An-124 Ruslan. Transport aircraft An-124 «Ruslan»: reviews, photos, characteristics

Located below in the photo, the An-124 Ruslan is the largest air-freight airliner on the planet as of today. The vessel was designed by Antonov Design Bureau. Its main purpose was the transportation to long distances of heavy and bulky cargo for the needs of the national economy, as well as airborne and motorized rifle vehicles with crews. In addition, the machine is capable of performing tasks related to parachute landing of military equipment and cargo.

First flights and records

Its very first flight model An-124 carried out in Kiev on December 21, 1982. The crew, headed by V. I. Tersky, included: test pilot A. V. Galunenko, navigator AP Poddubny, flight engineers V. M. Vorotnikov and A. M. Shuleschenko, as well as airborne pilot M. A. Tupchienko . In the role of the leading test engineers were VS Mikhailov and MG Kharchenko. After the successful testing of the machine, its serial production started.

In 1985, the airliner set 21 world records. Their list included the achievement of such a parameter as the load-carrying capacity (weight 171 219 kg was raised to a height of 2 thousand meters). In the same year the ship was demonstrated to the world community. This happened during the airshow in Paris. Two years later the plane appeared in service with the Soviet Army. The responses of pilots and testers characterized it as a reliable airliner, which is distinguished by precise control and navigation systems. In addition, experts noted the high load capacity and fast loading with unloading.

General structure

The model is built according to the scheme of the high-wing, equipped with a swept wing, like many other heavy transport aircraft. This solution allows to significantly improve the aerodynamic characteristics, hence, the range of the flight. The airliner is characterized by a single-tail tail unit. In general, composite materials are widely used in the construction and upholstery of the machine , which made it possible to reduce its weight by almost two tons. The floor is made of a durable titanium alloy. The chassis of the airplane is multistage and hides during the flight. It is equipped with 24 wheels, so that the liner can be operated even if there are ground runways. In addition, the vessel boasts the possibility of changing the angle of the body and the clearance, which makes it much easier to load and unload it.

Specifications

One of the main advantages of the model over competitors, which the Ruslan aircraft boasts, is the technical characteristics of its power plant. It consists of four double-circuit engines "D-18T", developed by VA Lotarev. The total power of the engines is 23,400 kgf. At the same time, they are characterized by low mass and low fuel consumption, as well as a relatively low level of generated noise. Under the condition of maximum load (120 tons), the aircraft is able to overcome the distance, which is equal to 5600 km. The cargo capacity of the vessel exceeds the similar parameters of the Il-76 and An-22 models by almost three times. At the same time, fuel consumption for each ton-kilometer of cargo is 2.5 times less. Such characteristics of the An-124 allow it to significantly exceed its main competitor - the American "S-5V Galaxy".

Flight and other characteristics

The maximum possible speed of the model is 865 km / h, while the cruising speed is 800 km / h. The range of flight with a reserve fuel reserve at loading up to 120 tons is 4800 kilometers, and if there is a cargo with a mass of up to 40 tons, 12,000 kilometers. The highest flight altitude is 12 000 m. With a normal take-off weight, the take-off of an airliner requires a distance of 2520 meters. The crew, depending on the modification of the vessel, includes from four to six people. The maximum weight of fuel is 230 tons.

Fuselage

At the An-124 Ruslan airliner, the fuselage consists of two decks. This is done to facilitate repairs and maintenance. Each of them is divided into separate, hermetic compartments, having a special purpose. The main and interchangeable crews are located on the upper front deck, and people who accompany the goods and equipment - in the upper rear compartment (it is designed for 80 people). It should be noted that due to the pressurization system, a pressure drop not exceeding 25 kPa is ensured inside. Due to this, passengers can be at a height of up to 8,000 meters without oxygen equipment.

Loading and unloading

The processes of loading and unloading in this model are carried out fairly quickly. In addition to the rear hatch, the ship has a swinging nose that allows you to quickly work with non-standard, long and bulky cargo. The length without a ramp, the width and height of the load compartment is 26.5, 6.4 and 4.4 meters, respectively. Thus, its total volume is more than 1000 meters cubic. Due to the fact that the floor is made of titanium alloy of high strength, it becomes possible to load all types of self-propelled and non-self-propelled vehicles on caterpillar tracks. The carrying capacity of each of the side cranes with which the machine is equipped is 10 tons. In addition, the designers installed in it electric mobile floor winches.

Chassis

An-124 - aircraft, the chassis of which is equipped with a set of devices that provide the possibility of squats. This allows you to significantly reduce the slope of the ramps. Each of the main supports of the chassis has in its composition five two-wheeled racks, which are independent of each other. As for the front support, it consists of two racks (also two wheels in each). Due to the control system of the rotary mechanism, the liner is able to turn on the runway, the width of which is 50 meters. Together with this, in order to ensure the full utilization of the ship's capabilities, it must be operated on strips with a concrete covering and a length of at least three kilometers. Whatever it was, it was already noted above that the takeoff and landing of the liner under certain conditions can be carried out on the ground surface.

Other equipment

The airborne equipment of the An-124 Ruslan aircraft includes: an automatic steering control system, a four-channel hydraulic system, and a navigation radar system. In total, there are 34 computers in its management system. One can not but note the high level of life support for the crew and the power supply of the machine. Among the auxiliary devices here are used: automatic communication system TIP-15, navigation sighting system PNPK-124, as well as radio navigation equipment Omega and Laurent.

Major modifications

One of the first modifications of Ruslan was the An-124-100 airliner. It was built in 1992 to provide commercial transportation of goods. A little later the civil version of this model appeared and was certified.

Model An-124A is considered the next stage of the development of the aircraft. It was distinguished by improved take-off and landing characteristics, which made it possible to use the liner even on second-class strips.

On March 18, 1999, the Russian company Aviastar together with the British company Air Foil approached the Antonov design bureau with a proposal to provide another version of the airliner, An-124-200 / 210, for leasing the UK. In particular, it was proposed to install engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce on the ship. Another modification was to be An-124-200 with power plants from the American corporation "General Electric". In both cases, the practical range of the flight should grow by almost 10 percent. In addition, new engines can significantly reduce the take-off distance. Both the first and the second version of Ruslan is offered to be equipped with liquid crystal monitors and modern digital equipment, which will reduce the crew size to three people. The result of this decision will be a reduction in the total weight of equipment and increase its reliability. Such characteristics of the An-124 allow it to exceed its serious competitor (C-17 from Boeing) in all key parameters. As for the construction period, when an order is received for one of these modifications, it can be performed approximately 2.5 years after the contract was signed.

Exploitation

At the very beginning of 1986, the active use of An-124 Ruslan airliners by Aeroflot began. Mostly it was operated on Siberian airlines, where it met the state's need for transportation of bulky cargo for oil and gas development. In addition, the ship was actively used for military needs. For example, they transported the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system during the fighting in Afghanistan. In September 1990, Ruslan managed to transport 451 refugees along the Amman-Dhaka route for one flight. Then the liner was additionally equipped with a tank with drinking water for 570 liters and toilet blocks with the function of chemical regeneration. To accommodate passengers in a horizontal position, the cabin was covered with sponge rubber.

The largest catastrophe

During the entire operation with the aircraft of this brand, several tragic accidents occurred. The largest of them happened on December 6, 1997 at 14.40, when the airliner of the Russian air force An-124 Ruslan crashed near the construction site Irkutsk-2. The result of the plane crash was the death of seventeen crew members and six workers of the Irkutsk aviation plant. In addition to them, the death was overtaken by 72 inhabitants of the town. The matter is that approximately in 25 seconds after takeoff the liner has failed on four-storeyed apartment house, completely destroying it. When investigating the tragedy, the "black boxes" were deciphered. The investigation found that the cause of the accident was the engine stop, which occurred as a result of the failure of the on -board computer.