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

Located below in the photo, An-124 "Ruslan"It is the largest air-transport 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 outin 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 installed 21 worldrecord. 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 high load capacity and fast loading with unloading.

General structure

The model is constructed according to the high-plan scheme,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 strong 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 can boast of the possibility of changing the angle of inclination of the hull and clearance, which makes it much easier to load and unload it.

Specifications

One of the main advantages of the modelcompetitors that the Ruslan aircraft can boast of - the technical characteristics of its power plant. It consists of four two-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 is865 km / h, while cruising - 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 of up to 40 tons weight, 12,000 kilometers. The maximum flight altitude is 12 000 m. With a normal takeoff weight, the 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

The airliner An-124 "Ruslan" fuselage consists oftwo 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 shift crews are located on the upper front deck, and the 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 provided inside. Due to this, passengers can be at an altitude of up to 8,000 meters without oxygen equipment.

Loading and unloading

The processes of loading and unloading in this modelare carried out rather quickly. In addition to the rear hatch, the ship has a reclining nose that allows you to quickly work with non-standard, long and large cargo. The length without the 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 onboard 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 equippeda 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. At the same time, 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 liner can take off and land under certain conditions to the ground surface.

Other equipment

Inboard equipment of the An-124 Ruslan aircraftincludes: automated steering control system, four-channel hydraulic system, as well as a navigation radar system. In total, there are 34 computers in its management system. It should be noted and a high level of life support for the crew and power supply of the machine. Among the auxiliary devices here are used: the automatic communication complex TIP-15, the navigation sighting system PNPK-124, as well as the radio navigation equipment Omega and Laurent.

Basic Modifications

One of the first modifications of Ruslanthe 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 allowed the liner to be used even on second-class strips.

On March 18, 1999 the Russian company Aviastartogether with the British company "Air Foyle" appealed to the Antonov design bureau with the proposal to provide another leasing version of the airliner - An-124-200 / 210. In particular, it was proposed to install engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce on the ship. Another modification was the 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, the new engines can significantly reduce the take-off distance. Both the first and second versions of Ruslan are offered to be equipped with liquid crystal monitors and modern digital equipment, which will reduce the number of crew to three people. The result of this decision will be a reduction in the overall 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 dates, 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, activeuse of An-124 Ruslan air liners by Aeroflot. 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 Greatest Catastrophe

For all time of operation with aircraft of this brandSeveral 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. During the investigation of the tragedy, the "black boxes" were deciphered. The investigation found that the cause of the accident was the engine shutdown, which occurred as a result of a failure in the on-board computer.