AN - 22 "Antey"

   Heavy military transporter AN-22 "Antey" was developed by Kiev special design bureau supervised by O.K.Antonov. Till the year 1968 it was the biggest aircraft of the world. AN-22 made it's first flight on 27-th of February 1965. First serial aircraft was built in Tashkent city aviation factory in 1966 and entered service in Soviet Military-Transport Aviation in 1967.

   Aircraft is fitted with four economical turbo twin blade engines NK-12MA 15 000 h.p. each. Engines were created by N.D.Kuznetsov. Aircraft has two keel bearings, inclined ramp can be placed on different altitude what allows to load vehicles from the ground, platform or car hitch as well. Aircraft is fitted with two 10 t load bridge cranes. Multi-bearing chassis with changeable pneumatics pressure allows to land on ground or snowbounded airfields. 

   AN-22 "Antey" has 225 t take-off weight, maximum load in 60 t, normal load in 40 t. Flying range with 40 t load is 5 250 km. Flights cruise speed 560 km/h. "Antey" has large dimensions cargo compartment and can carry up to 290 passengers, medium tanks, up to 4 airborne or infantry fighting vehicles, almost all types of frontline aircrafts and helicopters. Appearance of AN-22 was solution for almost all Soviet Military Aviation problems connected with transportation by air armament and fighting vehicles of all types Soviet Armed Forces.

   "Antey" can be used to land in parachute way up to 150 paratroopers or up to 4 combat vehicles on landing platforms. Aircraft is fitted with roller ways to drop landing platforms. 

   High fuel economy is one of the aircraft's advantage. In fuel economy it looses only to AN-124 but considerably surpasses IL-76 (NATO codename "Candid") and AN-12 (NATO codename "Cub").

   AN-22 "Antey" conquered 41 world records including maximum load (100.4, t in 1967) and flying range with 50 t cargo on board  (5 000 km, in 1975).

   "Antey" was widely used in Soviet - Afghanistan war and also for transporting combat vehicles and heavy cargo abroad.

   Beginning from 1966 there were produced 60 AN-22 "Antey" aircrafts. Their maintenance reserve is about to end.