Trade Resources Logistics & Customs Ruslan Has Handled The Movement of a Massive Deck Loader for The Boeing 747 Dreamlifter

Ruslan Has Handled The Movement of a Massive Deck Loader for The Boeing 747 Dreamlifter

Ruslan International – the joint venture company that manages and markets a 17-strong fleet of Antonov An-124 aircraft – has handled the movement of a massive deck loader for the Boeing 747 Dreamlifter.

The special cargo loader, which is used for loading and unloading 787 parts from the 747 Dreamlifter, weighed 109,000 kgs. At 33.13 m long, 6.08 m wide and 3.44 m high, it was one of the largest and heaviest pieces ever carried in the giant An-124, and fitted the aircraft with only 10cm clearance.

The wheeled loader was winched onto the An-124 at Riverside Air Force Base, Riverside County, California, and flown to Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina – a distance of 1,900 nm / 3,500 km.

The Boeing Dreamlifter is a modified 747-400 passenger aircraft, and is the primary means of transporting major Boeing 787 Dreamliner assemblies from suppliers around the world to the 787 final assembly plant in Everett, Washington State. Four Dreamlifters are in operation.

AN-124

The Antonov An-124 “Ruslan” was first flown for military purposes in 1982, and civil certification was issued in 1992. The aircraft was manufactured in parallel by the Russian company Aviastar-SP and by the Kyiv Aviation Plant AVIANT, in Ukraine. The last airframe was completed in 2004, but plans are now afoot to re-start production.

Externally, the An-124 is similar to the American military Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but has a 25% larger payload. An-124s have been used to carry a wide variety of loads including railway locomotives, ocean yachts, aircraft fuselages, B777 engines, and even the occasional elephant. The An-124 is able to kneel to allow easier front loading. The cargo compartment of the An-124 measures 36.5m x 6.4m x 4.4m and the maximum payload is 120,000 kg.

Source: http://www.tandlnews.com.au/2014/05/22/article/boeings-giant-high-loader-goes-by-antonov/
Contribute Copyright Policy
Boeing's Giant High Loader Goes by Antonov
Topics: Service