An-22 Military Transport Plane Crashes in Russia After Repairs

A Russian Ministry of Defense An-22 military transport aircraft has crashed in Russia’s Ivanovo region.

The incident occurred in the Furmanovsky District near the Uvod Reservoir, according to TASS.

All seven crew members on board are believed to have died. The aircraft was conducting a scheduled test flight after repairs.

Aircraft of this type are based at the Ivanovo-Severny military airfield. Satellite images show at least two An-22 planes, and the one that was repaired was likely inside a hangar.

Last year, Lieutenant General Vladimir Benediktov, the commander of Military Transport Aviation, stated that the Russian Aerospace Forces would retire these aircraft in 2024. It is possible that the command changed its decision in light of significant losses of Il-76 military transport aircraft and decided to restore some An-22 aircraft.

The An-22 Antey is a Soviet military transport aircraft developed in Kyiv in the 1960s. It made its first flight on February 27, 1965. The aircraft entered serial production in 1966 and began operational service in 1969. The An-22 became the world’s largest turboprop aircraft.

It has a payload capacity of up to 80 tons and a maximum takeoff weight of about 250 tons. The aircraft is equipped with four NK-12MA engines, each producing 15,000 horsepower. The An-22 was a pioneer in the class of ultra-heavy transport aircraft, paving the way for the development of even larger machines such as the An-124 Ruslan and the An-225 Mriia.