A124 Aircraft - I replied: "That almost might be a broad comment on Russian technology general." He added that the Russians complained bitterly about the poor quality of American vodka, and that half a case of Russian vodka was provided
as part of the repair kit. That made me imagine a conversation: "What's Like Kansas, Dmitriy Mikhailovich?" * The Soviet Union had a certain admiration for the virtue of sheer impressive size, and this bias was reflected in aircraft design.
A124 Aircraft
The most spectacular examples are three of the largest aircraft ever built, all products of the Antonov design bureau: the "An-22 Antheus (Cock)", the "An-124 Ruslan (Condor)", and the "An-225 Mriya (Cossack)" cargolifters. This document provides a history and description of these Antonov giants.
[] Comments Sources Revision History
Of the 65 production machines produced to the end of manufacture in 1974, the totals were split evenly between Aeroflot and the VTA, the Soviet military airlift service, although some sources claim that even the Aeroflot machines
were generally used for military duties. Some of the five prototypes were upgraded to production specification and put into formal service. The An-22s were used mostly to carry cargoes to the undeveloped Soviet Far East. The
Antonov bureau considered building a double-decker airliner version of the An-22, with a capacity of 724 passengers, but this machine never got beyond design studies. In April alone, UR-82007 undertook 24 flights covering a distance of more than 39,000 miles.
Based in Ukraine, Antonov Airlines was the first operator to offer the An-124-100 to the commercial market, and remains the world's only operator of the gigantic AN-225 Mriya aircraft. * Much to my surprise, I saw an An-124 in the late 1990s while I was flying
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to Florida, making a Houston stopover. I saw this huge aircraft sitting alongside the runway and thought: "What the HELL is that monster?" As it is turned out, apparently the Russians had a regular arrangement with some Texas
oil companies and used the An-124 to transfer oil drilling gear to the various former-Soviet Central Asian republics. I had to admit the thing was impressive. Yesterday, 11th May 2021, at approximately 5:15am, local time, an Antonov Airlines AN-124-100M overran the runway after landing on runway 09L at São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU), Brazil.
The nose landing gear rolled out from the paved surface of the runway by approximately six meters. The main landing gear remained on the runway. As a result of this, Volga Dnepr took the decision to ground its entire fleet of AN-124s, 12 aircraft in all, while the airline undertook inspections.
With Christmas fast approaching, Antonov Airlines was pushed to re-activate the AN-225 Mria to fill the void left by the Volga-Dnepr fleet. Just before Christmas 2005, I spotted an An-124 in what amounted to my own
[] Antonov An- Ruslan Condor
backyard, parked on the tarmac at Denver International Airport. Obviously the thing wasn't there to deliver holiday parcels; a search on the Web said that An-124s periodically flew into Denver to transport space-launch boosters to Cape Canaveral from the Lockheed Martin plant south of Denver.
I believe these are Atlas boosters -- using Russian-designed main engines. Times had changed, although since then, they have badly regressed again. To hide all ads and enable 50+ premium features, view our subscription options here.
If you're already a subscriber, log in here. Or to continue using RadarBox with ads, please disable any ad-blocking software on your browser and reload this page. The An-124 had a general configuration similar to that of the C-5A, with a
high-set swept wing mounting four high-bypass turbofans on pylons, the aircraft featuring front and rear loading. The most significant visible difference from the C-5A was that the An-124 had a conventional low-set tailplane, in contrast to the tee tail of the C-5A.
An- Overshoots Runway
Although the dimensions of the two aircraft were similar, the An-124 had a greater empty weight the C-5A and substantially greater cargo capacity. * In 1968, the US flew the first Lockheed "C-5A Galaxy" cargolifter, which
took the title of "world's biggest aircraft" away from the An-22. The USSR was of course inclined to respond -- to the extent that need justified it and the resources were available -- and in the summer of 1977, reports indicated
that the Soviets were in fact working on a mega-sized jet cargolifter. Preliminary findings show the incident was caused by changeable weather conditions, which made it possible to safely carry out the flight, but in the second half of the run along the runway, the plane entered heavy fog, which affected the timely taxiing of the plane from
the runway. Heavylift freighter. In service since 1987. Antonovs heavylift freighter development to replace the An-22. An-124 configuration is similar to the LOCKHEAD C-5 Galaxy. Only a limited number built and remain in service. Range with max payload is 3200nm, with 120t the range is 5200nm and with 40t the range is 11900nm.
[] Antonov An- Antheus Cock
* A total of 54 Condors were built up to 2004, the aircraft being roughly split between civilian and military users. Interestingly, two An-22s were modified to carry the wings on their back for assembly. The Russian
Aerospace Force currently has 26 An-124s in service. Since 2010, 14 of them have been upgraded with features such as a modernized cockpit -- reducing cockpit crew from 6 to 4 -- plus other updated avionics;
much more reliable D-18T turbofans that meet international noise and emissions regulations; and a service-life extension program (SLEP) that provided a number of airframes and system improvements. The initial production version of the An-22 required ground-starting
equipment; 37 were built, followed by 28 "An-22A" machines, with a self-starting capability and improved avionics. It appears an auxiliary power unit (APU) was installed in each of the main landing gear sponsons, at least suggested by an intake hole in the front and two exhaust holes on
A Tricky Few Months
the sides. It is not clear if the APUs were fitted to the early production machines. However, since the An-124 has proven profitable in the commercial heavy-lift market, the An-225 is now being offered for the same work.
The Antonov bureau refurbished the An-225s for commercial operations, including transport of bulky cargoes and possibly air launch of space boosters. The program involved the addition of modern navigation and communication avionics, a collision avoidance system, and modifications to reduce the noise signature
of the aircraft. The first flight of the revitalized An-225 was on May 7, 2001. The An-225 is much more expensive to operate than the An-124, and so it is had a low utilization rate -- being only flown with cargoes that cannot be
hauled any other way. Throughout the pandemic, Antonov Airlines has been busy carrying vital cargo around the world as well as continuing its normal shipments. Today, an AN-124 loaded up with 99 tons of personal protective equipment met an unfortunate end when landing at Sao Paulo Airport in Brazil.
Shsh Antonov An- Mriya Tsossatsk
The transport's nose lifted up to allow a fold-out loading ramp to be deployed, while the tail featured a four-section door-ramp system. The cargo hold was 26 meters (118 feet) long, 6.4 meters (21 feet) wide, and 4.4 meters
(14 feet 5 inches) high. Two traveling gantries were fitted to the roof, with each gantry having a load capacity of 10,000 kilograms (22,050 pounds) and fitted with two hoists, each having a load capacity of 5,000 kilograms
(11,025 pounds). Twin APUs could be used to power the hoist system ground. The aircraft could carry a load of up to 150 tons (165 tons). A few years later I got an email from a US Army sort who told me a story
about how an An-124 flew into Wichita, Kansas, with some heavy industry machinery from Switzerland for the Boeing plant there. All things considered, it was the cheapest way to deliver the machinery. On departure, the An-124 lost an engine, and was grounded for four days while a spare
engine was delivered and installed. My correspondent concluded: "The folks at the modifications hangars were not sure whether to be impressed or horrified at this feat of repair." The An-124's four Lotarev D-18T turbofans provided 230 kN (23,400 kgp /
51,590 lbf) thrust each, and had thrust reversers to reduce landing roll. In conjunction with full-span leading-edge slats and large flaps, the powerful engines allowed the An-124 to operate off of rough airstrips only 1,200 meters (3,800 feet) long.
Unfortunately, the D-18Ts had low reliability early on, and only gradually improved. The An-124 had very heavy-duty landing gear for rough field operation. The nose gear consisted of two twin-wheel units mounted in parallel, with each
unit steered independently. There were five sets of main landing gear units on each side of the aircraft, with dual wheels on each set, for a total of ten sets and twenty wheels. The front two units on each side were steerable.
The landing gear was adjustable to allow the transport to "kneel", to assist cargo loading. There were five or six crew, plus a pressurized compartment behind them cockpit with seating for 28 or 29 passengers. Personnel access was through a
door in each landing gear fairing. The main cargo bay was 33 meters (108 feet) long, and was accessed through a rear loading ramp. The ramp could be opened in flight for cargo airdrop. Cargo capacity was 80 tons (88 tons).
There were four traveling gantries mounted on rails in the roof of the cargo bay, to be used in conjunction with two winches, each with a load capacity of 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds). Given that the relationship between Ukraine and Russia is antagonistic, the
Antonov organization is very interested in "Westernizing" the An-124 and anything follow-ons -- using Western avionics and systems at the very least, and possibly re-engineering the aircraft with Western turbofans. Despite its age, the An-124 may have a long future.
Managing Editor - Joanna has worked in publishing for more than a decade and is fast becoming a go-to source for commercial aviation analysis. Providing commentary for outlets including the BBC, CNBC, Reuters Thomson, and others, she works closely with IATA, AviaDev, and various airlines and suppliers to get the inside track on the global marketplace.
Based in the United Kingdom The An-22 was supplemented by the Antonov An-124, discussed below, beginning in 1987. An-22s, being still useful for hauling heavy loads, have been refurbished to be kept in service -- with Antonov converting two of them
to "An-22PZ" configuration to haul large aircraft assemblies for Antonov production. One An-22 crashed during Russian military exercises in 2010, killing all 12 crew. Other An-22s were grounded until the problem was solved tracked down. The Russian government wants to keep six An-22s in service
to the 2030s, through overhauls; one overhauled machine remains in commercial service, with Antonov Airlines. The result, the "An-225 Mriya (Dream)" performed its first flight on 21 December 1988, with Alexander Galunenko at the controls. It appeared at the
Paris Air Show in 1989 with a Buran shuttle on its back. It was assigned the NATO reporting name of "Cossack". The An-225 was clearly a derivative of the An-124, with front and aft fuselage plugs to extend length, and wing inserts
to extend span and allow mounting of two more Lotarev D-18T turbofans, for a total of six engines. The An-124 remains a product with a unique niche, being used to haul heavy equipment all over the world, and it has played a major role in United
Nations operations in countries such as Afghanistan. There is interest in new production -- but attempts to build new machines were derailed by antagonistic relations between Russia and Ukraine. The Antonov organization is currently trying to "westernize" the An-124 to eliminate dependence on
Russia, but there's been little progress so far. The number of main landing gear assemblies was increased from five per side to seven to handle the increased take-off weight. A set of standoffs was fitted to the back for external cargo carriage, with the standoffs covered by
fairings when not in use, and the conventional tail assembly of the An-124 was changed to a twin-fin assembly to ensure controllability when a large cargo was mounted on the back. The rear loading ramp was deleted to reduce
weight. The crew were reported to be unhurt, but the plane sustained some minor damage. Thankfully the ground was fairly firm, which enabled a push-back vehicle to successfully return the Antonov to the runway surface. The aircraft was cleared by 07:00 local time and airport operations were resumed.
An Antonov cargo plane has overshot the end of the runway on landing earlier today. The AN-124, registered UR-82007, rolled out beyond the end of the runway surface while landing in the dark at Sao Paulo-Guarulhos.
The airport was temporarily closed until the aircraft could be removed. The An-225 is the world's largest aircraft by far. Since it is a specialized machine, it is unlikely that there would have been reason to build it in
large numbers in the best of circumstances. Given that the introduction of the big cargolifter coincided with the last days of the Soviet Union, it is not surprising that only was built -- and it was mothballed in 1994, being
used as a spare hulk for An-124s. A second machine was not completed. The Russians have been considering their own alternative to the An-124, the "PAK VTA" or "Ilyushin Il-106", with images of wind-tunnel models released in
2020. The Il-106 is seen as a "blended wing-body" aircraft; it is expected to be able to haul up to 180 tons of cargo, 60 tons more than the An-124, and have a range of 7000 kilometers (4,350 miles), a maximum speed of 850 KPH
(525 MPH), and be powered by four Aviadvigatel PD-35 turbofans -- the PD-35 an improved derivative of the new PD-14 engine, intended to power Russia's Irkut MC-21 airliner. The program is in progress at present, with
serial production to begin in 2027, although that remains to be seen. UR-82007 is one of seven AN-124 aircraft in use by Antonov Airlines. It is 34.9 years old, and has been busy flying cargo throughout the pandemic.
Data from RadarBox.com shows it has spent a lot of time at Almaty, Leipzig Halle, Anchorage and Kuwait in the past few months, although this seems to be its first flight to Sao Paulo this year.
The pressurized cabin accommodated a flight crew of six, along with accommodations for a relief crew. The aircraft featured leading-edge avionics being flown with a quadruplex fly-by-wire flight control system, and featuring a triple-redundant inertial navigation system.
It didn't have a glazed nose. A pressurized passenger section with 88 seats was included behind the wing. Antonov Airlines never grounded its fleet, but continued to press on with fulfilling vital delivery missions. This saw it carrying a huge 54-tonne generator from Ghana to India, and flying mining equipment to Brazil from Australia.
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