The Russian Air Force will begin receiving new An-124 Ruslan (Condor) heavy-lift transport aircraft from United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) in 2014.

UAC will produce 20 An-124 Ruslan aircraft, each at a cost of $200m, by 2020, as part of the state arms procurement programme, according to RIA Novosti.

The world’s third-largest aircraft, after the An-225 and the Airbus A380F, the An-124 Ruslan has a maximum payload of 150t with a flight range of around 3,000km.

The Defence Ministry resumed the normal production of the An-124, which could be used both for domestic and military purposes.

In April 2008, Russia and Ukraine signed a preliminary agreement to resume production of the An-124 aircraft.