It is not widely realized that the largest airplanes in the
world come from Ukraine. The Antonov Design Bureau in Kiev,
Ukraine has produced a series of airplanes able to claim the
title of biggest airplane in the world.
The largest production airplane in the world from 1965 until
the introduction of the Lockheed C-5A Galaxy in 1969. 66
Constructed. A number are still in service with the V-TA and one
is used by Antonov to transport An-124 wings attached along the
top of its fuselage. In Greek mythology, Antheus was a giant
whose great strength depended on keeping his feet in contact with
the ground.
The first An-22 flew on 24 February 1965, and it was publicly displayed at the Paris International Air Show at Le Bourget the same year. The largest transport aircraft of the time, An-22 set a number of world records. Despite orders for 100 An-22, only 48 aircraft were actually flying by 1983.
This is it: The worlds largest propeller driven aircraft ever in daily use. Despite the fact, that all but one (known)
Antonov An-22 fly in civil markings, i.e. mostly Aeroflot colors and titles, the aircraft serves as a military transport. With the end of the Warsaw Pact and related supply flights to Sovjet bases in Central and Eastern Europe, demand for the heavy lifting capabilities of the An-22 has weakend considerably.
Roughly 100 An-22 have supposedly been built. The majority of them is still based on two large Air Force bases within one hour of flight from Moscow. They are Tver Migalovo to the Northwest of the capital, along the road Moscow - Sankt Peterburg, and Ivanovo to the Northeast of Moscow.
According to Russian Air Force officials, it is expected that each of the two bases will maintain about a dozen of the huge birds active in the years to come.
