Russia picked up 7 huge An-124 aircraft. For what purpose?

The Army of the Russian Federation has proven that it is capable of launching seven An-124 Ruslan into the air – we read on the Defense Express website. The Russians reported that, on Saturday, December 16, they conducted aviation and tactical transport exercises on huge machines, whose capabilities we are demonstrating. Why did Russia decide to steal seven machines?

Exercises on Ruslan aircraft were a test Training young military crews to operate transport aircraft. Flights of seven aircraft were carried out simultaneously, and the Russian Federation checked the military’s capabilities in moving airframes over long distances – a distance of about 1,000 km. km with an average speed of about 500 km/h (at an altitude of 4000 metres). The personnel who conducted the training were equipped with standard military weapons and equipment.

According to what was reported by the Military Transport Aviation Command of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Pilots trained to take off, fly along a specific route and land. All activities took place in difficult weather conditions, i.e. during rain, low clouds and strong winds.

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The history of the An-124 dates back to the 1970s, when work on the aircraft began in 1979. The first flight of the machine took place later, on December 24, 1982. Since then, the Ruslan has remained one of the most important transport aircraft in the world due to its capabilities Ability to transport goods with a total weight of up to 150 tons.

The power unit of the An-124 is four Progress D-18T engines, each of which generates a thrust of 229 kN. These accelerate the Antonov plane to a top speed of 865 km/h. The aircraft’s range reaches 11.5 thousand kilometers. km (due to fuel tanks with a capacity of 260,000 liters).

The Antonov An-124 is less than 70 meters long and more than 20 meters high Its wings reach a length of 73 metres. There is a built-in crane inside the aircraft that allows you to carry payloads weighing up to 30 tons. In addition, the An-124 has a landing gear adapted for landing on uneven runways. Thanks to this, Ruslan can reach hard-to-reach places with loads.