Stammer, D. Antonow An-124

A volume from the series "FliegerRevue kompakt". Russia's giant transport aircraft Ruslan. The An-124 "Ruslan" is the core of the Russian Federation's strategic transport aviation forces. It enables the Soviet Union to transport large military loads and personnel to any point on earth.
It is the successor model to the An-22, which was first introduced 20 years earlier and whose appearance marked a new stage in the Soviet Union's years-long race with the USA to build gigantic aircraft. Thus, with its maiden flight in December 1982, it replaced the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy as the largest aircraft in the world. In May 1985, the USSR presented this heavy-lift aircraft to the world public for the first time at the Paris Le Bourget Air Show.

The An-124 was developed in the Antonov design bureau under the direction of chief designer Balabuyev. The design of the new giant was based not only on Antonov's experience with the huge turboprop transport aircraft An-22, but also on his knowledge of the somewhat smaller Lockheed C-5 Galaxy.
To this day, the Antonov shows its strengths not only in military use, but also in charter cargo flights: tracked tanks and trucks with low-loader trailers can enter directly into the open nose via a flat ramp. The An-124 can even land on poorly constructed runways and frozen snow.