Antonov An-225 Mriya

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225_Mriya

The Antonov An-225 Mriya (Ukrainian: ??????? ??-225 ????, lit. 'dream' or
'inspiration', NATO reporting name: "Cossack") is a strategic airlift cargo
aircraft that was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukrainian SSR
within the Soviet Union during the 1980s. It is powered by six turbofan engines
and is the heaviest aircraft ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 640
tonnes (710 short tons; 630 long tons). It also has the largest wingspan of any
aircraft in operational service. The single example built has the Ukrainian
civil registration UR-82060. A second airframe with a slightly different
configuration was partially built. Its construction was halted in 1994 because
of lack of funding and interest, but revived briefly in 2009, bringing it to
60–70% completion. On 30 August 2016, Antonov agreed to complete the second
airframe for Aerospace Industry Corporation of China (not to be confused with
the Aviation Industry Corporation of China) as a prelude to AICC commencing
series production.

The Antonov An-225, initially developed for the task of transporting the Buran
spaceplane, was an enlargement of the successful Antonov An-124. The first and
only An-225 was completed in 1988. After successfully fulfilling its Soviet
military missions, it was mothballed for eight years. It was then refurbished
and re-introduced, and is in commercial operation with Antonov Airlines carrying
oversized payloads. The airlifter holds the absolute world records for an
airlifted single-item payload of 189,980 kilograms (418,830 pounds), and an
airlifted total payload of 253,820 kg (559,580 lb). It has also transported a
payload of 247,000 kg (545,000 lb) on a commercial flight.

The Antonov An-225 was designed to airlift the Energia rocket's boosters and the
Buran orbiter 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 with a 74-minute flight from Kiev. 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 (registration CCCP-82060 later 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 m (230 ft) long.

A second An-225 was partially built during the late 1980s for the Soviet space
program. 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. When it became clear that a
cargoliner bigger than the An-124 was needed, the first An-225 was re-engined
and put back into service.

By 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,
the 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 aircraft is 60–70%
complete.

Based on Antonov's earlier An-124, the An-225 has fuselage barrel extensions
added fore and aft of the wings. The wings also received root extensions to
increase span. The wings are anhedral. The flight control surfaces are
controlled via fly-by-wire and triple-redundant hydraulics. Two more Progress
D-18T turbofan engines were added to the new wing roots, bringing the total to
six. An increased-capacity landing gear system with 32 wheels was designed, some
of which are steerable, enabling the aircraft to turn within a 60-metre-wide
(200 ft) runway. Like its An-124 predecessor, the An-225 has nose gear designed
to "kneel" so cargo can be more easily loaded and unloaded. Unlike the An-124,
which has a rear cargo door and ramp, the An-225 design left these off to save
weight, and the empennage design was changed from a single vertical stabilizer
to a twin tail with an oversized, swept-back horizontal stabilizer. The twin
tail was essential to enable the plane to carry large, heavy external loads that
would disturb the airflow around a conventional tail. Unlike the An-124, the
An-225 was not intended for tactical airlifting and is not designed for
short-field operation.


Role
Outsize cargo freight aircraft

National origin
Soviet Union

Design group
Antonov

Built by
Antonov Serial Production Plant

First flight
21 December 1988

Status
In service

Primary user
Antonov Airlines

Produced
1985

Number built
1

Developed from
Antonov An-124

Contracted flights

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 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 150-tonne
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. An example
of the cost of shipping cargo by An-225 was over 2 million DKK (approx.
€266,000) for flying a chimney duct from Billund, Denmark to Kazakhstan in 2004.

On 11 August 2009, the heaviest single cargo item ever sent via air freight was
loaded onto the An-225. At 16.23 m (53.2 ft) long and 4.27 m (14.0 ft) wide, its
consignment, a generator for a gas power plant in Armenia along with its loading
frame, weighed in at a record 189 tonnes (417,000 lb).

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, two
42.1 m (138 ft) test wind turbine blades from Tianjin, China to Skrydstrup,
Denmark.

Specifications (An-225 Mriya)

General characteristics
Crew: 6
Length: 84 m (275 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 88.4 m (290 ft 0 in)
Height: 18.1 m (59 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 905 m2 (9,740 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 8.6
Empty weight: 285,000 kg (628,317 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 640,000 kg (1,410,958 lb)
Fuel capacity: more than 300,000 kg (661,000) lbs
Cargo hold – volume 1,300 m3 (46,000 cu ft), 43.35 m (142.2 ft) long × 6.4 m (21
ft) wide × 4.4 m (14 ft) tall
Powerplant: 6 × Progress D-18T turbofans, 229.5 kN (51,600 lbf) thrust each

Performance
Maximum speed: 850 km/h (530 mph, 460 kn)
Cruise speed: 800 km/h (500 mph, 430 kn)
Range: 15,400 km (9,600 mi, 8,300 nmi) with maximum fuel; range with 200 tonnes
payload: 4,000 km (2,500 mi)
Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,000 ft)
Wing loading: 662.9 kg/m2 (135.8 lb/sq ft)
Thrust/weight: 0.234




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