Antonov An-225
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Image:Buran AN-225.jpg 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.
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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.<ref name=goebel>Template:Cite web</ref>
Image:Antonov-225 main landing gear.jpg
The An-225 is an extension of Antonov’s earlier An-124 ‘Condor’. To meet the needs of its new role, fuselage barrel extensions were added fore and aft of the wings, which received root extensions.<ref name=goebel/> 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.<ref name=goebel/>
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<ref name=goebel/> or 200 tonnes mounted externally.<ref name=antonov>Template:Cite web</ref> 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, its engines removed for use on An-124s. The second An-225 airframe, nearing completion and awaiting engines, was also mothballed.
In the late 1980s efforts were begun by the Russian 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 Stansted Airport in partnership with Air Foyle HeavyLift.<ref name=antonov/><ref name=goleta>Template:Cite web</ref> The company initiated operations with a fleet of four An-124-100s and three An-12 ‘Cubs’, but by the late 1990s it was apparent that there was a need for aircraft larger than the An-124. In response to this need, the original An-225 was re-engined, modified for heavy cargo transportation, and placed back in service under the management of Antonov Airlines.
Image:Giant Plane Comparison.png On 26 May, 2001, the An-225 received its type certificate from the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Register (IAC AR).<ref name=airfoyle>Template:Cite web</ref> The type’s first flight in commercial service departed from Stuttgart, Germany on January 3, 2002, flying to Thumrait, Oman with 216,000 prepared meals for American military personnel currently based in the region. This vast quantity of ready meals was transported on some 375 pallets and weighed a total of 187.5 tons.<ref name=airfoyle2>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="aircraft info">Template:Cite web</ref> 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 autumn 2006.<ref name=goleta/>
Beginning June 2003, the An-225, along with An-124s, delivered over 800 tonnes of equipment to aid humanitarian efforts in Iraq.<ref name=milzone>Template:Cite web</ref> The An-225 has also been contracted by the U.S. government to transport military supplies to the Middle East in support of Coalition forces.<ref name="aircraft info"/> American use of a Soviet-designed aircraft can be seen as a testament to the success of Soviet heavy lift design, as no comparable U.S. aircraft has ever been developed. The U.S. government is currently considering a long term contract with Antonov Airlines for the additional production and use of ten An-124s and one An-225, which could be operated considerably cheaper than the six smaller C-17s originally purposed for the same duties.
Design work is currently under way to use the aircraft as a flying launch system for future aerospace systems. One of the most interesting and promising projects is the MAKS joint Russian/Ukrainian multipurpose aerospace system.<ref name=avzone>Template:Cite web</ref> When used as a space vehicle air launcher, the aircraft will be fitted with the equipment required for prelaunch preparation of aerospace systems. Implementation of these projects will considerably reduce the cost of injecting payloads into space.<ref name=goleta/>
With a maximum gross weight of 640 tonnes, the An-225 is the world’s heaviest aircraft. Although its wingspan is less than that of the Hughes H-4 Hercules (“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.<ref name=avzone/> 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.
Specifications (An-225)
Image:An-225 3-view.gif Template:Airtemp</ref> |plane or copter?=plane |jet or prop?=jet |crew=6 |capacity=70 passengers; 250,000 kg (551,000 lb) of cargo |length main=84 m |length alt=276 ft |span main=88.40 m |span alt=291 ft 2 in |height main=18.1 m |height alt=59.3 ft |area main=905.0 m² |area alt=9,741 ft² |empty weight main=175,000 kg |empty weight alt=385,800 lb |loaded weight main= |loaded weight alt= |max takeoff weight main=640,000 kg |max takeoff weight alt=1,411,000 lb |more general=
References
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External links
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