Currently the world's largest airplane, the An-225 Mriya (dream) is an enlarged version of the An-124. The original purpose of the An-225 was to ferry large components used in the Soviet space program. These duties were formerly performed by a modified M-4 Molot bomber, but this aircraft did not have the payload capabilities required by the rocketry developments of the 1980s. Antonov was called upon to develop a new aircraft capable of carrying the Buran space shuttle, components of the Energiya rocket, or other large cargos required by the construction and mining industries.
To minimize the An-225 development effort, Antonov used the existing An-124 as a starting point. This design was modified by lengthening the fuselage, increasing the wingspan, adding two engines, and redesigning the tail with twin vertical fins. The rear cargo doors were also removed to reduce weight although the An-225 retains a nose door. The greater weight of the An-225 also required four additional pairs of main landing gear tires.
The An-225 took to the air for the first time in 1988 and quickly set 106 world records in just one flight. The massive plane, complete with the Buran orbiter attached, also made quite a stir at the Paris air show in 1989. However, the abandonment of the Buran program after the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the grounding of the sole An-225.
The An-225 remained in storage in Ukraine for several years until 2000. At that time, Antonov spent $20 million to upgrade the aircraft with new avionics and other modern equipment. The updated An-225, referred to as the An-225-100, entered service in 2001 as a commercial transport for heavy and oversized freight. The plane was operated jointly by Antonov and the British firm Air Foyle until 2006 when Antonov instead partnered with Volga-Dnepr.
Construction of a second An-225 had also begun during the 1980s but was stopped in 1994. However, demand for the first plane proved large enough that Antonov has discussed completing the second An-225 to the same refurbished standard as the An-225-100. This new cargo transport was said to be due for completion in mid-2008, but no further work has been performed.
Country of origin
Ukraine
Type
Extra-Large cargo aircraft
History
Antonov An-225 "Mriya" is the world's largest aircraft. When it was built, it surpassed any airliner built before by 50%. It was designed for the transportation of the Russian Space Shuttle "Buran" by the Antonov Design Bureau (HQ in Kiev, Ukraine), which already had built good and large cargo aircraft such as the Antonov An-124 "Ruslan". The basic configuration of the An-225 is the same as the An-124, except the An-225 is longer, has no rear ramp/door assembly, and incorporates a 32-wheel landing gear system (two nose and fourteen main wheel bogies, seven per side, each with two wheels).
An-225 "Mriya" ("Mriya" is Ukrainian word for "dream) is also capable to transport other oversized objects/cargo. It is not a military aircraft, but it could find many military uses, because of the ability to transport cargo that no other aircraft is capable to.
The plane had the first flight in early 1988 and entered service in 1989. It's first flight took 75 minutes. After the cancellation of the Buran space program, the only An-225 built was stored in spring 1994, and it's engines were used for An-124s. In 2001 the aircraft was made airworthy again, and made it's new first flight on May 7. There were rumors that the European Space Agency had plans to launch the unmanned British HoTOL (Horizontal Take-Off and Landing) from the An-225, though these rumors appear to be unfounded. Although, some possibilities for deployment have already been found. Plenty of customers are to be found in the USA. According to Bruce Bird, Director of the Charter Division of Air Foyle, parts of rocket launchers like the Delta and Atlas could be transported in the An-225. Lockheed's planned Venture Star could be transported on its back. Additionally the Mrija could serve as a launch platform for the X-34B. Furthermore big sections of aircraft could be transported in it. The complete assembled fuselage of a Boeing 737 can be fitted in the hold.
Powerplants
6x Progress-D-18T
Performance
Max. speed - 528mph (850km/h), range with max payload - 2425nm (4500km), range with no cargo - 8310nm (15400km).
Weights
Max. take off weight -- 600000kg
Dimensions
Wingspan 290 ft (88.4m), lenght -- 84,00m, height -- 18,10.
Capacity
Maximum load: 551150lbs (250000kg)
Production
Only one was built since 1989, but a second frame was partially constructed and remains in storage.
Mriya had to become the first stage of the system of the aerial launch of a space ship, flying cosmodrome, from which a space shuttle with a tank having total mass of 170 t had to start to the orbit. Initially, the main task of the AN-225 was transportation of various parts of Energiya carrier-rocket and Buran space ship, which had been manufactured at the enterprises of central regions of the USSR, and final assembly should have been performed at Baikonour. Projected length of some of them reached 60 meters and diameter – 8 meters. Range of transportation was 1500-2500 km. Besides, depending to mission, performed on the orbit, Bouran could land on different airdromes. From there it was necessary to deliver it again to Baikonour, to the place of previous launch.
Mriya with Buran on its external store performed 14 flights with total duration of 28 hours and 27 minutes. They had been performed from the airfields located in various climatic zones of the USSR: in Gostomel, Akhtoubinsk, Baikonour, Borispol, Vnukovo, Yelizovo, Ramenskoye, Chkalovskaya, Khabarovsk. However, after collapse of the USSR, financing of Energiya-Bouran programme was terminated and the project stopped.
In 2000, modernization of the AN-225 was started. The aim was use of the airplane for transportation of commercial cargoes. The decision had been taken due to many applications sent to Antonov Airlines for transportation of cargoes heavier than the AN-124-100 Ruslan’s payload. Than Mriya passed certification tests and on May 23, 2001, Aviation Register of Interstate Aviation Committee (AR IAC) and Ukraviatrans issued type certificates to the AN-225. Since that till present, the airplane has been performing commercial transportations in the fleet of Antonov Airlines, transport subdivision of ANTONOV Company.
The aircraft has the spacious cargo compartment with length of 43,32 m, width of 6.4 m and height of 4.4 m, that allows carrying a variety of cargoes inside. For instance,
sixteen standard aeronautical containers of UAC-10 type;
50 cars;
single piece of cargoes up to 200 t (turbines, generators, dump trucks - Belaz, Kamatsu, Euclid, etc.).
The cargo compartment is pressurized that extends the aircraft transport capabilities. The airborne cargo handling equipment and also the design of the forward cargo door with a ramp ensure the quick and easy loading/unloading operations. The aircraft is capable to transport the unique cargoes outside the fuselage which dimensions do not allow to place them at the other land-base vehicles and aircraft. There is an appropriate load security system to attach these cargoes to the fuselage.
Mriya has set up 240 world records including transportation of the heaviest cargo with mass of 253 tons, the heaviest single peace of cargo with mass of 186,7 t as well as the longest cargo having length of 42,1 m. But the main thing is that Mriya serves people reliably. The airplane repeatedly participated in humanitarian operations. Thus in October, 2009 the AN-225 performed several flights on delivery generators to Samoa. They were necessary for renewal of work of Satala electric station damaged by tsunami. Only spacious cabin of the AN-225 could accommodate ten 12-tons generators at once. Each of them was as large as 6-meters container. Felise Kaisia, representative of the Centre on extraordinary situation of interior troops of Samoa, said: “Generators were fully destroyed by the waves, that is why electric station in the centre of Satala which supplies energy to all eastern coast had been stopped. By this reason namely delivery of new generators in the shortest terms was so necessary”.
In February 2010, Mriya transported large-size construction machinery (bulldozers, trucks, tractors, loaders) for liquidation of aftermath of earthquake on Haiti. Cargo weighing 108 tons was delivered from Tokyo (Japan) to Santo-Domingo (Dominican Republic) by order of government of Japan, and after it by ground – to Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. They chose Mriya taking into account necessity of urgent delivery. Its spacious cabin only could contain such a large cargo.
On March 25, 2011, the AN-225 Mriya delivered to Japan humanitarian cargoes, generators and technique with total mass of 140 t. The AN-225 landed in Narita airport (Tokyo). The flight had been performed by order of French government.
Researches on use of the AN-225 as the first stage of a space complex for commercial launches of the useful cargoes into space is in progress. One of the most advanced projects is the MAKS joint Russian/Ukrainian multipurpose aerospace system. It foresees delivery of the 8.5-10 tons of useful load in a piloted version and 18-19 tons in unmanned version to the orbit.
In 2009 works on the extension of the aircraft life time up to 25 years as well as on upgrading avionic and other equipment were performed.
Antonov An-225,
Antonov An-225 Mriya
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Nidhi Jain [ MBA eComm]
Asst Project Manager [ eComm]
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