Antonov An-124

The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (NATO reporting name: Condor) is the largest aircraft ever mass produced, and was, until the advent of the Antonov An-225, the largest aircraft in production. It flew for the first time in 1982. Over forty are currently in service in Russia and Ukraine.

Physically, the An-124 is similar to the American Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but is larger in many dimensions. An-124s have been used to carry locomotives, yachts, aircraft fuselages, and a variety of other oversized cargoes. Up to 150 tonnes of cargo can be carried in a military An-124: it can also carry 88 passengers in an upper deck behind the cockpit.

Germany intends to lease An-124s for NATO strategic airlift requirements as a stopgap until the Airbus A400M is available [1]. Boeing also has used Russian cargo company Volga-Dnepr to ship outsize aircraft components to their Everett plant with their An-124 fleet. Specifically, the An-124 is the only means of airlifting the General Electric GE90 turbofan engines used in the Boeing 777 airliner.

As of 2004, there have been four major crashes of An-124s, with a total of 50 fatalities.

Notable Mention

An An-124 was used to transport the Obelisk of Axum back to its native homeland of Ethiopia in April of 2005. The shipment was done in three trips, each carrying a third of the monument's 160 tons and 24-metre (78 ft) length. Modifications were done to the airstrip at Axum in order to accomodate such a large aircraft.

A Ukrainian An-124 was featured in the James Bond film Die Another Day, although the interior shots appear to be of an Ilyushin Il-76.

General characteristics

• Wingspan: 240 ft 5 in (73.3 m)
• Length: 226 ft 3 in (69 m)
• Dead weight (175,000 kg)
• Weight, fully loaded: 893,000 lb (405,000 kg)
• Engines: 4 Lotarev D-18T turbofans, 51,600 lbf (230 kN) of thrust each
• Cruising speed: 497 mph (800 km/h)
• Range, empty: 8,900 mi (16,500 km)
• Range, fully loaded: 2,430 mi (3,900 km)
• Service ceiling: 35,000 ft (12,000 m)

External link

• Airliners.net An-124

References

• Aviation.ru

Related content

Related development: An-225

Comparable aircraft: C-5 Galaxy

Designation sequence: An-72 - An-74 - An-88 - An-124 - An-140 - An-148 - An-174

See also: List of civil aircraft