Ан-124: История создания и эксплуатации советского транспортного самолета

Soviet/Ukrainian large military transport aircraft

{| 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 lines plants setup 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 begun 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. Oleg Tolmachev was the Chief engineer of An 124 and An 225. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, commercial 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 ongoing political tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Soviet officials sought not only additional airlifters, a substantial increase in payload capacity was also desirable so that the same task could be completed with fewer trips. In 1973, the construction of the necessary facilities to produce the new airlifter began. Two separate final assembly lines plants were established to produce the airlifter: the company Aviastar SP (ex. Ulyanovsk Aviation Industrial Complex) in Ulyanovsk, Russia and by the Kyiv Aviation Plant AVIANT, in Ukraine. Furthermore, the programme used components, systems, and various other elements drawn from in excess of 100 factories across the Eastern world. In 1979, manufacturing activity on the first airframe began. On 24 December 1982, the type performed its maiden flight. Three years later, the An 124 made its first appearance in the Western world when an example was displayed at the 1985 Paris Air Show. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, commercial operations of the An 124 became an increasingly important area of activity; to this end, civil certification was sought for the type by Antonov; this was issued on 30 December 1992.

Sales of the An 124 to various commercial operators proceeded throughout the 1990s and into the mid 2000s; many of these were former military aircraft that were refurbished by Antonov prior to delivery, or unfinished fuselages that had been preserved, rather than producing new build aircraft. During the early 2000s, the cargo operator Volga Dnepr opted to upgrade its An 124 freighter fleet, these works included engine modifications to conform with chapter four noise regulations, various structural improvements that increased service life, and numerous avionics and systems changes to facilitate four person operations, reducing the crew needed from six or seven. One month later, a new variant — the An 124 150 — was announced; it featured several improvements, including a maximum lift capacity of 150 tonnes. However, in May 2009, Antonov's partner, the Russian United Aircraft Corporation announced it did not plan to produce any An 124s in the period 2009–2012. During late 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered production of the aircraft resumed; at this point, Russia was expected to procure 20 new build An 124s. In August 2014, Jane's reported that, Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Yuri Slusar announced that production of the An 124 had been stopped as a consequence of the ongoing political tensions between Russia and Ukraine. In late 2017, multiple An 124s were upgraded by the Aviastar SP plant in Ulyanovsk, Russia, three of which were reportedly scheduled to return to flight during the following year. As Russia–Ukraine relations continued to sour, Antonov begun to source new suppliers while also pushing to westernize the An 124. The Russian engine specialist Aviadvigatel also indicated that a further development of its PD 14, which was intended for use on an upgraded model of the Russian manufactured An 124, designated PD 35, generated 50% more power than the present Ukrainian Progress D 18T engines. During January 2019, Antonov revealed its plans to restart production of the An 124 without support from Russia.

At MAKS Air Show in 2017, the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) announced its An 124 102 Slon (Elephant) design to replace the similar An 124 100. The design was detailed in January 2019 before wind tunnel testing scheduled for August–September. It is intended to be produced at the Aviastar SP factory in Ulyanovsk. It should transport over (up from ), or over at The Russian MoD wants a range of with five Sprut SDM 1 light tanks, their 100 crew and 300 armed soldiers. A new higher aspect ratio, composite wing and a airframe would allow a gross weight. It should be powered by Russian PD 35s developed for the CR929 widebody, producing up from Two fuselages are planned, one for Volga Dnepr with a width of 5.30 m from the An 124's 4.39 m, and one for the Russian MoD of 6.40 m wide to carry vehicles in two lines. On 5 November 2019, the TsAGI released pictures of a long and wide model, ahead of windtunnel testing. On 26 March 2020, TsAGI released new pictures of a wind tunnel model, announcing that the researchers of the Institute had completed the first cycle of aerodynamic testing; the results confirmed the characteristics laid down during preliminary studies.

The Antonov An 124 Ruslan is a large, strategic airlift, four engined aircraft. Externally, it bears numerous similarities to the American Lockheed C 5 Galaxy, having a double fuselage to allow for a rear cargo door (on the lower fuselage) that can open in flight without affecting structural integrity. the airlifter has seldom been used to deploy paratroopers or to carry passengers, as they would typically require oxygen masks and cold weather clothing in such conditions. In comparison, the upper deck is fully pressurised. A pair of TA18 200 124 auxiliary power units (APUs) are accommodated within the main landing gear fairings. The landing gear of the An 124 is outfitted with an oleo strut suspension system for its 24 wheels. This suspension has been calibrated to allow for landing on rough terrain and is able to kneel, which allows for easier loading and unloading via the front cargo door. Under NATO SALIS programme NAMSA is chartering six An 124 100 transport aircraft. According to the contract An 124 100s of Antonov Airlines and Volga Dnepr are used within the limits of NATO SALIS programme to transport cargo by requests of 18 countries: Belgium, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Canada, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, Germany, Czech Republic and Sweden. Two An 124 100s are constantly based on full time charter in the Leipzig/Halle airport, but the contract specifies that if necessary, two more aircraft will be provided at six days' notice and another two at nine days' notice. The aircraft proved extremely useful for NATO especially with ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. United Launch Alliance (ULA) contracts the An 124 to transport the Atlas V launch vehicle from its facilities in Decatur, Alabama to Cape Canaveral. ULA also uses the An 124 to transport the Atlas V launch vehicle and Centaur upper stage from their manufacturing facility in Denver, Colorado to Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Space Force Base. Two flights are required to transfer each launch vehicle (one for the Atlas V main booster stage and another for the Centaur upper stage). It is also contracted by Space Systems Loral to transport satellites from Palo Alto, CA to the Arianespace spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana and by SpaceX to transport payload fairings between their factory in Hawthorne, California and Cape Canaveral. By 2013, the An 124 had reportedly visited 768 airports in over 100 countries. By late 2020, three civil operators of the An 124 remained. Antonov Airlines with seven aircraft, Volga Dnepr Airlines with 12, and Maximus Air Cargo with one. In November 2020, Volga Dnepr reported that it was indefinitely grounding its fleet of An 124 aircraft to inspect the 60 engines (including spares) following the 13 November 2020 unconfined engine failure at Novosibirsk. As of 29 December 2020, the first Volga Dnepr An 124 100 was back in service. The flight took 25 hours and 30 minutes; the takeoff weight was 455,000 kg. In July 1985, an An 124 carried 171,219 kg (377,473 lb) of cargo to an altitude of and 170,000 kg to an altitude of 10,750 m (35,270 ft). In June 1994, an An 124 flew the first IE 201 Class diesel electric locomotive from the General Motors Diesel works in London, Ontario, Canada to Dublin, Ireland for clearance testing and crew training, before subsequent units were delivered by ship. An An 124 was used to transport the Obelisk of Axum back to its native homeland of Ethiopia from Rome in April 2005. An An 124 was used to transport an EP 3E Aries II electronic intelligence aircraft from Hainan Island, China on 4 July 2001 following the Hainan Island incident. An An 124 was used to transport the first Bombardier Movia series railcar for the Delhi Metro on 26 February 2009. In July 2010, an An 124 was used to transport four 35 foot and three 21 foot skimmer boats from France to the US to assist with the clean up of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. An An 124 was used in April 2011 to airlift a large Putzmeister concrete pump from Germany to Japan to help cool reactors damaged in the Fukushima nuclear accident. The An 225 was used to transport an even larger Putzmeister concrete pump to Japan from the US. An An 124 was used in May 2018 to transport an 87,000 lb die tool from Eaton Rapids, Michigan, US to Nottingham, England to restart Ford F 150 production after a fire in the Eaton Rapids Magnesium Casting Facility. Several An 124s were used by the German Bundeswehr to airlift military equipment from Mazar i Sharif to Leipzig during the 2021 German troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Among the equipment were two NH 90 helicopters. During the COVID 19 pandemic, several An 124s were used to cargo masks and other medical equipment from China to foreign countries. For example, Terio International Inc. dispatched their first one on June 7, 2020 between Nanjing and Montréal, which was done as a direct flight. On 24 February 2022, an An 124 with registration number UR 82009 was confirmed to be destroyed by Russian artillery during the Battle of Antonov Airport, Kyiv. Five other Ukrainian An 124s were diverted to Leipzig at the conclusion of their commercial flights. On 3 March 2023, an An 124 delivered 101 tons of humanitarian aid for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. On 9 June 2023, an An 124 was seized by Canadian government authorities at Toronto Pearson Airport. It had been stranded following closure of Canadian airspace to Russian air navigation.

Soviet Air Force – aircraft were transferred to Russian and Ukrainian Air Forces after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.