It didn’t simply fly. It thundered. The Antonov An-22 was a 176,000-pound Chilly Warfare workhorse whose unmistakable sound echoed for 60 years.
Cargo planes have an unmistakable sound. Seasoned avgeeks can establish a airplane simply by the sound it makes because it’s flying overhead. The unique C-5 was distinctive with its TF-39s screaming. The C-133 had a particular whine. The C-17’s aggressive roar from its P&W F-117 engines lets you realize it’s going to cease in lower than 2,000 ft as soon as it touches down. And the C-130’s 4 followers of freedom make an unmistakable sound that has impressed generations for over 70 years!
However there’s one other, lesser-known turboprop whose sound was additionally unmistakable. It’s the Antonov An-22.
The An-22 first flew on 27 February 1965. It was designed as a strategic airlifter able to touchdown on brief, austere runways all through the Soviet Union. The airplane required a crew of between 5 to eight. Up entrance, the plane was totally pressurized and will carry as much as 28 passengers. The aft compartment was solely partially pressurized.
The An-22 was powered by 4 turboprop engines, every with two counter-rotating props. A complete of 68 An-22s had been constructed between 1965 and 1976.
By the late 2010s, the Antonov An-22 was extra of a legend than a typical sight. In Russia, only some had been nonetheless listed with the 76th Army Transport Air Squadron in Tver. Formally, there have been six planes, however solely about half might really fly. Nonetheless, there was dialogue about maintaining them in service into the 2030s.
Antonov Airways in Ukraine saved one civilian An-22 flying till 2020. This airplane, registered as UR-09307, was the final industrial connection to the An-22’s Chilly Warfare roots. In 2022, it was broken in the course of the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ending its position as the ultimate civilian operator.
By mid-2024, it appeared Russia had retired the An-22 as nicely. Stories confirmed the remaining planes had been not flying, and one, RF-09309, was despatched to Yekaterinburg to be placed on show as a substitute of being readied for extra flights.
Tragically, the final recognized An-22 crashed within the Ivanovo area northeast of Moscow on 9 December 2025. All seven individuals on board had been presumed lifeless. Witnesses stated the big turboprop appeared to interrupt aside within the air. After this crash, the period of the world’s largest turboprop transport was over.
The An-22 might carry as much as 176,000 lbs of payload. By comparability, the C-17 can carry round 170,000 lbs of cargo/passengers.
Bonus: Why does the An-22 have two tails?
Right here’s one for trivia night time. The An-22 regarded fairly comparable in form to the An-12, simply with two tails. The second tail diminished the tail’s top requirement and improved engine-out efficiency.
Additionally, if that you must wow your folks at trivia night time, the NATO reporting title for the An-22 was ‘Cock’. And now you realize.
