Support Equipment

An-22

Also known as
  • Antonov An-22
  • AN-22
  • An-22 Antei
  • An-22 Antey
  • Antei
  • Antey
  • Antheus
  • NATO reporting name Cock
  • Cock

The An-22 is an Antonov-designed Soviet heavy military transport aircraft built around four Kuznetsov NK-12MA turboprops and rough-field heavy-lift operations. Antonov records its first flight on 27 February 1965, serial production at Tashkent from 1965 to 1976, and later use as an outsized component carrier for the An-124 and An-225 programs.

An-22, Heavy turboprop military transport aircraft, Support Equipment
Image source: Wikimedia Commons Antonov An-22 1

Role in Conflicts

1973 Yom Kippur War
Mobility & Logistics
Side
EgyptSyria

Soviet Military Transport Aviation used An-22 sorties in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war airlift from the USSR to the Middle East, moving personnel, cargo, military equipment, and weapons for Egypt and Syria.

1979 Soviet-Afghan War
Mobility & Logistics
Side
Soviet Union and Afghan government forces

Soviet forces used An-22s in the initial Kabul airlift and later regular Afghanistan transport missions carrying military cargo, food, and personnel; open sources also describe An-22 crews adapting steep approaches and departures at Afghan airfields under MANPADS threat.

1994 First Chechen War
Mobility & Logistics
Side
Russia

A Tver-based An-22 is described as one of the first aircraft to land at Grozny airport after Russian forces retook it in 1995, applying airfield procedures learned during Afghan operations.

2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Captured Equipment

Antonov Airlines An-22A UR-09307 was substantially damaged while parked at Kyiv-Gostomel during Russia's February 24, 2022 attempt to seize the airport; this row documents a Ukraine-war ground-damage case, not confirmed operational sorties.

Role details
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union / Ukraine
Type
Heavy turboprop military transport aircraft
Service note
Cold War strategic airlifter with post-Soviet heavy-cargo and military transport service
Designer
Antonov Design Bureau
Designed
1960-1965
Produced
1965-1976
Number built
66 serial aircraft according to Antonov; 68 commonly reported when prototypes are included

Specifications

Crew
5
Configuration
Four-engine high-wing turboprop transport with twin tail
Engines
4 x Kuznetsov NK-12MA turboprops with eight-blade contra-rotating propellers
Length
57.84 m
Wingspan
64.40 m
Height
12.54 m
Wing area
345 sq m
Cruise speed
580 km/h
Operational range
5,225 km
Operational ceiling
9,100 m
Maximum takeoff weight
250,000 kg
Maximum payload
Up to 80 tonnes
Heavy-Lift Design Notes

The An-22 combined a high-mounted wing, four NK-12MA turboprops with contra-rotating propellers, a large rear loading ramp, and landing gear suited to austere fields. Its cargo role centered on loads too bulky for smaller transports, including heavy vehicles and large aircraft components.

Rough-field role

Antonov emphasizes the aircraft's ability to operate from unpaved runways while carrying large cargo to remote areas.

External loads

The Antei later carried An-124 and An-225 wing assemblies externally between Tashkent and Kyiv.

Variants

The An-22 family includes the baseline transport, the improved An-22A, external-load conversion work, and several unbuilt studies.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
An-22AImproved production transport

Updated production standard with equipment and systems changes; GlobalSecurity describes state testing in 1972 and later production at Tashkent.

Sources: GlobalSecurity An-22 variants

An-22PZOversized component carrier conversion

External-load conversion used to move large Antonov wing sections for the An-124 and An-225 programs.

Sources: Antonov AN-22 history, GlobalSecurity An-22 variants

An-22 AmphibianUnbuilt amphibious transport study

Projected water-capable transport variant studied from the Model 100/An-22 design but not produced.

Sources: GlobalSecurity An-22 variants

Timeline

An-22 Key Events

  1. Model 100 development authorized

    Antonov dates the Soviet decision to develop the Model 100 military transport aircraft to 13 October 1960.

    Sources: Antonov AN-22 history

  2. First flight

    The AN-22 Antei made its first flight with Yurii Kurlin leading the test crew.

    Sources: Antonov AN-22 history

  3. Tashkent production ordered

    The Soviet aviation ministry ordered An-22 series production at the Valerii Chkalov Aviation Production Association in Tashkent.

    Sources: Antonov AN-22 history

  4. Paris Air Show debut

    The AN-22 arrived at Le Bourget for the 26th International Paris Air Show.

    Sources: Antonov AN-22 history

  5. Payload-altitude record

    Antonov records the aircraft lifting more than 100 tonnes to 7,848 m, one of the Antei program's record-setting flights.

    Sources: Antonov AN-22 history

  6. Outsized Antonov component transport begins

    Antonov says the Antei began carrying oversized components for the An-124 and later An-225 programs.

    Sources: Antonov AN-22 history

  7. Antonov Airlines An-22A damaged at Hostomel

    Aviation Safety Network records substantial damage to An-22A UR-09307 while it was standing at Kyiv-Gostomel during Russia's assault on the airport.

    Sources: ASN An-22A UR-09307 Hostomel damage

Media

An-22 Videos

An-22 Images

An-22, Heavy turboprop military transport aircraft, Support Equipment - view 1
Source: Wikimedia Commons An-22 Cock CCCP-09334
An-22, Heavy turboprop military transport aircraft, Support Equipment - view 2
Source: Wikimedia Commons An-22 Speyer display
An-22, Heavy turboprop military transport aircraft, Support Equipment - view 3
Source: Wikimedia Commons Antonov An-22 1
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Sources

Antonov AN-22 historyPublisher: Antonov | Note: Supports AN-22 identity, military transport role, first flight, Tashkent production, 66-aircraft serial total, dimensions, flight characteristics, chronology, and Antei oversized-component transport work. | Accessed: 2026-07-02SKYbrary AN22 technical dataPublisher: SKYbrary Aviation Safety | Note: Supports aircraft configuration, Antonov manufacturer attribution, NATO reporting name, turboprop powerplant, maximum takeoff weight, and cross-checked dimensions and performance. | Accessed: 2026-07-02GlobalSecurity An-22 variantsPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports An-22A modernization context, variant and proposal names, and the baseline/An-22A production split. | Accessed: 2026-07-02Technik Museum Speyer Antonov An-22Publisher: Technik Museum Speyer | Note: Supports museum-displayed An-22 dimensions, crew, range, engines, rough-field capability, and Speyer landing context. | Accessed: 2026-07-02The Air War In AfghanistanPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports 1979 Soviet-Afghan War direct conflict-use context by naming An-22 aircraft in the Soviet airlift that brought assault troops and equipment into Kabul. | Accessed: 2026-07-02An-22 Antei combat employmentPublisher: Ispytateli / testpilot.ru | Note: Supports direct An-22 airlift and transport use in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, 1979 Soviet-Afghan War, and 1994 First Chechen War. | Accessed: 2026-07-02ASN An-22A UR-09307 Hostomel damagePublisher: Aviation Safety Network | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context by documenting substantial damage to Antonov Airlines An-22A UR-09307 at Kyiv-Gostomel during the February 24, 2022 Russian attack. | Accessed: 2026-07-02World Airline News Hostomel damage surveyPublisher: World Airline News | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context by reporting Antonov's Hostomel damage survey after the airport was liberated from Russian forces. | Accessed: 2026-07-02Wikimedia Commons Antonov An-22 1Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the primary An-22 photo by Dmitry A. Mottl, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported or GFDL. | Accessed: 2026-07-02Wikimedia Commons An-22 Cock CCCP-09334Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the Monino An-22 CCCP-09334 photo by Alan Wilson, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic. | Accessed: 2026-07-02Wikimedia Commons An-22 Speyer displayPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the Technik Museum Speyer An-22 display photo by Clemens Vasters, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. | Accessed: 2026-07-02Wikimedia Commons An-22 unpaved landing videoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Media provenance for an Antonov Company An-22 unpaved-runway landing video imported from YouTube and reviewed on Commons. | Accessed: 2026-07-02