Antonov An-124 Ruslan (Condor)

History

The Antonov An-124 (NATO codename "Condor") was the largest aircraft in the world prior to the debut of the Antonov An-225. The An-124 was specifically designed to replace the aging An-22 with a military mission range similar to the US Lockheed C-5 Galaxy and similar configurations.

The An-124 uses both bow and cargo doors for simultaneous loading and unloading, allowing for the transport of large quantities of supplies and equipment at a strategic level. She listed the empty eight at 175,000kg, offset by a maximum takeoff weight of 405,000kg, demonstrating the type of transport capability.

Power is provided by four Ivchenko Progress D-18T series turbofan engines, each producing 51,600 pounds of thrust. The engine configuration allows for a top speed of 540 mph, a cruising speed of 500 mph, a range of up to 3,300 miles, and a service ceiling of nearly 40,000 feet (39,400 feet listed, of course all factors depend on load).

The general layout of the An-124 is very traditional, with a wide, deep fuselage assembly terminated by an elevated flight deck at the front and a raised empennage at the rear. The stern is completed with a vertical stabilizer and a low-mounted horizontal plane. The elevated nature of the attachment allows for rear loading access with adequate structural clearance. This requires a strong support structure in the center of the design, and the An-124 doesn't disappoint with 24 wheels managed from two main landing gear positions under the main part of the fuselage.

The nose is in turn supported by a two-wheeled leg.

Like other aircraft of this type, the An-124 uses shoulder-mounted wing assemblies that provide excellent ground clearance. The leading and trailing edges of each wing have significant sweep, providing the required low-speed handling.

Each wing also manages a pair of underwing engine nacelles that provide the necessary thrust to the platform.

As of this writing (2013), many An-124s are actually marked for civilian use because they perform special material transports. Libya has two An-124s, while Ukraine has about seven. The UAE has an example.

Russian companies Aeroflot, Ayaks, Russian State Transport Company and Transaero Airlines all operate the aircraft. The Russian Air Force remains the sole military operator of the An-124, with 25 prototypes in the 12th Military Transport Aviation Division and the 224th Military Transport Aviation Division.

The UK used to be this type of civilian operator when several companies - Air Foyle, HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, Antonov AirTrack, Titan Cargo and TransCharter Titan Cargo - used the series. All of them have since been disbanded or discontinued from the An-124.

More than 50 examples have been produced since the service was launched in 1986. There are several notable variants of the series, including the basic An-124 transport aircraft.

The An-124-100 was a commercial transport aircraft, while the similar An-124-100M-150 was equipped with west-facing avionics. An-124-102 is another commercial variant. An-124-130 existed as a proposed variant, but ultimately failed. The An-124-135 turned out to be another air cargo variant. The An-124-150, like the An-124-200, remained a modified mount, powered by GE's CF6-80C2 series of turbofan engines, each rated at 60,000 pounds of thrust.

The An-124-300 is the most modern and technologically advanced product of the An-124 family and has been in continuous service with the Russian Air Force.

In January 2013, it was reported that a new initiative by the Russian Volga-Dnepr group was pushing to restart An-124 production.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes