Antonov An-124

Infobox Aircraft
name= An-124 Ruslan
type= Transport aircraft
manufacturers= Antonov


caption= Volga-Dnepr An-124-100
designer=
first flight= 24 December 1982 [ [http://www.antonov.com/news/index.xml?news=antk-main/news_200712241.xml Website "Antonov": News ] ]
introduced= 1986
retired=
status=
primary user= Russian Air Force
more users= Volga-Dnepr Airlines Ukrainian Air Force Antonov Airlines
produced=
number built= 56
unit cost=~ US$150–200 million
variants with their own articles= Antonov An-225

The Antonov An-124 "Ruslan" ( _ru. Антонов Ан-124 «Руслан») (NATO reporting name: Condor) was the largest airplane in production until the Antonov An-225 was built. During development it was known as the An-400 and An-40 in the West, and it flew for the first time in 1982. Civil certification was issued by the CIS Interstate Aviation Committee on 30 December 1992. [E. Gordon, "Antonov's Heavy Transports", Midland Publishing.] Over forty are currently in service (26 civilian models with airlines and 10 firm orders as of August 2006) and 20 were in commercial use in 1998Flight International, 3–9 October 2006] in Russia, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates and Libya.

Design and development

The An-124 was manufactured in parallel by two plants: the Russian company Aviastar-SP (ex. Ulyanovsk Aviation Industrial Complex) and by the Kyiv Aviation Plant AVIANT, in Ukraine. Series production ceased with the break up of the Soviet Union. The last five unfinished airframes left from the Soviet times were completed in 2001 (1), 2002 (1), and 2004 (3). While currently no An-124 are being produced, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to resume the production in the Q3 2008.] , it seldom carries paratroopers.cite web | url=http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/fwair.htm | title=Fixed-Wing Aircraft | work=Federation of American Scientists Military Analysis Network | author=Phillips, CPT W. Scott | year=1999-08-31]

Since the type was initially designed for only occasional military use, original An-124s were built with a projected service life of 7,500 flight hours with possibility for extension. However many airframes have flown more than 15,000 flight hours. In response to complaints by commercial users, that aircraft built after 2000 (the An-124-100) have an improved service life of 24,000 hours, older airframes are being upgraded to this standard. The works on its extension up to 40,000 flight hours are being performed. The Kyiv Aviation Plant AVIANT offers upgrades to the АN-124-100М-150 version.

In May 2008, at the Berlin Air Show, it was reported that the governments of Russia and Ukraine were closing in on final details to restart production of the An-124. The new variant, to be known as the An-124-150, will feature several new features including a maximum lift capacity of 150 tonnes. [cite news|url=http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_airshow.jsp?channel=busav&id=news/AN05298.xml&show=ila08b|title=Russia, Ukraine Near Deal On Relaunch of Modernized An-124|date=May 29, 2008|author=Michael A. Taverna/Berlin|publisher=Aviation Week|accessdate=2008-08-16]

Operational history

Germany led the recent effort to lease An-124s for NATO strategic airlift requirements. Two aircraft are leased from SALIS GmbH as a stopgap until the Airbus A400M is available.cite news | title=Strategic airlift agreement enters into force | work=NATO Update | date=2006-03-23 | url=http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2006/03-march/e0323a.htm ]

Russian cargo company Volga-Dnepr has contracts with Boeing to ship outsize aircraft components to their Everett plant. The An-124 is used for airlifting (in fully assembled form) the massive General Electric GE90 turbofan engines used in the Boeing 777 airliner.

Lockheed Martin contracts the An-124 to transport the Atlas V launch vehicle from its facilities near Denver to Cape Canaveral. Two flights were required to transfer each launch vehicle (one for the Atlas V main booster stage and another for the Centaur upper stage). [ [http://www.marstoday.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=16546 Lockheed Martin Delivers Atlas V to Cape Canaveral for NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission | Mars Today - Your Daily Source of Mars News ] ]

Rolls-Royce contracts the Antonov AN-124 to transport the Trent family engines to and from their test facilities worldwide.

Airbus Transport International has selected another Russian cargo company, Polet Airlines as "designated carrier" to the company. Polet expects its three An-124-100s will transport astronautic equipment manufactured by EADS, which is Airbus' parent company, and full-size components of a model of the Airbus A380 superjumbo.cite news| url=http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=629182 | title=Airbus Taps Russian Carrier | date=2005-11-25 | work=Kommersant ] As the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 is the only A380 engine that can be transported whole in a Boeing 747Fcite web | url=http://www.rolls-royce.com/civil_aerospace/products/airlines/trent900/engine.jsp | title=Trent 900 | work=Rolls Royce: Civil Aerospace ] , the competing Engine Alliance GP7200 needs a larger aircraft, like the An-124, if it is to be shipped in one piece.

ignificant activities

* On May 1987, an An-124 set a world record, covering the distance of convert|20151|km|nmi|0|abbr=on without refuelling. The flight took 25 hours and 30 minutes; the takeoff weight was 455,000 kg. The previous record was held by B-52H (18,245 km).Fact|date=April 2008
* In July 1985, an An-124 took 171,219 kg (377,473 lb) of cargo to an altitude of 10,750 m (35,270 ft).Fact|date=April 2008
* An An-124 was used to transport the Obelisk of Axum back to its native homeland of Ethiopia from Rome in April 2005.Fact|date=April 2008 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 accommodate such a large aircraft.
* An An-124 was used to transport an EP-3E Aries II electronic intelligence aircraft from Hainan Island, China on July 4, 2001 during the U.S.-China spy plane incident.Fact|date=April 2008
* A 109-tonne train locomotive was transported by an An-124 from Canada to Ireland in June 1994.cite news | url=http://www.heavyliftgroup.com/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=561&UserID=40 | title=The first flying train in history | work=The HeavyLift Group | date=2001-09-03 ]
* A Volga-Dnepr An-124 delivered a whale from Nice (France) to Japan; another flight was to deliver an elephant from Moscow to Taiwan.cite web | url=http://www.voldn.ru/eng/presscentre/releases/?id=410 | title=press release 14-10-2004 | work=Volga-Dnepr Group | date=2004-10-14 ]
* On September 9, 2003, an Antonov An-124 carried an 85-ton vessel head to Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania, for use at the nearby Three Mile Island Unit One nuclear power plant.Fact|date=April 2008
* The Air Launch Aerospace Corporation (ALAC) in Russia will develop a space transportation system for near-earth orbit using a space launch vehicle ejected from the AN-124-100AL aircraft.Fact|date=April 2008
* The An-124s provided by Ruslan International [ [http://www.ruslanint.com/home/default.asp Ruslan International] ] , a specialist transport company based at Stansted UK, has been used on several occasions by BAE Systems to transport airframes as part of their Nimrod refurbishment programme.
* In April 2008, an An-124 provided by Antonov Airlines was used to transport the Pilatus PC-21 to RAAF Base Pearce as part of the Republic of Singapore Air Force S211 to PC-21 transition program.Fact|date=April 2008
* In January 2008, an An-124 provided by Antonov Airlines was used to transport military vehicles, weapons, ammunition, water, medical supplies and gear for the Irish Army Rangers for the Mission to Chad.

Variants

;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 which has an EFIS flight deck.;An-124-130:Proposed version.;An-124-150:The new variant, will feature several new features.;An-124-200:Proposed version with General Electric CF6-80C2 engines, each rated 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 was abandoned in August 1999, reinstated and won by Boeing C-17A.

Flight Range

An-124-100

* 0 tons of cargo = convert|15000|km|nmi|-1|abbr=on cite web | url=http://www.volga-dnepr.com/eng/charter/fleet/an124/map/ | title=An-124 virtual loading at Volga-Dnepr]
* 10 tons of cargo = convert|14125|km|nmi|0|abbr=on
* 20 tons of cargo = convert|13250|km|nmi|0|abbr=on
* 30 tons of cargo = convert|12375|km|nmi|0|abbr=on
* 40 tons of cargo = convert|11500|km|nmi|-0|abbr=on
* 72 tons of cargo = convert|8700|km|nmi|-0|abbr=on
* 90 tons of cargo = convert|7125|km|nmi|0|abbr=on
* 97 tons of cargo = convert|6495|km|nmi|0|abbr=on
*104 tons of cargo = convert|5900|km|nmi|-0|abbr=on
*108 tons of cargo = convert|5550|km|nmi|0|abbr=on
*120 tons of cargo = convert|4500|km|nmi|-0|abbr=on
*122 tons of cargo = convert|4325|km|nmi|0|abbr=on

АN-124-100М-150

*92 tons of cargo = convert|7500|km|nmi|-0|abbr=on
*113 tons of cargo = convert|5925|km|nmi|0|abbr=on
*120 tons of cargo = convert|5400|km|nmi|-0|abbr=on
*122 tons of cargo = convert|5250|km|nmi|0|abbr=on

Operators

Military

; RUS
* Russian Air Force;USSR
* Soviet Air Force; UKR
* Ukrainian Air Force [ [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/ukraine/weapons.htm Ukraine Weapons] ]

Civil

In August 2006 a total of 26 Antonov An-124 aircraft remain in airline service, with a further 10 firm orders.

;LBY
* Libyan Arab Air Cargo: 2 in service.; RUS
* Volga-Dnepr: 10 in service; 5 on order.
* Polet Airlines: 8 in service; 5 on order.; UKR
* Antonov Airlines: 7 in service.;UAE
* Maximus Air Cargo: 1 in service.

Former Operators

;RUS
* Aeroflot Russian International Airlines
* Ayaks (Ajax);USSR
*Aeroflot Soviet Airlines;UK
* Air Foyle (in partnership with Antonov Design Bureau)
* HeavyLift Cargo Airlines (in partnership with Volga-Dnepr Airlines)
* Antonov AirTrack
* Titan Cargo
* TransCharter Titan Cargo

Notable incidents

As of 2007, four major An-124 hull-loss accidents have been recorded, with a total of 97 fatalities: [ [http://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?field=typecode&var=04C%&cat=%1&sorteer=datekey&page=1 Aviation Safety Network] ]
* CCCP-82002, operated by Antonov Airlines crashed near Kiev, Ukraine on October 13 1992 during flight testing. 8 fatalities. [ [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19921013-1 Aviation Safety Network] ]
* RA-82071, Operated by Aviastar Airlines crashed into a mountain at 11,000' while in a holding pattern at Kerman, Iran on November 15 1993. 17 fatalities. [ [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19931115-0 Aviation Safety Network] ]
* RA-82069, owned by Aeroflot but operated by Ajax, crashed at San Francesco al Campo, Italy, during a go-around on October 8 1996. 4 fatalities. [ [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19961008-0 Aviation Safety Network] ]
* RA-82005, operated by the Russian Air Force, crashed in residency area after take-off in Irkutsk, Russia, on December 5 1997. 68 fatalities. [ [http://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?field=typecode&var=04C%&cat=%1&sorteer=datekey&page=1 Aviation Safety Network] ]

pecifications

aircraft specifications
ref=antonov.comcite web | url=http://www.antonov.com/products/air/transport/AN-124/index.xml | title=www.antonov.com | work= Official Antonov website]
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=jet

crew=6
capacity=88 passengers
payload main=150,000 kg
payload alt=330,000 lb
length main=68.96 m
length alt=226 ft 3 in
span main=73.3 m
span alt=240 ft 5 in
height main=20.78 m
height alt=68 ft 2 in
area main=628 m²
area alt=6,760 sq ft
empty weight main=175,000 kg
empty weight alt=385,000 lb
loaded weight main=405,000 kg
loaded weight alt=892,000 lb
useful load main=230,000 kg
useful load alt=508,000 lb
max takeoff weight main=405,000 kg
max takeoff weight alt=893,000 lb
engine (jet)=Lotarev D-18T
type of jet=turbofans
number of jets=4
thrust main=229.5 kN
thrust alt=51,600 lbf
max speed main=865 km/h
max speed alt=convert|467|kn|mph|0|abbr=on
cruise speed main=800-850 km/h
cruise speed alt=convert|430|kn|mph|-1|abbr=on
range main=5,400 km
range alt=2,900 nm, convert|3360|mi|km|-1|abbr=on
ceiling main=12,000 m
ceiling alt=35,000 ft
loading main=365 kg/m²
loading alt=74.7 lb/sq ft
thrust/weight=0.41

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Antonov An-225
similar aircraft=
* C-5 Galaxy

References

External links

* [http://www.antonov.com/products/air/transport/AN-124/index.xml Antonov An-124] at the Antonov website
* [http://www.aviastar-sp.ru/ Aviastar-SP - manufacturer of the An-124 in Russia]
* [http://www.aviant.ua/eng/an-124.html Aviant - manufacturer of the An-124 in Ukraine]
* [http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/an124/specs.html An-124-210 Condor Long-Range Heavy Transport Aircraft - Specifications]
* [http://aero-enthusiast.com/AC%20data/An-124.html Antonov An-124 | aero-enthusiast.com]
* [http://www.chapman-freeborn.com/cargo/cargospecs.aspx AN-124 specifications compared next to other air cargo aircraft]