 500-pound class bombs, a configuration that reportedly dates back to before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In addition, a special system was installed inside the main cargo bay that allowed the crew to roll up to four more 500-pound class bombs right out of the back of the aircraft. A bombardier using an NKPB-7 optical bombsight in one of the plane’s two side-mounted observation windows would aim the weapons in a method not far removed from how bomber crews did so in World War II. It is not clear if the Iraqis are still using this sighting system.
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/20330/iraqs-an-32-cargo-planes-turned-bombers-flew-nearly-twice-as-many-strikes-as-its-f-16s
In contrast, most other such bomber conversions of transport planes that remain in use today around the world, such as Iraq’s An-32s, are generally an especially crude method of conducting strikes. We don’t know where and how the Iraqis have employed these armed An-32s, but there were increased reports regarding their use in the lead up to liberating Mosul in 2016, along with an official video showing Mi-171 helicopters dropping unguided bombs from high altitudes.
IRAQI AIR FORCE
An Iraqi An-32 with what may be a new, single pylon bomb rack or a sensor system.
It is possible, and perhaps likely, that the An-32s were among the factors that contributed to significant reported civilian casualties during the Mosul campaign. The converted transports simply would not have been able to strike targets with high precision, increasing the chances of collateral damage in general, but especially during missions over a densely packed urban area where ISIS in many cases deliberately established positions next to innocent bystanders.
Iraq’s recent strike in Syria, which the country’s military very visibly touted as a precision affair involving laser-guided bombs as seen in the video below, could indicate that the country is moving away from its earlier imprecise tactics. Unfortunately, it’s hard to say how regularly the Iraqi Air Force conducts missions using precision-guided munitions.
But with its F-16IQs, Su-25s, L-159s, and now South Korean-made T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainer and light attack aircraft, Iraq increasingly has far better options when it comes to carrying out air strikes and appears to have relegated its AC-208s to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. And even though the Vipers are the only aircraft that can employ precision-guided munitions, the Frogfoots, ALCAs, and Golden Eagles can all almost certainly deliver unguided weapons more accurately that the converted transports.
The An-32s could still find some use against remote militant camps or compounds, where precision might not be as important as volume of fire and where there is less concern about causing civilian casualties. With ISIS, or some new “ISIS 2.0” iteration of the group, still a threat in Iraq and Syria, air power will almost certainly continue to be an important part of making sure the terrorists are unable to reassert themselves.
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