Ukraine's Antonov An‑124 powers Spanish Chinook delivery to Iraq

One of the Ukrainian aerial giants, the Antonov An-124 plane, recently visited Poland, where it helped transport a Naval Missile Unit for the SeaShield24 exercises to Romania. This time, the world's largest mass-produced cargo plane was spotted with Chinook F helicopters. These helicopters, of Spanish origin, have been delivered to Iraq.

The Spanish military took advantage of the Antonov An-124 Ruslan plane's transportation capabilities. The aircraft was used to transport two Chinook F transport helicopters to Iraq. In total, three such helicopters will be sent there for their first foreign mission. The Bulgarian military service notes that the transport required dismantling the rotor blades and some other parts of the helicopters.

The Chinook F helicopters will replace the four Airbus AS532 Cougar helicopters previously used by the Spanish forces. They served in Task Force Toro as part of the international mission Inherent Resolve, which aims, among other things, to support Iraq in the fight against terrorism and to strengthen stability in the region. The helicopters will be sent to the Al Asad base located north of Baghdad, where foreign military contingents, including American forces, are stationed.

The service Info Defensa points out that the Spanish Ministry of Defense often uses An-124 planes to transport military equipment for foreign missions. It also explains that the planes are contracted through the company DSV, a Spanish defence logistics operator, and the An-124 is considered the fastest means of transport when military equipment cannot be transported on board the Spanish air forces' Airbus A400 M.

For comparison, the An-124 plane has a length of about 70 metres, and its wingspan reaches more than 73 metres. The empty plane weighs about 175 tonnes. It has a 36-metre-long cargo hold, which allows transporting cargo weighing up to about 130 tonnes. The Ruslan can move at speeds up to about 865 km/h. Meanwhile, the Airbus A400M is a plane about 44 metres in length and a wingspan of over 42 metres. Its weight is about 70 tonnes, and its takeoff weight is 141 tonnes. The machine can move at speeds up to about 779 km/h.