DUSHANBE, March 9, 2016, Asia-Plus — Russia’s Antonov-124s have airlifted military equipment and other supplies to Tajikistan for a joint Tajik-Russian military exercise.
According to the press center of Russia’s Central Military District, mobile management point and automated communications engineering systems as well as military police units have been airlifted to Tajikistan.
The joint military exercise reportedly involves military management bodies of the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan and Russia’s Central Military District, motor-rifle, tank and paratrooper units, as well as sappers and military medics. A joint air force group and drones will provide an air support.
The purpose of the exercise is reportedly to rehearse coordination and interaction in combat missions in mountains.
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (NATO reporting name: Condor) is a strategic airlift jet aircraft. It was designed by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukrainian SSR, then part of the Soviet Union (USSR). Until the Boeing 747-8F, the An-124 was, for thirty years, the world”s highest aircraft gross weight production cargo airplane and second heaviest operating cargo aircraft, behind the one-off Antonov An-225 (a greatly enlarged design based on the An-124). The An-124 remains the largest military transport aircraft in the world.
