DTN News - RUSSIA DEFENSE NEWS: World's Largest Transport Aircraft Ruslan To Rise From Ashes
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 5, 2013: The world's largest transport aircraft that made its first flight in 1982 was designed by Russian aircraft designers and to this day remains a record holder in terms of capacity among serial models. This aircraft is the legendary AN-124 designed for the needs of the army. For a long time, Ruslan has been forgotten, but now its production may be resumed.
The giant's outstanding technical parameters played a bad joke on it. "Ruslan" has been unjustly forgotten, and was out of demand for decades. Today, after the completion of the first phase of the negotiations on the joint Russian-Ukrainian production of a modified version of AN-124, one may speak of its rebirth
The reasons for the long oblivion are quite understandable. The completion of a troubled era of Cold War slowed down the development of weapons in Russia. There was no longer a need to carry heavy military vehicles - intercontinental ballistic missiles, mobile launchers, trucks, etc. The demands of peacetime proved to be too light for the "Russian miracle" (as "Ruslan" was called at a French Airshow in 1985). Civilian work was only enough to maintain a small handful of these aircraft. Civil orders came rarely and irregularly, and a few units serving the Ministry of Defense were idle.
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