Could the An-22's tire pressure be changed in flight?

Short answer

Yes, but not across the whole fleet: An-22s from the early production batches could adjust tire pressure in flight for optimal landing behavior. The gear was robust and suited to runways in poor condition. It set 41 records for speed, payload and altitude with load.

Published: November 2, 2026 · Updated: November 2, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Could the An-22's tire pressure be changed in flight?

Soviet Heavy Transport Airplane Antonov An-22. Советский тяжелый транспортный самолет Ан-22Peer.Gynt (CC BY SA), vía commons

A pressure for every type of runway

An-22s from the early production batches could adjust tire pressure in flight, in order to achieve optimal landing behavior. The landing gear was relatively robust and therefore suited to runways in poor condition.

A fuselage organized around the cargo

Among the An-22's traditional design features was the high-mounted wing, which allowed a relatively large cargo hold, 33 m long with 639 m³ of usable volume. The future transport's hold had to accommodate no fewer than four BMD-1s, whereas the preceding An-12 could only carry one.

Engines, crew and records

The aircraft carries four Kuznetsov NK-12MA turboprops, each rated at 11,000 kW (15,000 shp). Each engine drives a set of eight contra-rotating, constant-speed, reversible-pitch propeller blades. The cockpit normally accommodated two pilots, two engineers and a radio operator. Over its long career, the An-22 set 41 different records for speed, payload and altitude with load.