Antonov An-22

The Antonov An-22 Antei, a name meaning Antaeus, with the NATO reporting name Cock, is a retired heavy turboprop military transport aircraft developed by the Antonov Design Bureau and produced by the Tashkent State Aircraft Factory in the Soviet Union. It was designed in the early 1960s to meet a Soviet need for a large strategic airlifter to supplement the smaller An-8 and An-12. Despite its size it has a fairly conventional layout with a high-mounted wing, and four Kuznetsov NK-12MA turboprop engines each drive a pair of contra-rotating propellers. The prototype made its maiden flight on 27 February 1965 and was shown at the Paris Air Show that same year. The first two production aircraft were delivered to the Air Transport Wing at Ivanovo Airbase in 1969.