Antonov AN-135: The Forgotten Giant

In the late 1970s, Antonov began sketching plans for what would become the AN-135, a cargo aircraft envisioned as a successor to the AN-125. The goal was ambitious: to surpass the payload capacity, range, and efficiency of any cargo plane in the world. With its design, Antonov sought to bridge the gap between the AN-124 and the yet-to-be-released AN-225, creating an aircraft that could haul massive loads without the limitations of its predecessors.

However, as the AN-225 "Mriya" began to take shape, the need for the AN-135 became questionable. The AN-225 offered unparalleled payload capacity and flexibility, and the AN-124 was already an industry workhorse. In the eyes of Soviet planners, there seemed little point in producing a middle-ground aircraft when the AN-124 handled most tasks efficiently, and the AN-225 was set to handle the extraordinary. This reasoning led to the cancellation of the AN-135 program before mass production could even begin.

Despite the cancellation, Antonov had already completed two prototypes, refusing to let their efforts go entirely to waste. Unfortunately, tragedy struck during the test flights. The first prototype suffered a catastrophic failure due to a computer malfunction, causing the control surfaces on the entire right wing to seize. The aircraft spiraled out of control, crashing during a test flight and killing the entire crew. The second prototype, undamaged and without a clear purpose, was quietly mothballed, locked away in a secure hangar as the world’s attention shifted to the AN-225 and other projects.

As the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, the fate of the AN-135 faded into obscurity, buried beneath the chaos of geopolitical change. The airfield where the second prototype was stored, located in what had become independent Ukraine, fell into disrepair. For years, it was forgotten, left to gather dust behind the closed doors of a neglected hangar.

It wasn’t until five years after the Soviet Union’s collapse that a group of urban explorers stumbled upon the hidden giant. While exploring the derelict airport, they discovered that most of the hangars were open and empty—except for one. Curiosity drove them to break into the hangar through a rusted back door, and inside, they found the AN-135, sitting in eerie silence. Covered in layers of dust, the aircraft's imposing frame resembled that of the AN-124, but with subtle differences—its forgotten lineage unmistakable.

Word of the rediscovery quickly spread, and Antonov Airlines, eager to preserve their history, decided to salvage the second prototype. After careful restoration, the AN-135 was repaired and transported to a museum, where it now stands as a testament to an era of boundless ambition and unrealized potential. The AN-135 remains a symbol of what might have been, a glimpse into the past that narrowly escaped complete oblivion.

My first venture on cargo aircraft on this account.
Thanks for 1000 points!!!