(USSR) Antonov An-124

>Description:

The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (Russian: Антонов Ан-124 Руслан, Ukrainian: Ан-124 Руслан, meaning lion) is a large, strategic airlift, four-engined aircraft that was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union.

The An-124 is the world's second heaviest gross weight production cargo airplane and heaviest operating cargo aircraft, behind the tragically destroyed one-off Antonov An-225 Mriya (an enlarged derivative of the An-124 that I've covered before). For now, the An-124 remains the largest military transport aircraft in service.



In 1971, design work commenced on the project, which was initially referred to as Izdeliye 400 (Product 400), at the Antonov Design Bureau in response to a shortage in heavy airlift capability within the Military Transport Aviation Command (Komandovaniye voyenno-transportnoy aviatsii or VTA) arm of the Soviet Air Forces. Two separate final assembly line plants were set up for the aircraft, one at Aviastar-SP (ex. Ulyanovsk Aviation Industrial Complex) in Ulyanovsk, Russia, and the other was the Kyiv Aviation Plant AVIANT in Ukraine.

Assembly of the first aircraft began in 1979; the An-124 (which was sometimes referred to as the An-40 in the West) performed its maiden flight on 24 December 1982. The type made its first appearance in the Western world at the 1985 Paris Air Show. Viktor Tolmachev was the Chief Engineer of An-124 and An-225.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, commercial and general private-sector operations were quickly pursued for the An-124, leading to civil certification being obtained by Antonov on 30 December 1992. Various commercial operators opted to purchase the type, often acquiring refurbished ex-military airlifters or stored fuselages rather than new-build aircraft.



By July 2013, 26 An-124s were reportedly in commercial service while a further ten airlifters were on order. During 2008, it was announced that Russia and Ukraine were to jointly resume production of the type. At one point, it looked as if Russia would order 20 new-build airlifters. However, in August 2014, it was reported that the planned resumption of manufacturing had been shelved due to the political tensions between Russia and Ukraine. In 2019, there were 26 An-124s in commercial service.

> Additional:

The aircraft is included with a retro-style Soviet livery and is accompanied by an escort of two Su-35 Super Flankers, and has some internal cargo, including a self-designed APC.