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The 'An-225 ''Mriya''' (, NATO reporting name: 'Cossack') is a strategic airlift transport aircraft which was built by Antonov, and is the world's largest flying airplane ever built by the most commonly accepted measure ^[1], maximum gross takeoff weight. The design, built to transport the Buran orbiter, was an enlargement of the successful An-124 ''Ruslan''. ''Mriya'' (''Мрія'') means "dream" (inspiration) in Ukrainian.
With a maximum gross weight of 640 tonnes (1,411,000 lb), the An-225 is the world's heaviest and largest aircraft. The Hughes H-4 Hercules, known to most as the "Spruce Goose", had a greater wingspan and a greater overall height, but is considerably shorter, and due to the materials used in its construction, also lighter. In addition, the Hercules only flew once and never climbed above 70 ft, making the An-225 the largest aircraft in the world to take off multiple times.^[2] The An-225 is also larger than the Airbus A380 airliner, and considerably bigger than the Antonov An-124, 747-400ERF, and C-5 Galaxy, the nearest equivalent heavy airlifters.
In November 2004, FAI placed the An-225 in the Guinness Book of Records for its 240 records.

Contents

Development

Operational service

Use as a launch platform

Specifications (An-225)

References

External links

Related content

Development

The An-225 was designed for the Soviet space program as a replacement for the Myasishchev VM-T. Able to airlift the Energia rocket's boosters and the ''Buran'' space shuttle, its mission and objectives are almost identical to that of the Airbus Beluga and the United States' Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.^[3]
The An-225 is an extension of Antonov's earlier An-124. To meet the needs of its new role, fuselage barrel extensions were added fore and aft of the wings, which received root extensions. Two more Lotarev D-18 turbofan engines were added to the new wing roots, bringing the total to six, and an increased-capacity landing gear system with 32 wheels was designed. The An-124’s rear cargo door and ramp were removed to save weight, and the empennage was changed from a single vertical stabilizer to a twin tail with an oversized horizontal stabilizer. The twin tail was made necessary by the requirement to carry very large and heavy external loads, which would disturb the aerodynamics of a conventional tail. Unlike the An-124, the An-225 was not intended for tactical airlifting and is not designed for short-field operation.
The An-225 first flew on December 21 1988. Two aircraft were ordered, but only one An-225 (tail number UR-82060^[4]) is currently in service. It is commercially available for carrying ultra-heavy and oversize freight, up to 250,000 kg (550,000 lb) internally or 200,000 kg (440,000 lb) on the upper fuselage. Cargo on the upper fuselage can be 70 m long.^[5] A second An-225 was partially built during the late 1980s for use by the Soviet space program. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990 and the cancellation of the Buran space program, the lone operational An-225 was placed in storage. The six Lotarev engines were removed for use on An-124s, and the second An-225 airframe (nearing completion and awaiting engines) was also mothballed.

Operational service

An-225 main landing gear

The An-225 at Manchester Airport in 2006

A size comparison between four of the largest aircraft

In the late 1980s, efforts were begun by the Soviet government to generate revenue from its military assets.
In 1989, a holding company was set up by the Antonov Design Bureau as a heavy airlift shipping corporation under the name "Antonov Airlines", based in Kiev, Ukraine and operating from London Luton Airport in partnership with Air Foyle HeavyLift.^[6].
The company initiated operations with a fleet of four An-124-100s and three Antonov An-12s, but by the late 1990s a need for aircraft larger than the An-124 became apparent. In response, the original An-225 was re-engined, modified for heavy cargo transport, and placed back in service under the management of Antonov Airlines.
On 2001-05-23, the An-225 received its type certificate from the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Register (IAC AR).^[7] The type's first flight in commercial service departed from Stuttgart, Germany on January 3, 2002, and flew to Thumrait, Oman with 216,000 prepared meals for American military personnel based in the region. This vast amount of ready meals was transported on some 375 pallets and weighed 187.5 tons. Antonov Airlines:An-225 Mriya Since then, the An-225 has become the major workhorse of the Antonov Airlines fleet, transporting objects once thought impossible to move by air, such as locomotives and 150-ton generators, and has become a valuable asset to international relief organizations for its ability to quickly transport huge quantities of emergency supplies during disaster relief operations.^[8]
By 2000, it had become apparent that the demand for the An-225 had exceeded the airline's booking capacity, and in September 2006 the decision was made to complete the second An-225. Assembly should be completed by 2008.
Beginning in June 2003, the An-225, along with An-124s, delivered over 800 tonnes of equipment to aid humanitarian efforts in Iraq.^[9] The An-225 has also been contracted by the U.S. government to transport military supplies to the Middle East in support of Coalition forces.

Use as a launch platform

Design work is currently under way to use the aircraft as a flying launch system for future aerospace systems. One of the most promising projects is the MAKS joint Russian/Ukrainian multipurpose aerospace system. When used as a space vehicle air launcher, the aircraft would be fitted with the equipment required for prelaunch preparation of aerospace systems. Implementation of these projects would considerably reduce the cost of transporting payloads into space.

Specifications (An-225)

Orthographically projected diagram of the An-225 Mriya.

References

1. [1]
2. Antonov An-225 Mryia (Cossack)
3. Antonov An-225 Mriya ("Cossack") Greg Goebel
4. Photo on airliners.net
5. Mriya
6. An-225 Mriya, Nato: Cossack
7. TYPE CERTIFICATES FOR AIRCRAFT
8. Antonov An-225
9. The World’s Largest Aeroplanes

External links

★ Official website

★ An-225 - buran-energia.com

★ An-225

★ Payloads

★ Antonov_225_Mriya.kmz .kmz file for Google Earth, marking an An-225 at Gostomel Airport

★ Fly over An-225 Mriya at Gostomel Airport using images and The API of GoogleMaps

★ Satellite image at 50 35'20.57"N 30 12'22.00"E on Google Maps, at UKKM Gostomel "Antonov" Airport north-west of Kiev, Ukraine.

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