According to Military Watch, Russia has restored operation of at least one An-124 heavy transport aircraft after decades of storage. This is to meet increasingly urgent needs, especially as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues.
The transport aircraft squadron is an important component of the Russian army’s plans to expand the air force and ground forces. These aircraft will contribute to supporting operations in the current special military operations area and responding to NATO expansion.
Observers were drawn to the sight of an An-124 transport being taken out of the Ulyanovsk-East airport warehouse for refurbishment and modernization. The An-124 is Russia’s prized asset and is by far the heaviest aircraft in the country’s fleet.
Russian An-124s are stored outdoors.
The An-124 is considered a necessary addition, because this aircraft is larger than the transport aircraft widely used in the Russian military, the Il-76. Under the Soviet Union, the Il-76 was produced by factories in Uzbekistan. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Il-76 production line moved to Russia.
Meanwhile, both before and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the An-124 was only produced in Ukraine, which was also the main obstacle for the Russian military to order large quantities of the An-124 like the Il-76. Besides the An-124, it is still unclear what other types of aircraft can be restored to service.
The An-124 is also considered the optimal choice for transporting fighter aircraft and other valuable weapons. Notably, the An-124 is not only used by the Russian Air Force, but this aircraft is also used for civilian purposes under the operation of Volga-Dnepr Airlines.
Notably, an An-124 of Volga-Dnepr Airlines was seized by the Canadian Government on June 10, 2023, according to the embargo after the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out. This plane was rented by the Canadian government and landed in Toronto on February 27, 2022, carrying rapid testing kits for COVID-19. It is expected to be delivered to Ukraine as Canadian aid.
Russian An-124 aircraft.
Russia is currently developing the next generation An-124 version to serve domestic needs. This type is not expected to be ready for use until the mid-2030s.
Russia and Ukraine previously jointly developed a transport aircraft similar to the An-124, intended to enter service around the 2020s. However, after the overthrow of the Ukrainian government in 2014, the program This is cancelled.
Russia currently does not have the capacity to build transport aircraft of the same size as the An-124, so they will focus on restoring Soviet-made airframes still stored in warehouses. The US also faced similar problems after retiring its C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster heavy transport aircraft in 1989 and 2015, respectively.
