A&A Models 1:144 Antonov An-22 Heavy Turboprop Transport Aircraft

Antonov An-22 (NATO designation: Cock) is a postwar Soviet high-wing transport aircraft that is still in use. It was powered by four Kuznetsov NK-12MA turboprop engines, each with 15,000 hp. The prototype flight took place in 1965. Serial production lasted from 1965 to 1975, and approximately 70 aircraft of this type were built.

The An-22 aircraft was developed by the Antonov Design Bureau as a new long-range transport aircraft for the Soviet armed forces. To shorten research and development work, many components and elements from the An-12 aircraft were used. Ultimately, during its flight, the An-22 was the world’s largest aircraft of its class powered by turboprop engines! The aircraft was built so that, despite its considerable weight and size, it could operate from airports with short runways and even from unpaved runways. Thanks to its powerful engines, the An-22 can carry up to 80 tons of cargo, and in one experimental flight, it took off carrying 100 tons of cargo. Aircraft of this type have been or are still operated by Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and the USSR.