An-124 CONDOR (ANTONOV) - Program
With the advent in 1965 of the An-22, the world's first wide-body transport aircraft began the next phase of the multi-year Soviet-American race for supremacy in the creation of giant winged machines. In the US, the development of the new generation Lockheed C-5 Galaxy was in full swing, with payloads and other basic characteristics that were clearly superior "Antey". This fact not only reduced the prestige of Soviet aircraft, but eventually could lead to a sharp increase in the strategic mobility of U.S. troops, which the already controlled half the world.
Caring for a response, the CPSU and the USSR issued a decree #564-180 from 07/21/66, "On the main directions of development of aviation technology and weapons on the 1966-70 years." This defined the task to increase domestic payload capacity up to 100-120 tons. And soon Commission Decision of the Presidium of the USSR CM #206 of 08/24/66 was published, and also orders MAP #352 of 08/05/66 and #413 of 13.09.66 of which were the basis for deployment in Kyiv mechanical Plant (KMZ - so then called ASTC Antonov) design work on the subject, which was in charge of the chief designer AJ Belolipetsky.
The first and natural step was an attempt by designers to create new aircraft by maximizing the use technological reserve for aircraft An-22. In 1967, the experimental design bureau of the Kiev Mechanical Plant (later OKB OK Antonova, now - the state enterprise Antonov ) presented the technical project "122". In particular, it was proposed to equip the fuselage of the "Anthea" with a new swept wing, T-tail and four bypass turbojet engines (DTRD) with a takeoff thrust of 25,000 kg each. In the cargo cabin with dimensions 32,7 x4, 4x4, 4 m it was supposed to transport cargo and equipment total weight up to 80 tons at a distance of 3500 km. The estimated take-off weight of the aircraft, named An-122 (the first one with this name), reached 270 tons. In October 1967 Oleg Antonov and VF Eroshin (then head of the planning stages) submitted to the Military-Industrial Commission Presidium of the USSR Council an appropriate proposal. But the Council soon dismissed it, because the weight on impact, aerodynamic quality, fuel efficiency, that is, by all indicators technical level of the plane did not go beyond the average of the 1960s, and could not be considered a worthy competitor, "Galaxy".
Leaving hopes to make a new plane "with little blood", Kiev by the middle of next year developed two pilot projects: AN-126 carrying capacity of 140 tons and AN-124 capacity of 120 tons Both are based on the perspective of science and technology and on the basic flight characteristics, as well as surveillance and attack capabilities and defensive systems had to literally outdo American rival. This was particularly true for the AN-126, equipped with six DTRD on pylons under the wings. Cargo compartment with dimensions of 37,5 x6, 4x4, 4 m allowed placement techniques in two rows and simultaneous handling not only through the back, but also through the front ramp. But TsAGI specialists were able to convince the government that the six-motor project aircraft was associated with excessive technical risk.
On 02 February 1972, after a comprehensive study of the problem, the Commission of the Presidium of the USSR for military-industrial issues decided on the choice for the further development of four-engined An-124. Especially for the production of Ruslanov at the Kiev Aviation Production Association (now the Antonov serial plant), production buildings with spans of up to 100 m were built in 1973-1979. The collective of the enterprise mastered new equipment, including laser equipment, as well as dozens of new ones Soviet aircraft manufacturing plants.
The wing consoles, the center wing and large-sized fuselage parts were manufactured at the Tashkent Aviation Production Association named after. Chkalov and were transported to Kiev "on the back" An-22. The engines were produced in Zaporozhye, an auxiliary power plant in the Moscow region of Stupino, elements of a hydraulic complex in Moscow and Kharkov, and an aiming flight navigation system in Leningrad. In total, more than 100 enterprises were involved.
Roll-out of the prototype from the workshop took place on October 24, 1982, the first flight he made on December 24 of the same year at the factory airfield in Svyatoshyn (Ukraine). The plane lifted a crew under the command of test pilot Vladimir Tersky. Flights on the An-124 program for the State joint tests began in November 1983. Their crews carried the Air Force Institute involving pilots bureau. Until December 1984 a total of 157 flights with 304 total flying hours were performed on plane #01-01, including 18 at high angles of attack. Three prototypes underwent a flight test program in 1982-1986, then special tests were carried out. Originally, mass production was planned to be deployed in Kiev, but in the early 1980s, the Ulyanovsk Aviation Industrial Complex, which had just entered service, was connected to it (now Ulyanovsk Aviastar-SP Aviation Plant).
The An-124 was first shown in May 1985, and two weeks later the foreign audience and specialists saw it at the International Aerospace Show in Le Bourget, France.
A total of 57 An-124 planes were built since 1986. Of them, 49 were in operation as of early 2007. About half of them belonged to the Defense Ministry of Russia. The remained were owned by Volga-Dnepro Airlines - 10 units, Ukraine's Antonov Airlines - 7, Russia's Polyot Airlines - 5, Libya - 2 and the United Arab Emirates - 1. Ruslan, in its basic modification, costs $300 million, and that as of late 2013 there were optional orders for 61 aircraft, 50 of which from Russia’s Volga-Dnepr carrier. Experts estimate market demand to 2030 for this aircraft at approximately 200.
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