It is designed to transport heavy and large-sized weapons, military equipment and troops over long distances, as well as to parachute and land airborne assaults. The first flight was made in 1965. Serially produced 69 copies, including two for strength testing. It was used in the USSR Air Force, continues to be used in the Russian Air Force and the Ukrainian airline "Antonov Airlines".
The giant An-22 military transport aircraft was named "Antey" in honor of the invincible giant from Greek mythology - Antey. Antaeus was the son of the earth goddess Gaia and could endlessly receive new strength from contact with the earth and therefore never got tired. However, the name "Antey" for the plane is not very suitable, because when Hercules fought the giant Antey and tore him off the ground, lifting him high into the air, Antey's strength quickly dried up. Thanks to this, Hercules was able to kill him. The ambiguity of this situation also lay in the fact that the Greek name Hercules or Hercules - in the ancient Roman adaptation - the name given to the American military transport aircraft Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
