Antonov 124

The Antonov An-124 Ruslan is a large strategic airlift four-engined aircraft designed by the Antonov design bureau in the 1980s. It is the world's second heaviest gross weight production cargo airplane and heaviest operating cargo aircraft, behind the destroyed Antonov An-225 Mriya. The An-124 remains the largest military transport aircraft in service and was first developed in response to a shortage in heavy airlift capability within the Soviet Military Transport Aviation Command. The aircraft made its maiden flight in 1982 and obtained civil certification in 1992, with various commercial operators purchasing the type over the years. By 2013, 26 An-124s were in commercial service and a further 10 were on order, but production has been shelved due to ongoing political tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The aircraft's original designer, Viktor Tolmachev, is responsible for managing the certification process, but this is being made difficult by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.learn more on wikipedia