Big Aeroplanes

The Antonov An-225 Mriya (Антонов Ан-225 Мрія, designated by the NATO with the name of: Cossack) is an aeroplane of tactical aerial transport bigger of the world manufactured by Antonov (a Scientific Complex/Aeronautical Technician and company designer and manufacturer of aircraft and provider of aeronautical services with base in Kiev, Ukraine).

His design, built to transport the lanzadera Buran, was an extension of the Antonov An-124. Mriya (Мрія) Means «dream» (in the sense of the inspiration) in the Ukrainian language.

With a maximum weight of 640 tonnes, the An-225 is the heaviest aeroplane of the world. And also it is the biggest of the world. The aeroplane is also bigger that the Airbus To380 (that it is the aeroplane of transport of passengers but big of the world), the C-5 Galaxy or the Boeing 747-400.

In November of 2004, the FAI (International Aeronautical Federation) placed to the An-225 in the Book Guinness of the Records with his 240 marks.

Development

The An-225 was designed for the Soviet space program like a replacement of the Myasishchev VM-T. It could transport the rockets impulsores of the Energy and the transbordardor space Buran, having a similar mission to the Airbus Beluga and the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

The aeroplane was a successor of the An-124. To achieve the requirements of his new task, added him extensions to the fuselaje so much to proa and stern of the wings, that received the roots alares. They added him two engines turbofan more Lotarev D-18 to the new roots alares, addend a total of six and modified the train of landing with a total of 32 wheels. They deleted the door and rampa traseras to save weight and transformed the tail of an only vertical stabilizer to a double tail with a horizontal stabilizer of big dimensions. The double tail was a need to be able to carry big loads in the outside that would disturb the aerodynamics of a conventional tail. Unlike the An-124, the Mriya was not designed for tactical transport neither operate in short tracks. Besides, still in the long tracks has difficulties to operate, since to the despegar creates an enormous perturbation in the air that causes violent eddies, so that the first aeroplane that want to despegar after the Mriya debera expect fifteen minutes. Thus, the An-225 is used to frecuentar the tracks but calm, and like this avoids "entorpecer" the frantic rhythm of despegues and landings of the big airports.

The An-225 realised his first flight the 21 of December of 1988. They began to manufacture two aeroplanes, but only completed one. It can carry loads very heavy, of until 250 tonnes in the interior or 200 tonnes in the top of the fuselaje. The external loads can measure until 70 metres of length. The second aeroplane was partially built to ends of the years 1980, in connection with the Soviet space program.

After the desaparación of the Soviet Union and the cancellation of the program Buran, the An-225 operative was stored. They withdrew the six engines Lotorev to use them in the An-124 and the second An-225 almost complete and without engines also was stored.

Operational service

In 1989, the office Antonov established the company Antonov Airlines with base in Kiev (Ukraine) and operand from the airport of London-Luton in society with Air Foyle HeavyLift. The company began his operations with a fleet of four An-124-100 and three An-12, but to ends of the years 1990 needed a bigger aeroplane that the An-124.

Like answer to this need, the An-225 original was instrumented with new engines for the transport of heavy loads and went in in service under the management of Antonov Airlines. The 23 of May of 2001, the An-225 received the certified type of the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Register. The first commercial flight went out of Stuttgart with direction to Thumrait (Oman) the 3 of January of 2002 with 187,5 tonnes of foods prepared. By then the An-225 turned into the beast of load of the fleet of Antonov Airlines, transporting objects like locomotives or generators of 150 t, in addition to turning into a resource valued for the organisations of international help by his capacity to transport big quantities of provisions of emergency during operations of help in disasters.

To 2000 the demand of the An-225 exceeded the capacities of the airline and in September of 2006 took the decision to complete the second An-225. This will carry out in the 2008. To beginnings of June of 2003, the An-225 together with the An-124 had delivered 800 t of team for humanitarian help in Iraq.[8] The aeroplane was hired by the American government to transport military team to Middle East in support to the strengths of coalition

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 6.
• Load: 250.000 kg (550.660 pounds).
• Length: 84 m.
• Envergadura: 88,40 m.
• Height: 18,10 m.
• Surface alar: 905 m².
• Empty weight: 175.000 kg.
• Maximum weight of despegue: 640.000 kg.
• Plant of power: 6× turbofan ZMKB Progress D-18, of 229 kN of push each one.

Performance

• Operative maximum speed (Vno): 850 km/hour.
• Speed crucero (Vc): 750 km/hour.
• Scope in flight: 4.000 km with maximum load.
• Scope in ferry: 14.000 km.
• Ceiling of service: 33.000 feet (10.000 m).
• Load alar: 662,9 kg/m².