The Russian Air and Space Forces (VKS) in 2024 will complete the operation of one of the largest in the class of turboprop aircraft An-22 “Antey”. Lieutenant General Vladimir Benediktov, commander of the Military Transport Aviation, told Solovyov Live TV channel in a report from the Migalovo airbase.
“We are in Tver, the city is actually the unofficial capital of the VTA. Here is the 12th Division, known as the heaviest in the world, armed with An-124 Ruslan aircraft, the largest mass-produced aircraft on the planet. Before them, the service was performed by the famous Antey aircraft, which unfortunately we are completing their operation this year,” said the Commander of the VTA.
Vladimir Benediktov noted that a total of 67 An-22 aircrafts were produced, of which about 60 were in the Russian Military Transport Aviation. After the collapse of the USSR some of the aeroplanes remained in Ukraine.
The An-22 Antey was created by the design bureau of Oleg Antonov. It is the first wide-body turboprop military transport aircraft. It is 57 metres long, 12.5 metres high and has a wingspan of 64.4 metres. It has a normal takeoff weight of 205 tonnes, a maximum takeoff weight of 225 tonnes and a payload of 60 tonnes. The aircraft is capable of carrying a cargo of up to 40 tonnes for a distance of over 5,000 kilometres. At maximum load, the flight range is 3100 kilometres.
An-22 can carry up to 290 people or 150 paratroopers with equipment. Cruising speed is 560 kilometres per hour, crew is 5-7 people depending on the modification. The first flight of the An-22 took place in 1965.
Serial production of the AN-22 was carried out in 1965-1975 in the Uzbek SSR at the Tashkent aviation enterprise named after V.P. Chkalov (aircraft plant No. 84, TAPOiCh). A total of 69 copies of the aircraft were produced, including two prototypes. The aircraft was used by the Air Forces of the USSR, Russia and Ukraine, as well as by Bulgarian commercial airlines.
