Background During the 1970s, the
Military Transport Aviation Command (
Komandovaniye voyenno-transportnoy aviatsii or VTA) arm of the
Soviet Air Forces had a shortfall in strategic heavy airlift capacity. Its largest aircraft consisted of about 50
Antonov An-22 turboprops, which were used heavily for tactical roles. A declassified 1975 CIA analysis concluded that the USSR did "...not match the US in ability to provide long-range heavy lift support." Soviet officials sought not only additional airlifters, a substantial increase in payload capacity was also desirable so that the same task could be completed with fewer trips. During development, it was known as
Izdeliye 400 (
Product #400) in house, and
An-40 in
the West. The design produced broadly resembled the
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, an American strategic airlifter, but also incorporated numerous improvements, the greater use of
carbon-fibre composites in its construction (comprising around 5% of the aircraft's total weight) and the more extensive use of
titanium being amongst these benefits.
Aluminium alloys make up the primary material used in its construction, limited use of
steel and titanium alloys were also made. The An-124 doesn't have any inflight refuelling capability. In 1973, the construction of the necessary facilities to produce the new airlifter began. Two separate final assembly lines plants were established to produce the airlifter: the company
Aviastar-SP (ex. Ulyanovsk Aviation Industrial Complex) in
Ulyanovsk,
Russia and by the
Kyiv Aviation Plant AVIANT, in Ukraine. Furthermore, the programme used components, systems, and various other elements drawn from in excess of 100 factories across the Eastern world. In 1979, manufacturing activity on the first airframe began. On 24 December 1982, the type performed its
maiden flight. Three years later, the An-124 made its first appearance in the Western world when an example was displayed at the 1985
Paris Air Show. Following the fall of the
Soviet Union, commercial operations of the An-124 became an increasingly important area of activity; to this end, civil certification was sought for the type by Antonov; this was issued on 30 December 1992.
Post-Soviet developments Sales of the An-124 to various commercial operators proceeded throughout the 1990s and into the mid 2000s; many of these were former military aircraft that were refurbished by Antonov prior to delivery, or unfinished fuselages that had been preserved, rather than producing new-build aircraft. During the early 2000s, the cargo operator
Volga-Dnepr opted to upgrade its An-124 freighter fleet, these works included engine modifications to conform with chapter four
noise regulations, various structural improvements that increased service life, and numerous avionics and systems changes to facilitate four person operations, reducing the crew needed from six or seven. One month later, a new variant — the An-124-150 — was announced; it featured several improvements, including a maximum lift capacity of 150
tonnes. However, in May 2009, Antonov's partner, the Russian
United Aircraft Corporation announced it did not plan to produce any An-124s in the period 2009–2012. During late 2009, Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev ordered production of the aircraft resumed; at this point, Russia was expected to procure 20 new-build An-124s. In August 2014,
Jane's reported that, Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Yuri Slusar announced that production of the An-124 had been stopped as a consequence of the ongoing
political tensions between Russia and Ukraine. In late 2017, multiple An-124s were upgraded by the
Aviastar-SP plant in
Ulyanovsk, Russia, three of which were reportedly scheduled to return to flight during the following year. As
Russia–Ukraine relations continued to sour, Antonov begun to source new suppliers while also pushing to
westernize the An-124. The Russian engine specialist
Aviadvigatel also indicated that a further development of its PD-14, which was intended for use on an upgraded model of the Russian-manufactured An-124, designated PD-35, generated 50% more power than the present Ukrainian
Progress D-18T engines. During January 2019, Antonov revealed its plans to restart production of the An-124 without support from Russia.
Russian replacement design At
MAKS Air Show in 2017, the
Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) announced its An-124-102
Slon (Elephant) design to replace the similar An-124-100. The design was detailed in January 2019 before
wind tunnel testing scheduled for August–September. It is intended to be produced at the
Aviastar-SP factory in Ulyanovsk. It should transport over (up from ), or over at . The
Russian MoD wants a range of with five
Sprut-SDM-1 light tanks and their 100 crew, or 300 armed soldiers. A new higher
aspect ratio, composite wing and a airframe would allow a
gross weight. It should be powered by Russian
PD-35s developed for the
CR929 widebody, producing up from . Two fuselages are planned, one for Volga-Dnepr with a width of from the An-124's , and one for the Russian MoD of wide to carry vehicles in two lines. On 5 November 2019, the TsAGI released pictures of a long and wide model, ahead of
windtunnel testing. On 26 March 2020, TsAGI released new pictures of a wind tunnel model, announcing that the researchers of the Institute had completed the first cycle of aerodynamic testing; the results confirmed the characteristics laid down during preliminary studies. ==Design==