https://cast.pudmed.ir/videos/watch/6603b891-f50b-4e0e-8a42-b9c2255302a2 An army marches on its stomach. The Soviet army flew on cargo holds. The USSR built the world's most capable military airlift fleet – from the rugged An-12 to the massive An-124 Ruslan and the ubiquitous Il-76 Candid. This episode covers the Cargo Giants – the planes that dropped paratroopers, delivered tanks, and evacuated wounded from Afghanistan. In this full-length episode: 🚛 An-12 Cub – The Soviet C-130 – Four turboprops, rear ramp, and the ability to land on dirt strips. Over 1,200 built. We examine its service in Afghanistan, its role in the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia, and its continued use by bizarre operators (including a civilian crash in 2022). 📦 Il-76 Candid – The Heavy Lifter – The backbone of Soviet military airlift. Four turbojets, 40-ton payload, and the ability to airdrop tanks via parachute. We break down its design, its dozens of variants (tanker, AWACS, firefighter), and its modern combat use over Syria and Ukraine. 🏗 An-124 Ruslan – The Superheavy – The Soviet answer to the C-5 Galaxy. 150-ton payload, nose and tail loading doors, and the ability to carry an entire train locomotive. We cover its 1982 debut, its commercial success (Antonov Airlines), and its modern revival (Russia now building new An-124s without Ukraine). ✈️ The Giant of Giants – An-225 Mriya – The heaviest aircraft ever flown. We revisit its cargo missions (carrying 250-ton generators, even a Buran space shuttle) and its 2022 destruction at Hostomel Airport. 🪂 Paratrooper Delivery – How Soviet transport planes dropped the VDV (Airborne Troops) – the elite of the Red Army. The BMD-1 parachuting from an Il-76. The terrifying reality of a night drop behind enemy lines. Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:43:42 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://cast.pudmed.ir https://cast.pudmed.ir/lazy-static/avatars/eed1cb33-d04c-4158-b000-2f2fb9545c13.png https://cast.pudmed.ir/videos/watch/6603b891-f50b-4e0e-8a42-b9c2255302a2 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://cast.pudmed.ir/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.