Antonov An-124 Ruslan

[Triton]

"An-124 nears production revival"
by Howard Gethin
3 Jan 2014

Source:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/an-124-nears-production-revival-394533/

Ukraine and Russia plan to restart production of the Antonov An-124 heavy transport as part of an economic co-operation agreement signed between Kiev and Moscow on 17 December, the Ukrainian government says.

“Ukraine and Russia are to restore series production of An-124 aircraft with Ukrainian engines. The total number to be built is 80 aircraft,” Ukrainian prime minister Mykola Azarov says. The revenue from the sale of the aircraft will be around $80 billion, he adds.

Azarov did not identify the intended customers for the aircraft, but says the deal “will allow us to take leading position in the international transport of bulky cargo for a few decades”.

Flightglobal's Ascend Online Fleets database records 31 An-124s in current active use with six operators, including Antonov Airlines and Volga-Dnepr Airlines.

The agreement made no mention of the troubled An-70 propfan tactical transport programme. The Russian air force last year complained to Antonov about the slow progress of the aircraft’s trials, and said it was preparing contingency plans for pulling out of the programme

 

[Stargazer]

That's very, very good news for Antonov.

 

[flanker]

This saga has lasted so long, with its up and down, chills and trills (c); i will believe it when they actually produce a number of planes.

 

[fightingirish]

According to this German news report,
Antonov are very interested in building a successor for the An-124 Ruslan. But Antonov would have to start from the scratch, since a lot of their patents are still and only registered in Russia, as it was common in the USSR. And that's means a lot a money, training in new technology like laser-cutting, fiber-reinforced plastics . New partnerships with the aviation industry in other countries other than only with Russia are needed. One company in Russia has already canceled their partnership.


So it looks quite grim for Antonov.
http://youtu.be/71tjRC-wf_Q

http://youtu.be/71tjRC-wf_Q

 

[Stargazer]

Maybe in a few years time we'll see AA Industries aircraft (for Airbus-Antonov)? ;D ;D ;D

 

[ekiqa]

Maybe in a few years time we'll see AA Industries aircraft (for Airbus-Antonov)? ;D ;D ;D

I wouldn't be surprised to see Airbus purchased Antonov for access to cheap labour sites.

 

[TomcatViP]

Ruslan doing what it does best, gulping huge loads:

Think Trains Can’t Fly? Antonov’s An-124 Proves Otherwise

A groundbreaking train has taken to the skies, but perhaps not in the way you were hoping. The…

simpleflying.com

 

[sat_dxer]

three trains of the condor

 

[TomcatViP]

Serious crash landing event following uncontained engine failure moment after takeoff:

Friday 13th crash landing

Friday 13th crash landing On 13 November 2020, Volga-Dnepr An-124-100, registration RA-82042 (construction number 9773054055093), suffered a runway excursion at Novosibirsk/Tolmach...

www.scramble.nl

 

[stealthflanker]

Seems to be birdstrike. That somehow break the fan and it starts spewing blades around.

Some images i found from my messenger group about the accident.

 

[Trident]

Probably going to out myself as a total engine nerd, but the first of those images is not a D-18T (swept fan blades without snubbers, swept core IGVs & metallic fan stator - the D-18T famously has composite stators). Also, it's not compatible with photos of the aircraft and in the link above and also not with the second image (which I believe is genuine). They indicate the entire fan rotor including disc was ejected (which explains why the failure was not contained) while the top photo shows it still in place on the engine.

Apparently this failure is similar to the #4 GP7200 on AF66.

 

[TomS]

Pretty sure the first pic is a CFM 56, per the comments on AvHerald: https://avherald.com/h?comment=4df212c7&opt=0

 

[stealthflanker]

I see :x well gotta tell the people there then.

Apologize for wrong image.

 

[Trident]

Pretty sure the first pic is a CFM 56, per the comments on AvHerald: https://avherald.com/h?comment=4df212c7&opt=0

Yes, a -7B to be exact (the 5A/B-versions have snubbered fan blades and straight IGVs).

I did mention I'm an engine nerd.

 

[Trident]

The fan debris went straight through the fuselage - in on one side, out on the other

Военный летчик оценил действия экипажа при аварийной посадке Ан-124

Ан-124 совершил аварийную посадку в аэропорту Новосибирска, повредив взлетно-посадочную полосу. В эфире радио Sputnik ситуацию прокомментировал генерал-майор, заслуженный военный летчик России, кандидат технических наук Владимир Попов.

radiosputnik.ria.ru

Unpleasantly suggestive of what could have happened to AF66 (where there would have been passengers sitting in the plane of damage)!

I think the flight crew deserves a strong drink!

 

[TomS]

Pretty sure the first pic is a CFM 56, per the comments on AvHerald: https://avherald.com/h?comment=4df212c7&opt=0

Yes, a -7B to be exact (the 5A/B-versions have snubbered fan blades and straight IGVs).

I did mention I'm an engine nerd.

yes, yes you did.

 

[Flyaway]

This article includes a number of videos of the incident.

Watch This Huge Russian An-124 Condor Skid Off The Runway After An Engine Failure

One of the aircraft's engines broke apart in flight, sending fragments flying through the fuselage and falling onto buildings below.

www.thedrive.com

 

[Trident]

Better look at the "exit wound" (note also the rather vertiginous "drawbridge" emergency exit & evacuation rope ladder):

Фотография самолёта · Антонов · Ан-124-100 · RA-82042 (зав.н. 9773054055093) · Волга-Днепр ✈ russianplanes.net ✈ наша авиация

Фотография самолёта. Разработчик: Антонов, модификация: Ан-124-100, бортовой номер: RA-82042, оператор: Волга-Днепр, место съёмки: Новосибирск - Толмачёво, фотограф: Андрей Захаренко (c)

russianplanes.net

Going by a description of the incident from the captain, the failure happened during climb out at an altitude of some 300m, after gear retraction, but with flaps still out. The damage caused complete electrical failure (including comms) and loss of thrust control on the #1 engine (the failed engine's neighbour) which remained stuck at 70% throttle throughout the event. This actually recalls the other A380 uncontained engine failure, where the ruptured IP turbine disc from the #2 Trent900 on QF32 also severed control to #1.

Given the handling issues caused by this, the crew decided to immediately land on the reciprocal runway heading, despite their inability to contact tower visually. As the videos show, touch down was actually smooth, with the landing gear remaining intact, the overrun & nose gear collapse were caused by the stuck #1 engine in combination with reverse & wheel brakes unavailable due to damage. It's also possible that the aircraft was still on take-off flaps (i.e. faster than normal approach speed) as their setting may have been frozen as well.

Lastly, it seems there was 84t of cargo on board, contrary to the article from The Drive - so a fairly heavy landing too, potentially over MLW given the lack of opportunity to dump fuel. Doesn't look like they had the slightest chance of stopping on the runway (which may have been slippery, bearing in mind the snow?), under the circumstances what was achieved likely represents the best conceivable outcome!

 

[Richard N]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqT-IugbR3Q

 

[Spaceman]

Going by a description of the incident from the captain, the failure happened during climb out at an altitude of some 300m, after gear retraction, but with flaps still out. The damage caused complete electrical failure (including comms) and loss of thrust control on the #1 engine (the failed engine's neighbour) which remained stuck at 70% throttle throughout the event.

Hi Trident,
Where did you find the info about the loss of thrust control on #1 engine and that it was stuck 70% trust? That's an interesting fact that I haven't read so far.
Could you please post a link?

 

[Trident]

Frankly I'm not sure where I found that info originally, I thought it might have been the captain's interview but that only contains reference to thrust control difficulties, not the 70% figure.

It's discussed here though:

AN-124 Uncontained Engine Failure - PPRuNe Forums

Rumours & News - AN-124 Uncontained Engine Failure - An AN-124 out of Novosibirsk limped back to the Airfield today due to an uncontained engine failure. The Engine almost completely disintegrated and some spectacular wing and fuselage damage. Gear failure on touchdown resulting in runway...

www.pprune.org

 

[TomcatViP]

Part of the pilot quote from that link:

There was a complete electric failure, brakes didn’t work, reverse didn’t work either since the wires were cut. The landing was soft, there was no damage during the touchdown, all the damage was due to the runway excursion. The gauges in the cockpit didn’t work, from the angle of attack we figured out the speed was about 280, it was a calculated airspeed. We haven’t even raised the flaps at that time, just raised the gears and we heard a bang. We still had control, but the electrical system failed completely.

 

[TomcatViP]

And it's a grounding:

EXCLUSIVE: 'Safety first' as Volga-Dnepr grounds its AN-124 fleet indefinitely - The Loadstar

Volga-Dnepr Group has “put safety first” and made what it called the “responsible” decision to ground all its AN-124s, following a recent incident at Novosibirsk, when one made an emergency landing after an engine failure. The carrier today filed a letter with the Russian aviation authorities to...

theloadstar.com

This might save the day of the 747 cargo.

 

[Flyaway]

Bad news if your in the space industry and have an outsized payload that won’t fit onto a 747 & you don’t have access to a large military transport aircraft.

 

[Hobbes]

The Airbus Belugas used to be available for charter, IDK if that's still the case.

 

[Trident]

Pretty sure the first pic is a CFM 56, per the comments on AvHerald: https://avherald.com/h?comment=4df212c7&opt=0

Yes, a -7B to be exact (the 5A/B-versions have snubbered fan blades and straight IGVs).

I did mention I'm an engine nerd.

yes, yes you did.

No longer so sure on that identification, for the record. The hub/tip ratio seems high for a CFM56, and the fan blades appear to have more sweep than on even the 7B-model. Originally I attributed that to the bird strike damage, but I'm leaning toward SaM146 now (which would at least make it a Russian engine...).

 

[TomcatViP]

Bad news if your in the space industry and have an outsized payload that won’t fit onto a 747 & you don’t have access to a large military transport aircraft.

Outsize cargo can still fly Ukrainian

 

[Flyaway]

The Airbus Belugas used to be available for charter, IDK if that's still the case.

They carry 40-50mt apparently which is 40% of the AN-124.

 

[Hobbes]

For the space industry, that limit won't be a problem. Other industries will have more trouble.

 

[TomcatViP]

View: https://youtu.be/K_NI6Cg6sK0

Video: Tanks Remove Damaged An-124 Following Crash - Simple Flying

After having been left sitting in the snow at the end of Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo Airport (OBV) runway 07/25 for…

simpleflying.com

 

[Anduriel]

Bad news if your in the space industry and have an outsized payload that won’t fit onto a 747 & you don’t have access to a large military transport aircraft.

Volga-Dnepr is grounding all their An-124, however there is also Antonov Airlines that enjoys direct design bureau support. So AA might not gorund their planes.

 

[TomcatViP]

@Anduriel: As hinted above, Antonov is still flying (D18T) :

We'll carry on flying says Antonov Airlines, despite Russia's AN-124 engine worries - The Loadstar

Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines says it will carry on flying, despite major safety concerns in Russia over the engines of AN-124s. Yesterday, Volga-Dnepr told The Loadstar it was grounding its entire AN-124 fleet over safety concerns, following an engine failure on one of its aircraft at Novosibirsk...

theloadstar.com

Notice:

Two of Volga-Dnepr’s aircraft were flying today, according to flight tracking websites. One appeared to be doing a test flight to and from Leipzig, while the other flew from Paris back to Volga-Dnepr’s base at Ulyanovsk.

?!!

 

[Archibald]

OMG - tanks towing an A-124 !

I love the Russian way of doing things.

 

[Hobbes]

not unheard of elsewhere either. A few years ago there was a train crash in the Netherlands, the locomotive got wedged under a viaduct. They used Leopard ARVs to pull the wreckage out. They're a good solution for when you need lots of horizontal pulling power instead of a vertical lift.

 

[TomcatViP]

Sich (Ukr) helps Volga (Ru) back into service, what should lead to a quicker grounding lift:

Volga-Dnepr AN-124s could be back in the air before the end of the year - The Loadstar

Volga-Dnepr Group could see its AN-124s back in the air earlier than expected, following “very good dialogue” with Ukrainian engine manufacturer Motor Sich. The airline expects directives on the engine to be published shortly, allowing work to start soon, according to group chief commercial...

theloadstar.com

 

[Flyaway]

Unfortunately it’s only one aircraft.

Antonov offers An-225 to fill void in An-124 capacity

Ukrainian outsize cargo specialist Antonov Airlines is to offer its An-225 for commercial service, to provide additional capacity to the freight sector. The An-225, with a maximum take-off weight of 640t, is the world's largest operational transport and is intended to complement Antonov...

www.flightglobal.com

 

[TomcatViP]

“The most efficient freighter within our fleet for vaccine transportation is the Boeing 747 and we put all our efforts to leverage most shipments onboard this aircraft,” Volga-Dnepr’s health care team said in a statement. Given the shortage of airlift, “we think that the healthcare industry will desperately need the An-124 fleet for dedicated projects.”

Dry ice: The Russian An-124 freighter’s COVID vaccine advantage

The heavy-lift cargo plane is not the first aircraft that comes to mind for coronavirus vaccine delivery, but with the right planning, Volga-Dnepr says it can move many huge amounts of doses at once.

www.freightwaves.com

 

[JohnR]

What happened to the An-224?

 

[TomS]

What happened to the An-224?

It never existed.

 

[sferrin]

Whatever happened to the notion of China building An-225s?