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.

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.