Antonov An-124
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-124 "Руслан") (NATO reporting name: Condor) is a strategic airlift jet aircraft. It was designed by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukrainian SSR, then part of the Soviet Union (USSR). Until the Boeing 747-8F, the An-124 was, for thirty years, the world's highest aircraft gross weight production cargo airplane and second heaviest operating cargo aircraft, behind the one-off Antonov An-225 (a greatly enlarged design based on the An-124). The An-124 remains the largest military transport aircraft in the world.
During development it was known as Izdeliye 400 (Product #400) in house, and An-40 in the West. First flown in 1982, civil certification was issued on December 30th, 1992. In July 2013, twenty-six An-124s were in commercial service with ten on order.
Variants[edit | edit source]
- An-124 Ruslan: Strategic heavy airlift transport aircraft.
- An-124-100: Commercial transport aircraft.
- An-124-100M-150: Commercial transport version fitted with Western avionics
- An-124-102: Commercial transport version with an EFIS flight deck
- An-124-115M: Planned new variant with EFIS based on Rockwell Collins avionic parts
- An-124-130: Proposed version
- An-124-135: Variant with one seat in the rear and the rest of the cargo area (approx. 1,800 square feet) dedicated to freight
- An-124-150: New variant with increased payload (150 tonnes)
- An-124-200: Proposed version with General Electric CF6-80C2 engines, each rated at 59,200 lbf (263 kN)
- An-124-210: Joint proposal with Air Foyle to meet UK's Short Term Strategic Airlifter (STSA) requirement, with Rolls-Royce RB211-524H-T engines, each rated 60,600 lbf (264 kN) and Honeywell avionics—STSA competition abandoned in August 1999, reinstated, and won by the Boeing C-17A.
- An-124-300: Variant ordered by the Russian Air Force with new avionics, a new improved braking system and a payload of 150 tonnes.
Users[edit | edit source]
- Libya
- Libyan Arab Air Cargo
- Libyan Air Force
- Russia
- Aeroflot Russian International Airlines
- Ayaks Cargo (Ayaks Polet Airlines)
- Polet Airlines
- Rossiya Airlines
- Russian Air Force
- Transaero Airlines
- Volga-Dnepr
- Soviet Union
- Aeroflot Soviet Airlines
- Soviet Air Force
- Ukraine
- Antonov Airlines
- Ukrainian Air Force
- United Arab Emirates
- Maximus Air Cargo
- United Kingdom
- Air Foyle
- Antonov AirTrack
- HeavyLift Cargo Airlines
- Titan Cargo
- TransCharter Titan Cargo
