The Antonov AN-225 Mriya was the largest cargo aircraft in the world and was the only aircraft that featured six turbofan engines. This aircraft was designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bureau that was funded in 1946 at the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association as a top-secret organization and was headed by a man named Oleg Antonov. The term “Mriya” refer to inspiration or a dream if translated to English language. Aircraft NATO reporting name was Cossack.
The airplane was derived from the An-124 Ruslan and became the heaviest fixed wing aircraft in the world. It important to mention that Mriya was bigger than Airbus 380 airliner, An-124 and the Boeing 747 Freighter.
History of Development
Antonov Design Bureau of 2 An-225 Mriya prototypes. Development of 1st prototype started in 1984 and first flight took place on 21st of December 1988 and entered into service in 1989. During development stages aircraft received multiple modifications that included the lengthening of fuselage and wingspan, addition of two engines, redesign of the tail with twin vertical fins, increase in the number of landing gear tires to 32 and the removal of the rear cargo doors. The aircraft maximum gross weight was increased to 640 tonnes by the additional floor area under a $20 million upgrade program.
The aircraft was a modern engineering marvel as it was designed for both civil and military operations in any weather conditions. The aircraft was able to transport up to 250 tonnes of cargo, including single pieces weighing up to 200 tonnes, over short and medium-haul routes and was carrying Energia rocket’s boosters and the Buran space shuttle from service area to the launch site.
The development of 2nd aircraft started in the late 1980s when the 1st Mriya was in the process of entering into service. This prototype received couple of additional upgrades in order to develop more effective cargo plane. The design included rear cargo door and tail with vertical stabiliser. The project was stopped in 1993 due to shortage of funds and collapse of Soviet Union in 1991. Mriya-225 was placed in storage between 1994 and 2000 as Buran Space Shuttle Programme was cancelled and due to collapse of Soviet Union. In 2001 aircraft was repaired and used for transportation of heavy and large cargo such as large machinery: generators, locomotives. An-225 was also used for transportation of military supplies and medical supplies – especially during Covid 19.
According to Aerospace Technology magazine there were 3 different variants of An-225 Mriya:
- “An-224 is the original designation of An-225. This variant features an additional rear cargo door.
- An-225-100 is an improved version of the An-225. This variant is upgraded with better communication gear, navigation equipment and a traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) for use in commercial operations.
- An-325 is an extended variant of An-225. It is fitted with an additional engine on each in-board pylon, which increases the payload carrying capacity.”
Features and stats of the aircraft
- Empty Weight 253.820 tonnes
- Max Take off Weight 640 tonnes
- Wing Span 88.40 m
- Height 18.1 m
- Engines: 6 turbofan Progress D-18T with 230 KN (51,700 lbf) of thrust each
- Cruise speed of 800 km/h with maximum speed of 850 km/h
- Range varies between 4000km and 15400 km depending on load
- 20 out of 32 wheels were steerable with nose landing gear that housed 4 wheels
- Carry 6 crew members
- Cockpit located at the top of the aircraft and accessible via retractable ladder
- Approximate cost to rebuild the aircraft $3 billion over 5 years if possible
Destruction
According to the news media An-225 Mriya was destroyed in its hangar at the Hostomel Airfield near Kiev in late February 2022 due to Russian Military Operations and invasion to Ukraine.