Why is An-22 being Retired?

The Antonov Design Bureau developed the Soviet An-22 turboprop transport aircraft in the early 1960s. Antonov started testing it in 1965 and was operational with the Soviet Air Force by 1969. Nevertheless, the plane was not produced at the developer’s location; rather, it was conducted in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The An-22 was manufactured in large numbers from 1966 to 1976, with a total of 69 aircraft built. Of these, two were reserved for scientific and technical purposes, specifically structural strength testing. Only 67 aircraft were in operation by the Soviet Air Force and Aeroflot.The An-22 was a record-breaking aircraft for the Soviet Union during its heyday. The “Antey” established 41 world records during its service. It was outfitted with four of the most powerful turboprop engines of its era, the NK-12, which produced 15,000 horsepower. It was the largest aircraft in its category during the 1960s. The plane had a wingspan of 64.4 meters and measured 57 meters in length. It was capable of traveling a distance of up to 3,000 kilometers with a complete load, as its maximum load capacity was 60 tons. The An-22 was capable of flying a minimum of 5,000 kilometers with a 40-ton cargo, and its cruising speed was 560 km/h.

The An-22 was a dependable aircraft during the challenging years of the Soviet Union’s decline. The aircraft were employed in rescue operations following the Armenian earthquake, delivered cargo to African countries, and were extensively used during the war in Afghanistan. Additionally, they conducted at least 400 flights during the Chornobyl disaster response. During the 1990s, the An-22 was frequently employed in operations associated with the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Eastern Europe and interethnic conflicts. This record is sufficient to understand that the An-22 repaid every ruble that was invested in it by serving faithfully for an extended period.

However, the An-22’s serial manufacturing ended in 1969. The aircraft’s service life was estimated by Soviet specialists to be 26 years, with 6,500 flight hours and 2,500 + 100 landings. In other terms, the An-22’s service life had ended by 1995 for the last produced model. Naturally, the concept of operation and service life is more intricate in practice; however, it has been several decades since that time. More than 50 of these marvels were still present in the former Soviet republics at the time of the Soviet Union’s collapse. Today, how many remain? For apparent reasons, Lieutenant General Benediktov refrained from providing further details.

According to the 2020 Military Balance guide, Russia’s Aerospace Forces still have 11 operating An-124s and four turboprop An-22s.

Russia is reviving the production of the AN-124, which will supplant the AN-22s. It is more modern and powerful. The 12th VTA Division, which is located in Tver, is already equipped with these enormous aircraft, which will substantially improve the capabilities of Russia’s military transport aviation.

However, Russian media reported in 2020 that Russia had initiated the development of a completely new heavy military transport aircraft for the Aerospace Forces. The military and industry will finalize technical standards before the end of the year. However, the Ministry of Defence’s fundamental criteria are already known. In terms of payload capacity and range, the new aircraft will outperform the American C-17 and the European A-400 while falling short of the An-124.  Ilyushin had already spent at least 250 million rubles on determining the specifications of the proposed aircraft and developing a preliminary design.