Being the only one ever built so far, the Antonov An-225 Mriya is the largest cargo plane in the world. The word Mriya in the Ukrainian language means ‘Dream’.The gigantic flying object needs no further elaboration as the facts itself proves how majestic is this creation. It was built in 1980s during the Cold War Era by the Soviet Union for the purpose to transport the Buran spaceplane. Soviet Union doesn’t exist any longer, the Cold War has ended and the Buran had been destroyed when its hangar collapsed but the An-225 is still largest plane and currently, had been commercialized as a cargo plane.
The details of the plane are as below
Description
|
Specification
|
Name
|
An-225 Mriya
|
National Origin
|
Soviet Union /
|
Manufacturer
|
Antonov
|
Production Year
|
1988
|
No. Of Production
|
1
|
First Flight
|
21st December 1988
|
Status
|
In Service
|
Civil Registration
|
UR-82060 (Previously CCCP-82060)
|
Crew Personnel
|
6
|
Length
|
84 m (275 ft 7 in)
|
Height
|
18.1 m (59 ft 5 in)
|
Wingspan
|
88.4 m (290 ft)
|
Wing Area
|
905 m2 (9,740 sq ft)
|
Aspect Ratio
|
8.6
|
Empty Weight
|
285,000 kg (628,317 lb)
|
Max Take Off Weight
|
640,000 kg (1,410,958 lb)
|
Fuel Capacity
|
300000 kg
|
Cargo Hold
|
Volume - 1,300 m3 ; Length - 43.35 m ; Width - 6.4 m ; Height - 4.4 m
|
Engine Capacity (Powerplant)
|
6 units of ZMKB Progress D-18 Turbofans, 229.5 kN (51,600 lbf)
|
Maximum Speed
|
850 km/h (528 mph; 459 kn)
|
Cruising speed
|
800 km/h (497 mph; 432 kn)
|
Range Without Cargo
|
15,400 km (9,569 miles)
|
range with maximum payload
|
4,000 km (2,500 miles)
|
Service Ceiling
|
11,000 m (36,089 ft)
|
Wing Loading
|
662.9 kg/m2 (135.8 lb/sq ft)
|
Landing Gear
|
32 Wheels
|
Besides being the largest plane in the world, the An-225 holds various records. Some of them are it is the heaviest aircraft in the world with maximum payload; it airlifted single item payload 189,980 kilograms; airlifted total payload of 253,820 kilograms and many others. Today, it serves as a long field strategic airlift cargo plane for various purposes. This includes heavy-lift cargoes for urgent business requirement, military transport and even for relief purposes. The second unit of An-225 which was 65% completed is still stored should there be future requirement of another outsized plane.
Thank you and hope you enjoyed.
Best regards,
Mahinder Singh Malhi
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