Antonov An-124
A heavy-lift freighter: a class that exists to carry loads no other vehicle can accommodate.
Overview
The An-124 is a freighter designed for very large and heavy loads. The reason this class exists is physical rather than economic: some loads do not fit on roads or ships, and even when they do, they do not arrive in time.
The nose and tail open so the aircraft can be loaded end to end. With onboard cranes and kneeling landing gear it can also work at airports without ground equipment — the design assumes the absence of infrastructure.
Flights at this scale are planned individually: runway strength, parking width and refuelling are verified in advance. Heavy-lift transport is less a flight than a logistics project.
Details
- Brand
- Antonov
- Category
- Freighter
- Body
- Heavy-lift freighter
- Propulsion
- turbofan
- Produced
- 1986–