6 * 229.5kN Lotarev turbofans

D-18T engines, 6 x 23'370 kgs

The first An-225 prototype flew in December 1988. It was designed and built by Antonov Design Bureau (headquarters in Kiev, Ukraine), known for their outstanding achievements in producing heavy transport aircraft. It is the largest aircraft to ever takeoff more than once. Capable of transporting oversized objects externally, the An-225 was designed mainly to transport the Russian space shuttle "Buran" from a service area to a launch site, although the Antonov bureau is looking for possible commercial applications for the enormous aircraft. The Mriya is not a military aircraft, however, it packs a great potential for military use as a super-heavy transport, it is capable of airlifting cargos that no other aircraft in the world is capable of. As of this posting, only one An-225 has been build and it is not currently operational. There are rumors that the European Space Agency has plans to launch the unmanned British HoTOL (Horizontal Take-Off and Landing) from the An-225, though these rumors appear to be unfounded.

SPECIFICATIONS Wingspan: 290 ft (88.4 m) Length: 275 ft 7 in (84 m) Height: 59 ft 8 in (18.2 m) Takeoff weight: 1,322,750 lbs (600,000 kg) max Payload: 551,150 lbs (250,000 kg) max Armament: None Engines: six ZMKB Progress D-18T turbofans Thrust: 51,650 lbs (229.75 kN) each Crew: 6

PERFORMANCE Max Speed: 528 mph (850 km/h) Cruise speed: 435 mph (700 km/h) Range with maximum fuel: 8,310 nm (15,400 km) Range with maximum payload: 2,425 nm (4,500 km)

Designed specifically to carry oversized cargo externally. The only one built debuted at Kiev in November 1988. It is the largest airplane ever flown more than once. Intended for use in the Space Shuttle Buran program, since the collapse of that program its primary function has been to loom over airshows as the largest airplane in the world. The Ukrainian word Mriya translates roughly as Dream in English. The first appearance in the West of the An-225 Mriya CCCP-82060, was at the June, 1989 Paris Airshow at le Bourget Aerodrome with the Space Shuttle Buran mounted on its back. The An-225 Mriya CCCP-82060 dwarfs the Mil-17M (Nato: Hip-H) below its wing. The wing of the An-225 Mriya, from just outward of the inboard engine, is similar to the wing of the An-124. An entirely new wing root was designed to add fifty feet to the span of the smaller giant. The nose visor of the An-225 Mriya is essentially the same as that of the An-124 Ruslan. The Buran had made its only flight before the An-225 Mriya was built, so the giant Antonov's main support for the Soviet Space Shuttle program was to take the Buran to the Paris Airshow. The An-225 Mriya sits on static display at Zhukovsky on August 1, 1993. It now carries the Ukrainian flag on its tail and is registered UR-82060. On a humid day, the low pressure over the wing of the An-225 Mriya creates a cloud that rides the top of the wing. Four MiG-25RU Foxbats, a Su-27 and Su-30 of the Test Pilots Team, and some Su-24 Fencers can be seen beyond the An-225 Mriya as it takes off from the runway at Zhukovsky on August 5, 1993. The fuselage of the An-225 Mriya has been stretched fifty feet compared to the An-124. The main landing gear of the An-225 Mriya has seven pairs of wheels on each side. Twenty of its thirty-two wheels are steerable; the two pairs of nose gear and the rear four pairs of main gear on each side. The 290 foot wingspan of the An-225 Mriya is exceeded only by the 320 foot wing of the Hughes HK-1, better known as the Spruce Goose. The wing area of the Spruce Goose of 11,430 square feet remains unchallenged as the greatest of any airplane ever built. UR-82060 taxis along the runway after landing. This model of a proposal to launch the unmanned British HoTOL (Horizontal Take-Off and Landing) from the An-225 was photographed on display at the Champlin Fighter Museum at Falcon Airport near Mesa, Arizona in December 1994. Alexie Gretchikine, host of the Russian Aviation Page has provided an update on the fate of the An-225 Mryia: The original Mria is a hangar queen. The engines are used for spares for Antonov-124. Avionics and other suitable bits and pieces are also reused. Chief flight test engineer of An-70 told me at MAKS97 that An-70 uses landing lights taken from An-225. There also was a second airframe, construction of which started shortly after first (86020 or was it 82060?). It is nowhere to be finished. Many projects claimed that it will be. Claims came from Europian Space agency (Hotol), Molniya (sattelite launcher and space plane, see my Paris photo gallery for a snapshot of the model), Lockmart and even Antonov itself hoping to find some use to expand capability their cargo fleet. These claims do not take the second airframe any closer to completion though. The bottom line, the world largest aircraft is no more. There are some indications that the story of the An-225 is not over. The Aviation Week Aerospace Source Book, issued January 13, 1997 includes an entry in its Launch Vehicle table for a four-stage solid-fuel vehicle that may be launched from the An-225 in 1997. The 178,570 pound rocket was designed by the Makayev Design Bureau in Miass, Russia. It will be 7.9 feet in diameter and 65.6 feet long.