The Antonov An-225 Mriya (Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-225 Мрія,
Dream, NATO reporting name: 'Cossack') is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft,
designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s. It is the world's heaviest
aircraft. The design, built in order to transport the Buran orbiter, was an
enlargement of the successful Antonov An-124. The An-225's name, Mriya (Мрiя)
means "Dream" (Inspiration) in Ukrainian.
The first An-225 was completed in 1988 and a second An-225
has been partially completed. The completed An-225 is in commercial operation
with Antonov Airlines carrying oversized payloads.
Development
The Antonov An-225 was designed to airlift the Energia
rocket's boosters and the Buran space shuttle for the Soviet space program. It
was developed as a replacement for the Myasishchev VM-T. The An-225's original
mission and objectives are almost identical to that of the United States'
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
The An-225 first flew on 21 December 1988. The aircraft was
on static display at the Paris Air Show in 1989 and it flew during the public
days at the Farnborough air show in 1990. Two aircraft were ordered, but only
one An-225 (tail number UR-82060) was finished. It can carry 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
metres (230 ft) long.
A second An-225 was partially built during the late 1980s
for the Soviet space program. The second An-225 included a rear cargo door and
a redesigned tail with a single vertical stabilizer. It was planned to be more
effective for cargo transportation.Following the collapse of the Soviet Union
in 1991 and the cancellation of the Buran space program, the lone operational
An-225 was placed in storage in 1994.The six Ivchenko Progress engines were
removed for use on An-124s, and the second uncompleted An-225 airframe was also
stored. The first An-225 was later re-engined and put into serviceBy 2000, the
need for additional An-225 capacity had become apparent, so the decision was
made in September 2006 to complete the second An-225. The second airframe was
scheduled for completion around 2008, then delayed. By August 2009, the
aircraft had not been completed and work had been abandoned.In May 2011 Antonov
CEO is reported to have said that the completion of a second An-225 Mriya
transport aircraft with a carrying capacity of 250 tons requires at least $300
million, but if the financing is provided, its completion could be achieved in
three years.According to different sources, the second jet is 60-70% complete.
Design
Based on Antonov's earlier An-124, the An-225 has fuselage
barrel extensions added fore and aft of the wings, which received root
extensions to increase span. Two more Ivchenko Progress D-18T 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 essential to enable the
plane to carry large, heavy external loads that 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.
Initially the 225 had a maximum gross weight of 600 tonnes
(1,320,000 lb) but the aircraft was modified in 2000–01, at a cost of US$20M,
with a reinforced floor that increased the maximum gross weight to 640 tonnes
(1,410,000 lb).
Both the earlier and later takeoff weights establish the
An-225 as the world's heaviest aircraft, being heavier than the double-deck
Airbus A380 even though Airbus plans to pass the An-225's maximum landing
weight with 591.7 tonnes (1,304,000 lb) for the A380. The Hughes H-4 Hercules,
known as the "Spruce Goose", had a greater wingspan and a greater
overall height, but was 20% shorter, and due to the materials used in its
construction, also lighter. In addition, the Hercules only flew once, making
the An-225 the largest aircraft in the world to fly multiple times. The An-225
is larger than the Airbus A380 airliner, and also bigger than the Antonov
An-124, Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter, and Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, the nearest
equivalent heavy cargo aircraft.
Operational
history
In the late 1970s, 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.
As the Soviet space program was in its last years, the
An-225 was employed as the prime method of transporting the Buran Shuttle.
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 23 May 2001, the An-225 received its type certificate
from the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Register (IAC AR). In September
2001, carrying 4 main battle tanks at a record load of 253.82 tonnes (279.79
short tons) of cargo, the An-225 flew at an altitude of 2 km (6,600 ft) over a
closed circuit of 1,000 km (620 mi) at a speed of 763.2 km/h (474.2 mph).
The type's first flight in commercial service departed from
Stuttgart, Germany on 3 January 2002, and flew to Thumrait, Oman with 216,000
prepared meals for American military personnel based in the region. This vast
number of ready meals was transported on some 375 pallets and weighed 187.5
tons.
The An-225 has since become the workhorse of the Antonov
Airlines fleet, transporting objects once thought impossible to move by air,
such as locomotives and 150-ton generators. It has become an asset to
international relief organizations for its ability to quickly transport huge
quantities of emergency supplies during disaster relief operations.
The An-225 has been contracted by the Canadian and U.S.
governments to transport military supplies to the Middle East in support of
Coalition forces.In November 2004, FAI placed the An-225 in the Guinness Book
of Records for its 240 records. An example of the cost of shipping cargo by
An-225 was €266,000 for flying a chimney duct from Denmark to Kazakhstan in
2008.
On 11 August 2009, the heaviest single cargo item ever sent
via air freight was loaded onto the Antonov 225. At 16.23 metres (53.2 ft) long
and 4.27 metres (14.0 ft) wide, the consignment–a generator for a gas power
plant in Armenia and its loading frame–weighed in at a record 189 tonnes
(420,000 lb).[Also during 2009, the An-225 was painted in a new blue and yellow
paint scheme,after Antonov ceased cooperation with AirFoyle and partnered with
Volga-Dnepr in 2006.
On 11 June 2010, the An-225 carried the world's longest
piece of air cargo, when it flew two new 42-meter test wind turbine blades from
Tianjin, China to Denmark.
Specification
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SPECIFICATIONS
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Official Name:
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An-225, Mriya
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Wingspan:
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290 ft.
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Length:
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275 ft. 7 in.
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Height:
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59 ft. 8-1/2 in.
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Cargo Hold:
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Length: 141 ft.;
Width: 21 ft.;
Height: 14 ft. 5-1/4 in.
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Engines:
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Six ZMKB Progress
Lotarev D-18T turbofans each producing 51,590 lb. of thrust
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Crew:
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7
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Max Takeoff Weight:
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1,322,750 lb.
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Max Payload:
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551,150 lb.
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Cruising Speed:
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497 mph
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Max Speed:
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528 mph
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Range With Max
Payload:
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2813 miles
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Range With Max Fuel:
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9625 miles
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