The departed giant, leaving behind a legacy of 240 world records — An-225 "Mriya". We tell the story of the largest military transport aircraft in the world.
The An-225 "Mriya", developed in the USSR at the Antonov plant in the 1980s, rightfully holds the title of the largest aircraft in aviation history. This aviation giant, which has become a true legend, was striking not only in its size, but also in its outstanding flight characteristics.
What was the purpose of creating the aircraft
In the late 70s and early 80s, the Soviet Union was actively working on creating the reusable space system "Energia-Buran". In addition to space flights, the issue of logistics became acute: how to move this giant between cosmodromes, factories and launch complexes. This required a real "air giant" — a cargo plane that would carry a 60-ton "Buran" on its wings.
Thus, the Antonov Design Bureau began developing a fundamentally new aircraft based on the existing An-124 "Ruslan". The project was designated An-225.
Creation history and life path
The historic first flight of the only An-225 took place on December 21, 1988. Just a year later, at the Le Bourget Air Show, the aircraft caused a sensation with its unique appearance, demonstrating the transportation of "Buran" on its upper part. This spectacle became a symbol of the outstanding engineering achievements of the USSR.
However, the onset of the 1990s brought radical changes. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the termination of the "Energia-Buran" program left "Mriya" without application. The aircraft turned out to be redundant and was sent to storage, gradually losing its significance. Only in 2001, after modernization, it was re-involved in performing commercial transportation of superheavy cargo.
Interesting facts
The An-225 set over two hundred and forty world records in aviation, demonstrating its capabilities in areas such as transporting maximum weight, transporting the longest and heaviest cargo, as well as unique flights with two tanks on board.
- A Boeing 737 could fit entirely inside it
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, "Mriya" performed cargo flights with humanitarian aid, delivering tens of tons of medical supplies from China to Europe and the USA
- The aircraft had a private toilet with a shower and a kitchen for the crew. A real "air house"
- The aircraft has 32 wheels, and its braking system was designed to stop it even when fully loaded
How many were produced?
Only one copy of the An-225 was produced, identified by serial number UR-82060. The second fuselage, which was 60–70% complete, was stored in Kyiv for more than three decades. At various times, projects for its completion were considered, but none of them were implemented.
During the fighting at the Gostomel airport, the hangar with the aircraft was damaged, and the only copy of the aircraft was destroyed
Do we need an analogue of "Mriya" in the 2030s?
Advantages:
By the beginning of the 2030s, the Russian PD-35 engine is expected to appear, which will surpass the D-18T. This will pave the way for the creation of a super-heavy transport aircraft equipped with four PD-35s. In terms of its carrying capacity, it will be comparable to the An-225, which uses six D-18Ts. Large initiatives of Roscosmos and Rosatom may require the transportation of large and heavy equipment, for which the new aircraft will be ideally suited. The PD-35 engine will allow the development of an aircraft that will surpass the existing "Ruslans" both in terms of the volume of cargo transported and in terms of operating efficiency.
Disadvantages:
Building an exact copy of the An-225 is not justified from the point of view of modern technological capabilities, and a new aircraft of this class will cost more than the promising military transport aircraft "Elephant" (Il-106). If more compact machines like the "Elephant" are sufficient for the needs of Roscosmos and Rosatom, then the "analogue of Mriya" will be in little demand and will be idle most of the time. The military needs a replacement for the An-124, and not an aircraft comparable to the An-225 in size.
Technical characteristics of the An-225 aircraft:
- Year of adoption — 1988
- Wingspan — 88.4 m
- Aircraft length — 84.0 m
- Aircraft height — 18.2 m
- Wing area — 905 sq.m
- Weight, kg— empty aircraft — 250000— maximum take-off — 640000
- Internal fuel — 300000 kg
- Engine type — 6 TVD Progress (Lotarev) D-18T
- Thrust — 6 x 23405 kgf
- Cruising speed — 800 km/h
- Practical range — 15600 km
- Flight range — 4500 km
- Practical ceiling — 11000 m
- Crew — 6-7 people
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