[3] ANTONOV AN-225 MRIYA ("COSSACK")

* Even as the An-124 was going into service, the Antonov bureau was working on a specialized derivative to carry outsize cargos, usually externally. The primary loads were intended to be elements of the Soviet "Energia" heavy-lift space booster series, including the "Buran" manned space shuttle.

The result, the "An-225 Mriya (Dream)" performed its first flight in 1988, and appeared at the Paris Air Show in 1989 with a Buran shuttle on its back. The An-225 was clearly a derivative of the An-124, with fore and aft fuselage plugs to extend length, and wing inserts to extend span and allow mount of two more Lotarev D-18T turbofans, for a total of six engines.

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The number of main landing gear assemblies was increased from five per side to seven to handle the increased takeoff weight. A set of standoffs were fitted to the back for external cargo carriage, with the standoffs covered by fairings when not in use, and the conventional tail assembly of the An-124 was changed to a twin-fin assembly to ensure controllability when a large cargo was mounted on the back. The rear loading ramp was deleted to reduce weight.

The An-225 can lift cargoes with a weight of up to 250 tonnes (275 tons). Since it was not intended for any tactical role, it was not designed for short-field operation, and has a takeoff length of 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) with maximum payload.

   ANTONOV AN-225 MRIYA ("COSSACK"):
   _____________________   _________________   _______________________
 
   spec                    metric              english
   _____________________   _________________   _______________________

   wingspan                88.4 meters         290 feet
   wing area               905 sq_meters       9,742 sq_feet
   length                  84 meters           275 feet 7 inches
   height                  18.2 meters         59 feet 9 inches

   empty weight            175,000 kilograms   385,800 pounds
   max takeoff weight      600,000 kilograms   1,322,275 pounds

   max speed at altitude   850 KPH             530 MPH / 460 KT
   cruising altitude       10,000 meters       33,000 feet
   range, max payload      4,500 kilometers    2,795 MI / 2,430 NMI
   range, max fuel         15,400 kilometers   9,570 MI / 8,310 NMI
   _____________________   _________________   _______________________


The An-225 is the world's biggest aircraft by far. Since it is a specialized machine, it is unlikely that there would have been reason to build it in large numbers in the best of circumstances. Given that the introduction of the big cargolifter coincided with the last days of the Soviet Union, it is not surprising that only two were built.

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