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Larger than the American C-5A Galaxy - the AN-124-100
is the largest "heavy lift" production aircraft ever.
 The
largest series production aircraft ever built, the Antonov's
AN-124 began life as a strategic military freighter, before finding
further success in the commercial heavy lift market. Designed
to a specification following the cessation of An-22 production
in 1974, the An-40 project was intended to result in an aircraft
"in the class of the C5 Galaxy". The first prototype
for the new long range heavy lift freight transporter made its
maiden
flight on the 26th December 1982 in the hands of Vladimir Terski.
Prior to the second prototype (named Russlan after a character
from Russian folklore) being flown to the 1985 Paris airshow,
the aircraft's designation was changed again to AN-124.
Military Operations
The Soviet military transport wing announced the specification
of the AN-124 during the development phase, and the resulting
aircraft featured loading doors, a fuselage cross-section, and
floor of titanium suitable for typical military loads. The landing
gear was to be suitable for unpaved airstrips and the aircraft
was to be able to fly 8,000 fully loaded flights without any
fatigue problems. Powered by four Lotarev D-18T turbofans equipped
with thrust reversal, the AN-124 emerged as a world-beating aircraft,
with aerodynamics superior to that of their American rivals,
the C-5 and never built Boeing/Douglas CX-HLS competitors. The
aircraft has an advanced super critical wing, 5.5 metres greater
in span than that of the C-5A, with a higher aspect ratio. The
gross weight of the AN-124 is also 77,112 kg greater than that
of the C-5A. The aircraft has hydraulically-powered full span
leading edge flaps, fowler flaps, ailerons, inboard airbrakes
and outboard spoilers. The AN-124's flight controls are fully
fly-by-wire, with hydraulic backup. Further advanced features
of the Condor include the widespread use of carbon and glass
composites in construction, the engine nacelles and pylons being
composed entirely of these materials. In today's rationalised
Russian air-force, the AN-124 remains an important asset for
the V-TA, with about twenty-five examples currently in service.
 Internal Capacity
The pear-shaped fuselage section gives the AN-124 a main cargo
hold that is 4.4 metres high and 6.4 metres wide, capable of
accepting the largest battle tank in service. Therefore, loading
the Denel LIW G-6 advanced all-terrain 155mm Howitzer from the
front of the AN-124 was accomplished relatively easily. Entry
into the cavernous, 36 metre long hold is either via the front-loading
ramp or through the rear clamshell doors. The hold is equipped
with twin 3000 kg winches and two 10,000 kg travelling cranes.
A pressurised upper deck area extending back from the six-crew
cockpit provided seating for 88 personnel. In order to cope with
internal payloads, the AN-124's robust landing gear comprises
twin two-wheel, independent steerable nose gear and hydro mash
main gear with ten wheels each side that retract into low drag
fairings on each side, both of which incorporate APUs for in-flight
or ground auxiliary power.
Production of the AN-124
The first aircraft were built at Ulyanovsk in Russia after the
seventh production airframe had been completed at Kiev in late
1991, and both sites continued low-rate production until 1995,
by which time fifty five aircraft had been completed or substantially
built (19 at Kiev and 36 at Ulyanovsk). By 1999 a further three
examples had been built at Ulyanovsk. In July 1985 an AN-124
set a new record by lifting a payload of 171, 222 kg to a height
of 35,269 feet. Twenty more records followed, including a closed-circuit
record in May 1987 when an AN-124 flew 20,151 km in 25 hours
30 minutes. During the Gulf crisis in September 1990, a single
AN-124 carried 451 Bangladeshi refugees from Amman to Dacca.
Civil Applications
The AN-124 was granted certification by the Russian Interstate
Aviation Committee on 30th December 1992, with civil operated
aircraft either being built to, or converted to this new designation.
The maximum takeoff weight is lower than that of the standard
military AN-124 at 392,000 kg, and the maximum payload is reduced
to 120,000 kg. The first civilian customer was Air Foyle, wet
leasing aircraft from Antonov. Further civil deriviations of
the baseline AN-124 have been offered, comprising the AN-124M
with Western avionics, including Litton LTN-92 INS, Collins GPS,
ACARS, weather radar and TCAS-2. The flight crew of the AN-124-100M
is reduced to four, with the removal of the radio operator and
the navigator. The AN-124-102 would feature the crew being further
reduced to three and the incorporation of an EFIS-equipped flight
deck and dual sets of CRTs. The AN-124-130 has been studied by
Antonov since 1996 and is to be powered by General Electric CF6-80
turbofans; the first prototype may be converted from the 36th
Ulyanovsk aircraft.
By Athol Franz, courtesy of African Pilot
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