Function: High payload, long range cargo aircraft.





History: Introduced in 1982 as a long range, heavy lift cargo and troop transport aircraft, the Antonov An-124 Ruslan (NATO designation Condor) is currently the world's largest and heaviest payload aircraft in production in the world. Outclassing the C-5 Galaxy by nearly 20 tons in payload capacity, and the Ilyushin Il-76 by more than 100 tons, the An-124 is only exceeded in lifting ability by the special purpose An-225 Mriya (NATO designation Cossack) which was purpose built to transport the Russian space shuttle, and of which only two were built.



Currently in production at the AVIASTAR facility in Ulyanovsk and the AVIANT State Aviation Plant in Kiev, the An-124, in addition to serving with the Russian military as a long range high payload cargo aircraft capable of delivering or airdropping troops, and equipment, is also in service with a number of civilian organizations as a dedicated cargo transport. Antonov Airlines, Volga-Dniepr, and Poliot all employ the An-124, using it to transport heavy and over sized equipment such as hydraulic turbines, mobile cranes, railway locomotives, earthmovers and dump trucks, and sailing vessels. The An-124 is even capable of transporting other aircraft, ferrying partially disassembled passenger planes to customers worldwide.



To facilitate the loading and unloading of cargo, the nose section is hinged to open upwards, and the tail section is fitted with a pair of clamshell doors. Both nose and tail sections are equipped with integral loading ramps. In addition, the An-124 also employs two traveling cranes, two winches, a rollgang and tie down equipment which limit it's dependence on ground equipment for cargo handling and manipulation. The Ruslan is equipped with multi leg, self-orienting landing gear and is rough surface capable. The landing gear height can be adjusted on the ground, to facilitate loading cargo.



In addition to the An-124-100 currently in production, Air Foyle (UK) in conjunction with Antonov and Aviastar has proposed the construction of two new versions, the An-124-210, and the An-124-100M. Both versions will be equipped with Western and Russian digital instruments and displays which will reduce the crew size from 6 to 4. In addition, both will be equipped with a traffic alert collision and avoidance system, ground proximity warning system and a satellite communications system. The 210 will be outfitted with Rolls-Royce RB211-52H-T engines, while the 100M will be equipped with the Series 3 D-18 engines, produced by the Progress Design Bureau in Zaporozhe. Each of these engine upgrades will increase the Ruslan's range by 10% and reduce take off distance.





Description: Typical of most cargo aircraft, the An-124 body forms a thick oval cross-section, with a tapered aft section and rounded nose to facilitate cargo handling. The fuselage is of a twin deck design, the upper deck being the flight deck, and the lower deck serving as the cargo hold. On the flight deck are the cockpit, with stations for the six crewmembers, a relief crew compartment, and seating for an additional 88 passengers. The loadmaster's station is on the cargo deck.



The wings are mounted high on the fuselage at a negative dihedral, are tapered and swept, with a relatively high cross-section to increase efficiency and range. The four Lotarev D-18T turbofans are mounted on pylons underneath the wings. The horizontal stabilizers are also swept back and tapered, and are mounted at mid level on the fuselage, aft of the vertical stabilizer.





General Characteristics, AN-124 Condor



Power Plant:

Four D-18T turbofans (An-124-100)



Four D-18T Series 3 (An-124-100M)



Four RB211-524H-T (An-124-210)





Thrust:

229 kN (153,558 pounds)



An-124-210: 264 kN (177,027 pounds)





Length:

69.1 meters (226.4 feet)





Height:

21.08 meters (69.2 feet)





Wingspan:

73.3 meters (240.5 feet)





Cargo Hold Dimensions:

Floor length including ramps: 36.5 meters



Width at floor level: 6.4 meters



Height: 4.4 meters



Volume cargo hold: 1,270 cubic meters





Speed:

800 to 850 kmh



Cruise speed at an altitude of 9 km: 750 to 800 kmh







Ceiling:

12,000 meters (39,370 feet)





Load-Carrying Capacity:

120 tons using a 2,800 meter runway (2300 meters for An-124-210)



150 tons using a 3,000 meter runway (2500 meters for An-124-210)





Maximum Takeoff Weight:

392 tons





Range:

With maximum fuel: 13,300 kilometers (7,980 miles) (15,250 for An-124-210)



With 40-ton payload: 10,960 kilometers (6,576 miles) (12,730 for An-124-210)



With 120-ton payload: 5,030 kilometers (3,018 miles) (5,950 for An-124-210)





Crew:

Seven (An 124)

Four (An-124-100)

Four (An-124-100M)

Three (An-124-210)





Runway:



3000 meters (2,420 for An-124-210)



Takeoff run on concrete runway: 2520 meters (2,420 for An-124-210)



Landing roll on concrete runway: 900 meters