It stood for 25 years: the Russian Federation returns from the cemetery an An-124 transport for war in Ukraine
"The decision to restore these aircraft emphasizes the urgent need for reliable transportation opportunities against the background of current problems in logistics and military logistics infrastructure," journalists write. After 25 years of storage, the return of the An-124 to the flight state meets the operational needs of the Russian army, especially in the context of challenges related to logistics and logistics.
These problems are intensified in connection with the operational situation in Ukraine, where Russian military logistics has faced difficulties in maintaining supply lines. Probably, the military leadership of the Russian Federation has long planned to use old aircraft, especially after the Ukrainian forces in August 2023 attacked a military airfield in the PSKO, destroying several IL-76 transport aircraft.
The attack showed that Ukraine has prompt opportunities to strike the enemy's military logistics. Shortly thereafter, the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigh during a meeting with the leadership of the United Air Buddy Corporation (UAC) urged to double the number of transport aircraft An-124-100 by 2025. However, it should be understood that Russia cannot physically produce new machines because they were produced in Ukraine at Antonova.
Therefore, Shoigu spoke about the restoration of aircraft that are actually on aviation cemeteries-for this purpose, new Russian Russian PD-35 engines will be installed on the AN-124 instead of Ukrainian D-18T. According to Roszma, the new engine will increase the runway to 40 tons-almost twice as much as D-18t with a draft on a take-off from 18 to 20 tons. Earlier it was reported that the French army has no alternative to Ukrainian transport aircraft An-124.