OVERVIEW: The An-22 Antaeus, NATO nickname COCK, is a heavy transport aircraft and the largest turboprop aircraft built. Resembling a scaled up An-12 CUB, the An-22 could conduct paratroop operations with a rear ramp and operate off of austere airstrips.

DETAILS : The An-22 falls between the Il-76 and the An-124 in terms of transport capacity. Designed to operate from short semi-prepared runways, this aircraft has adjustable landing gear and massive flaps to control airspeed. The cargo hold is 33 m (ca. 108 feet) long, ramp included, and equipped with travelling cranes. It can accommodate 4 BMD-1 airborne combat vehicles. There is also a pressurized compartment for 29 passengers.

NOTES:  IOC: 1969.  Developed by Antonov Design Bureau in Kiev, Ukraine, series manufacture was undertaken in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. First flew in February 1965, at the time the world's heaviest aircraft. Two months later, it was exhibited at the Paris Air Show. It became operational in January 1969, breaking several world records for payload and flight. There were 68 built from 1966 to 1976, including 2 prototypes, 38 An-22 and 28 An-22A. That variant changed installations, mainly the fuel system, thus fixing issues that caused numerous crashes with the early airframes, and improved equipment. They have seen extensive service, first for the Soviet Union, flying military support to Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Ethiopia, India, Syria Vietnam and other countries between 1970 and 1989. In 1971, they carried rescue equipment to Peru, after the country was hit by an earthquake. In Russian service, it evacuated personnel and equipment from former Soviet airbases, and supported the campaign in Chechnya. By the year 2000, 26 An-22 remained in Russian service, with only 9 airworthy. Fifteen years later, in 2015, 5 were still in service, with 6 being preserved.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, 1 airframe, converted to a civilian cargo aircraft, was operated by Antonov Airlines, the aeronautical division of Antonov Design Bureau. From June 1994, it was registered in Ukraine as UR- 09307 and used for carrying heavy and large cargos for civil and military customers across the world. That last operating Ukrainian machine was apparently damaged during the so dubbed Battle of Antonov Airport with Russian forces at Gostomel airport, in February 2022.


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