The Antonov An-124

AN 124 – For a time the massive An-124 held the mantle of the world’s largest aircraft before the arrival of the An-225, a stretched six engine derivative. It is commonly used for oversize freight charters.
Developed primarily as a strategic military freighter (in which role it can carry missile units and main battle tanks), the first prototype An-124 flew on December 26 1982. A second prototype, named Ruslan (after a Russian folk hero), made the type’s first western public appearance at the Paris Airshow in June 1985, preceding the type’s first commercial operations in January 1986. Since that time the An-124 has set a wide range of payload records, a recent achievement being the heaviest single load ever transported by air – a 124 tonne (273,400lb) powerplant generator and its associated weight spreading cradle, a total payload weight of 132.4 tonnes (291,940lb), set in late 1993.

Weights
An-124 – Operating empty 175,000kg (385,800lb), max takeoff 405,000kg (892,875lb).

Dimensions
Wing span 73.30m (240ft 6in), length 69.10m (226ft 9in), height 20.78m (68ft 2in). Wing area 628.0m2 (6760sq ft).

Capacity
Flightcrew of six consisting of two pilots, two flight engineers, navigator and communications operator. Upper deck behind the flightdeck area features a galley, rest room and two relief crew cabins. Upper deck area behind the wing can accommodate up to 88 passengers. Main deck cargo compartment can carry a range of bulky and oversized cargos. The An-124’s total payload in weight is 150 tonnes