Antonov An-225 Mriya
The Antonov An-225 Mriya (NATO reporting name: Cossack) is a strategic airlift transport airplane that was built by Antonov (ASTC). It was designed for the Soviet space program, as a replacement for the Myasishchev M-4, for the purpose of carrying the Energia rocket's boosters and to also be able to carry the Buran space shuttle in piggy-back mode, much the same as the American Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Mriya means "dream" in Ukrainian.
The An-225 is an extension of the earlier An-124 design. The following items were changed:
- Fuselage barrel extensions before and behind wings
- Wing root extensions
- Two extra engines, both on the wing root extensions
- No rear ramp/door assembly
- 32-wheel landing gear system
- Two vertical stabilizers offset from the centerline, and an oversized horizontal stabilizer, as opposed to the smaller horizontal stabilizer and single centerline vertical stabilizer of the An-124
The An-225 first flew on 21 December 1988. Only one An-225 Mriya is currently in service. It is commercially available for carrying ultra heavy and/or oversize freight. It can carry up to 250 tons (551,155 lb.) of cargo. A second Mriya was partially built—in connection with the Soviet space program—but was never completed. The idea of possibly completing the second Mriya and bringing it into service has been floated by Antonov, though this will likely depend strictly on (oversize cargo) market demand.
At 600 metric tons, the An-225 Mriya is the world's heaviest aircraft ever, although its wingspan is less than that of the "Spruce Goose", Howard Hughes' flying boat, which never went beyond a single short low-altitude test flight. Both the An-124 and An-225 are larger than the C-5 Galaxy, the largest aircraft in the U.S. inventory.
The Mriya has recently (in 2003) been spotted at Shannon Airport, Ireland and in various U.S. airports. It was hired for transporting cargo to the Gulf to support the occupation and reconstruction of Iraq [1] [2].
Specifications
- Engines: (six) ZMDB Progress D-18 turbofans 229.5 kN (51,590 lbf)
- Wing Span: 88.74 m (290 ft.)
- Length: 84 m (275 ft.)
- Maximum take off weight: 600,000 kg (1,322,770 lb.)
- Cruising speed: 850 km/h (530 mph)
- Range with 200,000 kg (440,000 lb.): 4,500 km (2,795 mi.).
References
- Antonov Aeronautical Scientific/Technical Complex (Antonov ASTC)
- Antonov ASTC - Mriya
- Aircraft-Info.net - Antonov An-225
- An-225 Mriya, Nato: Cossack
External Links
Related content
Related development: An-124
Comparable aircraft:
Designation sequence: An-180 - An-204 - An-218 - An-225
See also: List of civil aircraft