Crazy how big those things can be. C-130 looks like a toy next to even our bigger ones.
There were three aircraft of this general size/configuration. In addition to the An-22, the US developed the Douglas C-133, the Brits the Shorts Belfast. They looked positively elegant next to the An-22. Both the Brits and the US sold their aircraft to private contractors. The Belfasts were often hired from HeavyLift Cargo Lines by the RAF to move oversize cargo. I know there was some character who bought at least a couple C-133s to use them to support the Alaska pipeline and haul timber. To my knowledge, they saw little, if any, actually commercial use.
