Russian Antonov An-22s to be retired

Russia plans to cease operating its remaining fleet of Cold War-era An-22 (NATO reporting name: Cock) strategic transports, the world’s largest turboprop-driven aircraft.The move to withdraw the type was announced by Lt Gen Vladimir Benediktov, commander of the air arm’s Military Transport Aviation command, who revealed the upcoming retirement plans to Solovyov Live TV on June 4. While he did not disclose a specific date for when the surviving An-22s would be retired from Russian Aerospace Forces (RuAF) service, he