The Antonov An-22 is the largest propeller-driven aeroplane. In 2018, Bernd Sturm fulfiled a lifetime’s dream of flying on the world's only civilian example, operated by Antonov Airlines.
For large shipments required at remote destinations, the An-22 is still the only freighter equipped to undertake such tasks.
There is no other aeroplane like the An-22 flying today. It is unrivalled in almost every aspect and represents one of the key engineering achievements in aviation history. The huge four-engined turboprop stands out from all the rest and still holds a series of world records, which probably will never be broken again, although its design dates from the early 1960s.
The aircraft’s exceptional features were a key factor in the decision of the Ukrainian Antonov Company to undertake the herculean task of returning one of these behemoths to flying condition after it had been in storage for more than seven years. Even today, five decades later, there is simply no other aeroplane that can equal the An-22’s capabilities.
According to the sole commercial operator of the type, Antonov Airlines, it fills a niche in the transportation of heavy outsized freight. It has the capability to fly from relatively short, unpaved airstrips, combined with a cargohold volume that exceeds other types such as the Ilyushin Il-76 freighter. For large shipments required at remote destinations, the An-22 is still the only freighter equipped to undertake such tasks.
The giant had been grounded for more than seven years and few people believed it possible to return the aircraft to the skies. Undaunted by the task it faced, the Antonov company transformed the former Soviet Air Force aircraft in two years, giving it a second lease of life as a special cargo airlifter complete with fresh coat of paint in the elegant colours of its new operator.
Designing a Giant
In the early 1960s, the Ministry of Defence of the USSR issued a requirement for a strategic airlifter to carry intercontinental ballistic missiles, military and engineering vehicles that were normally transported by rail as well as various outsized cargoes.
Antonov began working on the project by constructing a wooden mockup of its proposal to meet the require at its Kiev, Ukraine facility. After approval to proceed with the design, the first of two prototypes, now designated the An-22, was rolled out on August 18, 1964. Given the registration CCCP-46191 (c/n 01 01) and the name Antei (Antheus), it made the type’s maiden flight on February 27 the following year. After four months of test flying it made its international public debut at the 1965 Paris Air Show at Le Bourget. Following construction of the prototypes, production of the An-22 was moved to the Tashkent State Aircraft Factory from where the first two examples were delivered to the Air Transport Wing at Ivanovo Airbase, 158 miles (254km) northeast of Moscow, in 1969.
The aircraft is powered by four 15,000shp (11,185kW) Kuznetsov NK12MA turboprops driving eightblade counter-rotating propellers. It also follows the traditional cargo transporter design with high-mounted wings allowing for a large cargo space in the fuselage measuring 108ft (33.4m) in length and offering a capacity of 22,566cu ft (646m³). The forward fuselage is pressurised and can accommodate six crew members as well as up to 27 passengers. During its 50 years of flying the An-22 has set a total of 41 speed, payload and payload-to-height world records.
Besides the cargo variant, a stretched two-deck passenger variant was also proposed, which would have been able to carry 724 passengers, but this never materialised.
With just 68 airframes built – two of which never flew – the aircraft achieved considerable success and saw nearly exclusive use as a military airlifter with the Soviet and later Russian Air Forces. Only two airframes have ever seen commercial use. The first production airframe (c/n 6 34 01 03) was leased to two Bulgarian operators Sigi Air Cargo and Air Sofia as LZ-SGD and LZ-SFD respectively for a limited period in 1992. And now UR-09307 (c/n 04 34 81244) is operating for the Antonov company’s own carrier Antonov Airlines. The An-22 fleet is now believed to have dwindled to just four airworthy airframes, with UR-09307 flying regularly, the remaining three examples serve with the Russian Air Force, although these are now flown only occasionally.
Returning to the Air
The example selected by Antonov to be returned to service was originally built as an An-22A, this differs from the basic design in that it has an airstart capability (its own auxiliary power unit [APU]), a modified electrical system and different radio-navigation equipment. The original version was able to start its engines only by using an external ground power unit. It was built at the Tashkent State Aircraft Factory in 1974, made its maiden flight on April 30 and joined the Soviet Air Force as CCCP-09307 later that year. In 1989 it was retired from military use and put into storage in Kiev. After Ukraine’s independence in 1991, it was transferred to Antonov and remained in storage for another three years, before being re-activated in 1994.
For many years UR-09307 was the only commercial An-22 and was operated by the Antonov company on special cargo missions across the globe until 2009 when again it was grounded and put into indefinite storage at company’s own airport at Kiev/ Gostomel. At this point, few would have believed that this giant would ever return to the skies. Glimpses of the deteriorating airframe would be caught at the biennial Aviasvit airshows, but there was still no hint of the airframe’s future destiny.
In 2015 Antonov saw a requirement for an aircraft that could fill a tiny, yet very important market niche for a large transporter, and the unimaginable happened. After more than seven years in storage, work started on bringing UR-09307 back to an airworthy condition. It was a huge task, taking one year and thousands of man-hours of extensive maintenance work before it finally returned to the air on February 12, 2016, still in an unpainted all-over metal condition.
Back in to Service
The aircraft’s first commercial flights took place on September 9 and 10, 2016 and after positioning empty from Kiev/ Gostomel, it departed Zurich bound for Abu Dhabi with a refuelling stop in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. The charter involved transporting a single-piece coil, weighing 69,446lb (31.5 tonnes) and measured 15.1 x 11.5 x 13.7ft (4.61 x 3.52 x 4.17m). The charter was a challenge for everyone involved and required detailed planning, but the mission was a success.
Having proved itself, the An-22A was now finally available again for global transport duties 365 days a year. The aircraft provides a cost-effective alternative to cargo shipments that have traditionally been flown by jets such as the Il-76. It is also the only method of air transportation for certain shipments due to its unique ability to handle relatively short, unimproved runways.
This latter feature made the type indispensable when it flew several missions to the city of Gao in the West African nation of Mali. The paved runway at the local airport had been severely damaged by the ongoing Northern Mali Conflict so an unpaved runway was used instead. Its surface consisted of sand and gravel and measured just 5,900ft (1,800m) with turning pads at either end. Missions were flown from Europe and, once again, the mighty turboprop proved up to the task.
With several successful charters already under its belt, the aircraft was now justifying Antonov’s confidence in returning it to the air. It is now available for charter alongside Antonov Airlines’ large jet-powered fleet of seven An-124-100 Ruslans and the single six-engined An-225 Mriya.
Having proved itself, the An-22A was now finally available again for global transportation duties 365 days a year.
Once in a Lifetime
I had been in contact with Antonov Airlines for more than a year trying to arrange a flight on the gigantic bird. Finally, my luck changed, and I was instructed to travel to Leipzig/Halle, Germany, by June 15, when the aircraft was due to depart on a positioning flight to Örebro, Sweden. However, when I arrived there was disappointing news: the trip had been postponed due to limited apron space being available to park the An-22 at the relatively small Örebro airport, 101 miles (162km) west of Stockholm. Fortunately, the issue was resolved, and the trip was back on, albeit two days later than planned.
I was greeted by Oleksandr Taran, commercial executive at Antonov Airlines, and then given a tour of the Antonov Strategic Airlift Interational Solution (SALIS) facilities at Leipzig/ Halle. Several of the company’s An-124s have been based here since 2006, under the umbrella of the SALIS programme, to provide NATO and the European Union with additional airlift capacity for peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. The An-22 aircraft is part of Antonov Airlines support of the SALIS programme. After a walkaround of UR-09307 I watched several technical checks being completed by the aircraft’s crew in preparation for the turboprop’s journey north. As an experienced aviation enthusiast, I have had plenty of memorable moments, but being up close to this mighty transporter was something else. However, even that was eclipsed by the anticipation of stepping on board. There was a choice for boarding, either up the rear cargo ramp or through a crew entrance accessible via a short tunnel that runs around the main landing gear housing. I chose the latter. The end of the tunnel opens out into the cavernous main cargo deck, and it was only once I was there that I had a true sense of just how big the An-22 really is. I was struck how clean everything was, unusual for a freighter aircraft, and it all looked virtually factory fresh – which of course it was after its extensive restoration.
As I stood in the cargo hold I noted with interest that its height of 14ft 2in (4.4m) is the same as that of its jet comrades, the An-124 and An-225.
This later version of the An-22 is almost totally self-sufficient and independent of ground support equipment. Moreover, there are four onboard cranes installed with a combined carrying capability of 22,046lb (10 tonnes). There are also several spare tyres in case of damage to wheels when landing on unpaved surfaces as well as a tow bar, as most locations wouldn’t have one for such a rare airframe.
The crew for our transit mission was 18 including me. On the flight deck was the captain, first officer, two engineers and radio operator. The navigator’s station was downstairs in the aircraft’s nose. Elsewhere the crew are strapping themselves in. It is worth noting here that all the carrier’s aircraft are flown by Antonov test pilots, nd some of them holding type ratings from the An-2 biplane up to the mighty An-225, all with tens of thousands of flying hours between them.
As the main cargo hold is only slightly pressurised during flight, everyone on board sits in the relatively small pressurised front section, consisting of two decks that house several bunk beds, a small galley area and a restroom. On the upper deck behind the cockpit there is a crew rest area, resembling a simple living room, with tables, chairs and more fold-down bunk beds. There is very little comfort on board and given the size of the 17-men crew, the space is extremely limited, especially on longer journeys. Some trips take crew members away from home for several weeks at a time and they fly on board in these conditions.
After my tour around this impressive aircraft it was time for me to head back upstairs, buckle up and prepare for take-off. After having been pushed back, the four Kuznetsov NK-12MA engines came to life one by one filling the airframe with a characteristic tone, which, strangely, is not uncomfortably loud mainly due to the contra-rotating propellers. Each engine delivers an incredible power output of 15,000shp.
We taxied out to the runway and waited for ATC to give permission to line up on Runway 08L and start the take off procedures. The engines are run-up to full full take-off power for several minutes. During this time all the engines were synchronised, and the last systems checks performed. The whole airframe vibrated and shook as the freighter strained against its powerful brakes.
When the cockpit crew had completed all the necessary checks and take-off approval was received from the ATC tower, the brakes were released, and the gigantic ‘bird’ rumbled down the runway in glorious sunshine and became airborne relatively quickly. Being overwhelmed by the feeling and sounds as the An-22 leapt into the air, I could only imagine how this must have looked and sounded from the ground. While the aircraft is most impressive when sitting silently on the ground, it is an indescribable feeling when you are flying in it.
We climbed slowly to the cruising altitude of 24,000ft allowing me to take the opportunity to visit the flight deck as well as the navigator’s position in the glass nose on the lower deck. All too quickly for me it was time to start our descent into Örebro, where the pilots make a perfect touch down in equally glorious sunshine after a total journey time of 1hr 38mins. After a backtrack on the runway we leave via the only taxiway large enough to accommodate the An-22 and after starting the auxiliary power unit, the engines are shut down with a distinctive yowling sound.
I was unable to travel on the return flight due to the sensitive nature of the cargo being loaded. So, I observed the loading procedure and then settled down to watch the An-22 take off again. I had tried to do this many times in the past but had never succeeded until now. I stood watching, transfixed, the mighty aircraft had finally disappeared out of sight. However, the characteristic sound of the four Kuznetsov NK-12MA engines remained audible for many minutes after.
This was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To say it was amazing is an understatement and I am grateful I had the opportunity to fly on this masterpiece of engineering. The aircraft opened a new era in the world of aviation when it first appeared in 1964. Today, more than 50 years later, it is still transporting cargoes that no other aeroplane can handle. For that reason, we will be seeing the An-22 at airports around the world for many years to come.
The author would like to thank Antonov Airlines, Antonov Company and all those involved in the preparation of this feature.
Editor's note: In February 2022, the An-22 featured in this report was damaged during an attempt by Russian forces to seize control of Kyiv/Gostomel Airport. The aircraft sustained damage to the top and left-hand side of the fuselage.
