The Antonov An-225 Mriya (Антонов Ан-225 Мрія, NATO reporting name: Cossack) is a strategic airlift transport airplane that was built by Antonov (ASTC) and is the world's largest powered aircraft. Mriya (Мрія) means "dream" (as in inspiration) in Ukrainian.

Development

The An-225 was designed for the Soviet space program as a replacement for the Myasishchev VM-T 'Atlant'. Able to airlift the Energia rocket's boosters and the Buran space shuttle in captive carry, its mission was almost identical to that of the American Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.^[1]

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.^[1] Two more Lotarev D-18 turbofan engines were added on 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 made necessary by the ability to carry external loads, which 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.^[1]

Service

The An-225 first flew on December 21 1988. Only one An-225 is currently in service. It is commercially available for carrying ultra heavy and/or oversize freight, up to 250 metric tonnes (275 short tons) internally^[1] or 90 tonnes mounted externally.^[2] A second An-225 was partially built during the late 1980s—in connection with the [[Soviet space program. 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 mothballs, it's engines removed for use on operational An-124's. The second An-225 airframe, nearing completion and awaiting engines, was also mothballed.

In the mid 1990's efforts were begun by the Russian government to generate revenue from its military assets, and a London-based holding company was set up as a heavy airlift shipping corporation under the name "Antonov Airlines." The company initiated operations with a fleet of four An-124-100's and and three An-12's. By the late 1990's it had become apparent that the need existed for an aircraft capable of transporting cargo beyond the capacity of the An-124-100. In response to this need the original An-225 was re-engined and placed back in service under the management of Antonov Airlines. 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 well as becoming a valuable asset to international relief organizations for its ability to quickly transport huge quantities of emergency supplies during disaster relief operations. By 2000 it had become apparent that the demand for the An-225 had exceeded the airline's capacity to book, and in 2004 the decision was made to complete the second An-225. This should be accomplished by summer 2006, with certification expected in fall 2006.

Beginning June 2003, the An-225, along with An-124s, delivered over 800 tonnes of equipment to aid humanitarian efforts in Iraq. [2]. The An-225 has also been contracted by the U.S. government to transport military supplies to the middle east in support of the War on Terror. Though this has raised a few eyebrows it servers as testament to the success of Soviet heavy lift aircraft design, as no U.S. aircraft have ever been developed capable of replacing it. The U.S. government is currently considering a long term contract with Antonov Airlines for the additional production and use of ten An-124's and one An-225, which could be operated considerably cheaper than the six smaller C-17's originally purposed for the same duties.

With a maximum gross weight of 600 tonnes, the An-225 is the world's heaviest aircraft. Although its wingspan is less than that of the "Spruce Goose", Howard Hughes' flying boat, the latter never went beyond a single short low-altitude test flight, making the An-225 the largest aircraft in the world to take off more than once. [1] Both the An-124 and An-225 are larger than the C-5 Galaxy, the largest aircraft in the U.S. inventory. The An-225 is also larger than the Airbus A380.

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

Beginning June 2003, the An-225, along with An-124s, delivered over 800 tonnes of equipment to aid humanitarian efforts in Iraq. ^[2]

Specifications (An-225)

General characteristics

• Crew: 7
• Capacity: 70 passengers; 250,000 kg (551,000 lb) of cargo

Performance

• Thrust/weight: 0.234