Until the introduction of the C-5, the Antonov An-22 Antei (Antheus) held the title of the world's largest aircraft although its status as the largest turboprop airplane has yet to be challanged. This four-engined monster has a similar configuration as the An-12 but with a tail unit with twin endplates which actually extend above and below the tailplane. The An-22 has a massively high wing loading (148.8 lbs/sq ft) which gives it an appearance of instability due to its small wings but an otherwise well-though out airframe design provides excellent take-off and climb performance which earned it various world records during its time. One of the most noticeable features of the An-22 is the massive turboprop engines, each with a pair of contra-rotating propellers. Also, the cargo hold is unpressurized and has a large ramp aft of the fuselage for loading, unloading and paradropping of material: it was not uncommon to see large numbers of these aircraft being used for paratroop exercises during the Cold War. Serving with both V-TA and Aeroflot, the An-22 has been partially replaced by the much larger and more modern An-124 although some remain in use with various airlines.

The massive An-22 was flown for the first time on 27 February 1965 and was given the NATO code name 'Cock'. It was first shown in the West during the 1965 Paris Air Show in prototype form with a glazed cockpit and lacking the prominent nose radars. No other major variants were built.