PROJECT RESURRECTION: THE UNITED SIMPLE AN-2 AID TRANSPORT
ORIGIN: THE GRAVEYARD DISCOVERY
THE STORY BEGINS IN THE FREEZING SILENCE OF A FORGOTTEN RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT BONEYARD. UNITED SIMPLE ACQUISITION TEAMS, SCOUTING FOR RAW MATERIALS, IDENTIFIED A FLEET OF TEN DECOMMISSIONED ANTONOV AN-2 BIPLANES SCHEDULED TO BE MELTED DOWN FOR SCRAP. THEY WERE ROTTING IN THE SNOW, LABELED "ECONOMICALLY UNVIABLE" BY THEIR FORMER OWNERS.
SEEING POTENTIAL WHERE OTHERS SAW REFUSE, UNITED SIMPLE NEGOTIATED A BULK PURCHASE—A GAMBLE OF MERELY $5,000 PER UNIT.
* THE SKELETON: RECOVERY CREWS FOUND THE AIRFRAMES GUTTED. PASSENGER CABINS WERE STRIPPED, AVIONICS BAYS WERE EMPTY, AND CARGO FLOORS WERE RUSTED THROUGH.
* THE SOUL: YET, A STROKE OF LUCK REMAINED. THE FLIGHT DECKS HAD BEEN SEALED TIGHT AGAINST THE ELEMENTS. THE ORIGINAL ANALOG GAUGE CLUSTERS AND PRIMARY CONTROLS WERE PRESERVED IN "SEMI-CLEAN" CONDITION, KEEPING THE MECHANICAL SOUL OF THE AIRCRAFT INTACT AND MAKING A RESURRECTION POSSIBLE.
THE STRATEGIC PIVOT: UNITED SIMPLE OPERATIONS
FOLLOWING RECOVERY, THE FLEET WAS MOVED TO LONG-TERM CLIMATIZED STORAGE WHILE A MISSION PROFILE WAS DEVELOPED. THE ORIGINAL INTENT WAS INTERNAL SECURITY.
THE ORIGINAL PLAN: COASTLINE PATROL
UNITED SIMPLE INITIALLY DESIGNATED THESE AIRCRAFT FOR THE UNITED SIMPLE COASTLINE BORDER PATROL. THE STRATEGY RELIED ON THE AN-2’S LEGENDARY LOW STALL SPEED TO LOITER OVER MASSIVE SHORELINES, SPOTTING SMUGGLING OPERATIONS THAT FASTER JETS WOULD MISS.
THE C-130J TAKEOVER
BEFORE THE RESTORATION COULD BEGIN, THE MISSION PARAMETERS CHANGED. UNITED SIMPLE ACQUIRED A FLEET OF C-130J SUPER HERCULES AIRCRAFT. THE C-130J PROVED VASTLY SUPERIOR FOR LONG-ENDURANCE MARITIME SURVEILLANCE AND HEAVY-LIFT LOGISTICS ALONG THE COAST. WITH THE COASTLINE BORDER PATROL SIGNIFICANTLY UPGRADED TO THE HERCULES PLATFORM, THE AN-2S WERE LEFT WITHOUT A MISSION—UNTIL THE UNITED NATIONS REACHED OUT.
A NEW LIFE: THE HUMANITARIAN MANDATE
WHILE UNITED SIMPLE’S C-130JS LOCKED DOWN THE COASTLINES, A DIFFERENT NEED AROSE. THE UNITED NATIONS REQUIRED LOGISTICAL SUPPORT FOR THE "JAGGED EDGE OF THE WORLD"—VILLAGES WITH ZERO INFRASTRUCTURE AND DANGEROUS MOUNTAIN-TOP LOCATIONS WHERE STANDARD RUNWAYS DO NOT EXIST.
UNITED SIMPLE DONATED THE ENTIRE AN-2 FLEET TO THE UN.
* NO AIRPORT, NO PROBLEM: THE C-130J REQUIRES A DISTINCT RUNWAY; THE AN-2 DOES NOT. THE UNITED NATIONS NOW UTILIZES THESE RUGGED BIPLANES TO DELIVER FOOD AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO AREAS PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED UNREACHABLE BY FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT.
VISUALS & RETROFIT: THE "WHITE PEACEKEEPING" STANDARD
TO PREPARE FOR THEIR NEW ROLE, THE AIRCRAFT WERE STRIPPED OF THEIR BONEYARD ROT AND GIVEN A COMPLETE COMBAT RETROFIT.
THE LIVERY
THE AIRCRAFT WERE PAINTED STRICTLY ACCORDING TO THE UNITED NATIONS "WHITE PEACEKEEPING" LIVERY GUIDE:
* DOMINANT BASE: THE FUSELAGE IS COATED IN PURE WHITE (#FFFFFF), SIGNIFYING NEUTRALITY AND PEACE.
* MARKINGS: HIGH-CONTRAST DARK BLACK (#000000) IS USED FOR ALL TEXT. THE FULL "UNITED NATIONS" TITLE DOMINATES THE FORWARD FUSELAGE, WHILE THE BOLD "UN" WORDMARK IS STAMPED ON THE AFT SECTION AND REPEATED ON THE VERTICAL STABILIZER.
* AESTHETIC: THERE ARE NO CHEATLINES AND NO COMPLEX EMBLEMS. THE STARK BLACK-AND-WHITE SCHEME ENSURES THE AIRCRAFT IS INSTANTLY DISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE MILITARY-GRAY PATROL CRAFT USED BY COMBATANTS.
DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS
DESPITE THE PEACEFUL PAINT JOB, THE MISSION PROFILE IS HAZARDOUS. FLYING "LOW AND SLOW" MAKES THE AN-2 A VULNERABLE TARGET IN CONFLICT ZONES. UNITED SIMPLE ENGINEERS RETROFITTED A HEAVY-DUTY COUNTERMEASURE DISPENSER SYSTEM (FLARES) TO THE AFT FUSELAGE. THESE MAGNESIUM FLARES SERVE AS A NECESSARY SHIELD, DIVERTING HEAT-SEEKING MISSILES DURING LOW-ALTITUDE DROPS IN HOSTILE TERRITORY.

SUMMARY: SAVED FROM THE SCRAP HEAP BY UNITED SIMPLE, DISPLACED BY THE C-130J, AND NOW FLYING FOR THE UNITED NATIONS, THE AN-2 HAS FOUND ITS TRUE CALLING: SAVING LIVES WHERE NO OTHER PLANE DARES TO LAND.

Thanks to CHATGPT for help