The Antonov An-225 Mriya "Cossack"

Construction of a second An-225 had also begun during the 1980s but was stopped in 1994. However, demand for the first plane has proven large enough that Antonov has begun refurbishing the second An-225. This new cargo transport is due for completion in mid-2008.

An-225 Mriya

The Antonov-225 at Gostomel Airport (Antonov airport), Ukraine
Role	Strategic airlifter
Manufacturer	Antonov
First flight	21 December 1988
Status	Operational
Primary user	Antonov Airlines (1)
Produced	1988
Number built	1 + 1 under construction
Developed from	Antonov An-124

The An-225 Mriya (Russian: Антонов Ан-225 Мрия, Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-225 Мрія, NATO reporting name: 'Cossack') is a strategic airlift transport aircraft which was built by the Antonov Design Bureau, and is the largest fixed-wing aircraft ever built. The design, built to transport the Buran orbiter, was an enlargement of the successful An-124 Ruslan. Mriya (Мрiя) means "Dream" (Inspiration) in Ukrainian.

The Antonov An-225 is commercially available for flying any over-sized payload due to the unique size of its cargo deck. Currently there is only one aircraft operating but a second mothballed airframe is being reconditioned and is scheduled for completion around 2010.^[1]

It is placed into the Guinness Book of World Records as marking the airplane's transporting the heaviest one-piece payload – a generator weighing 174 tonnes (the overall weight of the load was 187.6 tonnes).^[2]

Development

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Space shuttle Buran being carried by the An-225

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 United States' Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.^[3]

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^[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^[3] 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. If the second An-225 is completed, it will be built with a rear cargo door and the tail will be redesigned as a single tail. It would then be more effective for cargo transportation^[6]. 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 Ivchenko Progress engines were removed for use on An-124s, and the second An-225 airframe (nearing completion and awaiting engines) was also mothballed.

Design

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An-225 main landing gear

An-225 Ivchenko Progress D-18T turbofan engines

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 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 in order to enable the plane to carry very large and heavy external loads, which would otherwise 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.^[3]

With a maximum gross weight of 600 tones (1,300,000 lb), the An-225 remains as the world's heaviest and largest aircraft, being even bigger than the current double-decker Airbus A380 even though Airbus plans to pass their current maximum landing weight with 591.7 tons^[7]. The Hughes H-4 Hercules, known to most as the "Spruce Goose", had a greater wingspan and a greater overall height, but was considerably shorter, and due to the materials used in its construction, also lighter. In addition, the Hercules only flew once and never climbed above 21.3 m (70 ft), making the An-225 the largest aircraft in the world to take off multiple times.^[8] The An-225 is not only larger than the Airbus A380 airliner, it is also considerably bigger than the Antonov An-124, Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter, and Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, the nearest equivalent heavy airlifters.

In September 2001, carrying a record load of 253.82 tones of cargo, the An-225 flew at an altitude of two kilometers (6,500 feet) over a closed circuit of 1,000 km (620 mi) at a speed of 763.2 kilometers per hour (474.2 mph).^[9]

In November 2004, FAI placed the An-225 in the Guinness Book of Records for its 240 records.

Operational History

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At Manchester Airport in 2006

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.^[5]^[10]

As the Soviet space program was in its last years, the An-225 was considered and accepted to be the prime way to transport the Buran Shuttle. The Buran Shuttle was a spacecraft much like the United States' Space 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.

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Data from Vectorsite,^[3] Antonov's Heavy Transports^[15]

On 23 May 2001, the An-225 received its type certificate from the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Register (IAC AR).^[11] 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.^[12]

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.^[13]

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 is scheduled to be completed in 2010.

Beginning in June 2003, the An-225, along with An-124s, delivered over 800 tons of equipment to aid humanitarian efforts in Iraq.^[14]

The An-225 has also been contracted by the Canadian and U.S. governments to transport military supplies to the Middle East in support of Coalition forces.^[13]

Operators

Ukraine Antonov Airlines

Soviet Union The Soviet Air Force

Specifications For The An-225

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A size comparison between four of the largest aircraft, the

An-225 (green), the

Hughes H-4 Hercules (gold),

the Boeing 747-8 (blue), and

the Airbus A380-800 (pink)

General characteristics

Crew: 6
Payload: 250,000 kg (550,000 lb)
Door dimensions: 440 x 640 cm (14.4 x 21 ft)
Length: 84 m (275.6 ft)
Wingspan: 88.4 m (290 ft 2 in)
Height: 18.1 m (59.3 ft)
Wing area: 905 m² (9,743.7 ft²)
Cargo Volume: 1,300 m³ (46,000 cu ft))
Empty weight: 285,000 kg (628,315 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 600,000 kg (1,323,000 lb)
Powerplant: 6× ZMKB Progress D-18 turbofans, 229.5 kN (51,600 lbf) each
Takeoff run: 3,500 m (11,000 ft) with maximum payload

Performance

Maximum speed: 850 km/h (460 knots, 530 mph)
Cruise speed: 800 km/h (430 knots, 500 mph)
Range:
- With maximum fuel: 15,400 km (9,570 mi)
- With maximum payload: 4,000 km (2,500 mi))
Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,100 ft)
Wing loading: 662.9 kg/m² (135.5 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 0.234

References

Airliner World January 2009

Ukraine's An-225 Mriya aircraft placed in Guinness Book of Records once again, Interfax-Ukraine (August 18, 2009)

Greg Goebel. "Antonov An-225 Mriya ("Cossack")". The Antonov Giants: An-22, An-124, & An-225. http://vectorsite.net/avantgt.html#m3. Retrieved 2006-02-18.

Photo on airliners.net

"Mriya". Antonov ASTC. http://www.antonov.com/products/air/transport/AN-225. Retrieved 2004-05-27.

Kaplan, Philip, Big Wings

Airbus Reveals A-380 Linked Pilot Systems Secrets, Flight Global, 2009-06-03, http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/06/03/327310/airbus-reveals-a380-linked-pilot-systems-secrets.html

"Antonov An-225 Mryia (Cossack)". The Aviation Zone. http://www.theaviationzone.com/factsheets/an225.asp.

Special planes: The Antonov-225 "Mriya", European Tribune, 2006-04-08, http://www.eurotrib.com/story/2006/4/8/13392/35796

"An-225 Mriya, Nato: Cossack". Goleta Air & Space Museum. http://www.air-and-space.com/Antonov%20An-225%20Mriya.htm. Retrieved 2004-03-31.

TYPE CERTIFICATES FOR AIRCRAFT

"Antonov Airlines:An-225 Mriya". http://www.airfoyle.co.uk/services/an225.asp.

"Antonov An-225". Aircraft-Info.net. http://www.aircraft-info.net/aircraft/jet_aircraft/antonov/AN-225. Retrieved 2004-02-15.

"The World’s Largest Aeroplanes". Military Zone - British Council. http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/militaryenglish/magazine/people.asp?person=86. Retrieved 2004-10-14.

Gordon, Yefim (2004). Antonov's Heavy Transports: Big Lifters for War & Peace. Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-182-2.

HISTORY:
First Flight	(An-225) 21 December 1988 (An-225 with Buran) 13 May 1989
Service Entry	originally 1989 returned to service in 2001
CREW:	six: pilot, co-pilot, four cabin crew
PASSENGERS:	70
ESTIMATED COST:	$300 million [2005$]
AIRFOIL SECTIONS:
Wing Root	unknown supercritical
Wing Tip	unknown supercritical
DIMENSIONS:
Length	275.58 ft (84.00 m)
Wingspan	290.00 ft (88.40 m)
Height	59.67 ft (18.20 m)
Wing Area	9,742 ft² (905.00 m²)
Canard Area	not applicable
WEIGHTS:
Empty	628,315 lb (285,000 kg)
Normal Takeoff	unknown
Max Takeoff	1,322,750 lb (600,000 kg)
Fuel Capacity	661,375 lb (300,000 kg)
Max Payload	internal: 440,925 lb (200,000 kg) external: 551,150 lb (250,000 kg)
PROPULSION:
Powerplant	six Lotarev D-18T turbofans
Thrust	309,540 lb (1,377 kN)
PERFORMANCE:
Max Level Speed	at altitude: 530 mph (850 km/h) at sea level: unknown cruise speed: 495 mph (800 km/h)
Initial Climb Rate	unknown
Service Ceiling	unknown
Range	typical: 2,430 nm (4,500 km) ferry: 8,310 nm (15,400 km)
g-Limits	unknown
ARMAMENT:
Gun	none
Stations	none
Air-to-Air Missile	none
Air-to-Surface Missile	none
Bomb	none
Other	none
KNOWN VARIANTS:
An-224	Original designation for the An-225 except it retained the rear cargo door of the An-124; not built
An-225	Heavy transport designed to ferry the Buran space shuttle and components of the Energia rocket; 1 built
An-225-100	New designation for the An-225 after being modernized with updated communications gear, navigation equipment, a collision avoidance system, and noise reduction features for use as a heavy commercial transport; 2 converted
An-325	Proposal for an enlarged variant of the An-225 with an additional engine mounted on each inboard pylon and able to carry an increased payload, proposed primarily as a possible launch platform for Russian or foreign space vehicles; not built
KNOWN COMBAT RECORD:	none
KNOWN OPERATORS:
Civil	Antonov Airlines
Military	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Voyenno Vozdushniye Sili (Soviet Air Force)