Nose and Main Landing Gears of the most advanced military transport aircraft of the 21st century

The landing gear system encompasses the dressed nose and main landing gears fitted with wheels and carbon brakes, the extension and retraction system, kneeling system as well as the steering system. To meet the requirement of soft-field landing capability for unprepared runways, each of the main landing gears consists of three independent twin-wheel assemblies housed in the aircraft's aerodynamic fuselage sponsons. This twelve-wheel configuration contains the "high flotation" characteristics necessary for landings on unprepared terrain. The main landing gear shock absorbers ensure a minimum distance between the ground and aircraft structure whatever the loading conditions, thus preserving the integrity of the aircraft structure.