Russian AN-12 military aircraft makes hard landing in the Kuril Islands

An AN-12 military transport aircraft of the Russian Air Force made a hard landing in the Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories, on Tuesday afternoon.

According to multiple reports, Russian AN-12 military transport aircraft (tail number “09” red) landed slightly to the left of the runway due to a snowstorm on 9 February. The incident occurred as the Antonov AN-12 aircraft came into land at a base in Iturup, known in Japanese as Etorofu.

Officials declined to elaborate about possible damage to the aircraft but noted that while the landing didn’t cause any injuries.

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The Antonov AN-12 is a Soviet-era four-engined turboprop transport aircraft.

For more than three decades the AN-12 was the standard medium-range cargo and paratroop transport aircraft and became the basic airplane of the Soviet Union military transport aviation.

A total of 1,248 were eventually built.

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