An 225 Mriya at which airports was. The three largest aircraft in the world (34 photos)
An-225 "Mriya" (translated from Ukrainian - "dream") is the heaviest cargo-lifting aircraft ever taken into the air. The maximum takeoff weight of the aircraft is 640 tons. The reason for the construction of the An-225 was the need to create an aviation transport system for the project of the Soviet reusable spacecraft "Buran". The plane exists in a single copy.
The aircraft was designed in the USSR and built in 1988 at the Kiev Mechanical Plant.
Mriya set a world record takeoff weight and load capacity. On March 22, 1989, the An-225 flew with a load of 156.3 tons, thus breaking 110 world aviation records at the same time, which is a record in itself.
Since the start of operation, the aircraft has flown 3740 hours. If we assume that the average speed of flights (taking into account takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, landing approach) is about 500 km / h, then we can calculate the approximate value of the distance traveled: 500 x 3740 \u003d 1,870,000 km (more than 46 orbits around the earth at the equator).
The scale of the An-225 is amazing: the length of the aircraft is 84 meters, the height is 18 meters (like a 6-storey 4-entrance building)
Visual comparison of "Mriya" and passenger Boeing-747.
If we take as a basis the largest of the Boeing 747-800, then the length of the An-225 will be 8 meters longer, and the wingspan will be 20 meters longer.
Compared to the Airbus A380, Mriya is 11 meters longer, and its wingspan exceeds it by almost 9 meters.
It happens that the airport does not have an appropriate parking lot for such a large aircraft, and it is parked directly on the runway.
Of course, we are talking about an alternate runway, if the airport has one.
The wingspan is 88.4 meters and the area is 905 m²
The only aircraft that surpasses the An-225 in terms of wingspan is the Hughes H-4 Hercules, which belongs to the class of flying boats. The ship took to the air only once in 1947. The history of this aircraft is reflected in the film "Aviator"
Since the Buran spacecraft itself and the blocks of the Energia launch vehicle had dimensions that exceeded the dimensions of the cargo compartment of the Mriya, the new aircraft provided for securing cargo from the outside. In addition, it was planned that the aircraft would be used as the first stage at the launch of the spacecraft.
The formation of a wake from a bulky cargo fixed on top of the aircraft required the tail unit to be fitted with two tails in order to avoid aerodynamic shading.
The aircraft is equipped with 6 D-18T engines.
In takeoff mode, each engine develops a thrust of 23.4 tons (or 230 kN), i.e. the total thrust of all 6 engines is 140.5 tons (1380 kN)
It can be assumed that each engine in takeoff mode develops about 12,500 horsepower!
The D-18T engines of the An-225 aircraft are the same as those of the An-124 Ruslan.
The height of such an engine is 3 m, the width is 2.8 m, and the weight is more than 4 tons.
Starting system - air, with electric automatic control. An auxiliary power unit, consisting of two TA-12 turbine units installed in the left and right landing gear fairings, provides autonomous power to all systems and engine start.
The mass of fuel in the tanks is 365 tons, it is placed in 13 wing caisson tanks.
The aircraft can stay in the air for 18 hours and cover a distance of over 15,000 km.
The refueling time of such a machine ranges from half an hour to a day and a half, and the number of tankers depends on their capacity (from 5 to 50 tons), that is, from 7 to 70 tankers.
The fuel consumption of the aircraft is 15.9 tons / h (in cruise mode)
When fully loaded, the aircraft can stay in the sky without refueling for no more than 2 hours.
The chassis includes a two-column bow and a 14-column main (7 struts on each side) supports.
Each rack has two wheels. A total of 32 wheels.
Wheels require replacement every 90 landings.
Tires for Mriya are produced at the Yaroslavl Tire Plant. The price of one tire is about $1000.
On the bow stand there are wheels measuring 1120 x 450 mm, and on the main stand there are wheels measuring 1270 x 510 mm.
The pressure inside is 12 atmospheres.
Since 2001, An-225 has been performing commercial cargo transportation as part of Antonov Airlines.
Cargo cabin dimensions: length - 43 m, width - 6.4 m, height - 4.4 m.
The cargo compartment of the aircraft is sealed, which allows the transportation of various types of cargo. 16 standard containers can be placed inside the cabin, up to 80 cars and even heavy dump trucks of the BelAZ type. There is enough space to fit the entire body of a Boeing 737.
Access to cargo compartment carried out through the nose of the aircraft, which leans up.
The process of opening / closing the ramp of the cargo compartment takes no more than 10 minutes.
To unfold the ramp, the aircraft performs the so-called "elephant bow".
The front landing gear tilts forward, and the weight of the aircraft is transferred to the auxiliary supports, which are installed under the front sill of the cargo compartment.
Auxiliary support.
Aircraft squat control panel.
This method of loading has a number of advantages in comparison with the Boeing 747 (loading on which is carried out through a compartment in the side of the fuselage.
Mriya holds the record for the weight of transported cargo: commercial - 247 tons (which is four times the maximum payload of the Boeing 747), commercial monocargo - 187.6 tons, and an absolute record for carrying capacity - 253.8 tons. On June 10, 2010, the longest cargo in the history of air transportation was transported - two windmill blades 42.1 m long each.
To ensure safe flight, the center of gravity of the aircraft with cargo must be within certain limits along its length. The load master performs the loading in strict accordance with the instructions, after which the co-pilot checks the correct placement of the cargo and reports this to the crew commander, who decides on the possibility of flying and is responsible for this.
The aircraft is equipped with an onboard loading complex, consisting of four lifting mechanisms, each with a carrying capacity of 5 tons.
In addition, two floor winches are provided for loading non-self-propelled wheeled vehicles and cargo on the loading ramp.
This time, the An-225 was chartered by the French engineering company Alstom to transport 170 tons of cargo from Swiss Zurich to Bahrain with refueling in Athens and Cairo.
These are a turbine rotor, a turbogenerator for the production of electricity and components.
Flight manager Vadim Nikolaevich Deniskov.
To tow the An-225 aircraft, it is impossible to use the carrier of aircraft of other companies, therefore the carrier is transported on board the aircraft.
And since the aircraft is not equipped with a rear cargo hatch and the towing carrier is unloaded and loaded through the front cargo hatch, which requires a full cycle of squatting the aircraft on the front support, as a result, at least 30 minutes are lost and the resource of the aircraft structure and the squat system is unreasonably spent.
Aircraft Maintenance Technician.
To ensure turns when the aircraft moves along the ground, the last four rows of the main support struts are made orientable.
Aircraft maintenance technician: specialization "hydraulic system and landing gear".
The large weight of the aircraft leads to the fact that the landing gear leaves marks on the pavement.
Ladder and hatch to the cockpit.
The passenger compartment is divided into 2 parts: in the front there is the crew of the aircraft, and in the back - the accompanying and maintenance personnel.
Cabin sealing is separate - they are separated by a wing.
The rear part of the attendant's cabin is designed for eating, working with technical documentation and holding conferences.
The aircraft provides 18 seats for rest of crew members and members of the engineering team - 6 seats in the front cabin and 12 in the rear.
Ladder and hatch to the cabin of the attendants in the tail section of the aircraft.
Technical compartment located at the rear of the cockpit.
On the shelves, you can see the blocks that ensure the operation of various aircraft systems, and the pipelines of the pressurization and air conditioning system and the anti-icing system. All aircraft systems are highly automated and require minimal crew intervention during operation. Their work is supported by 34 on-board computers.
The wall of the front spars of the center section. It is installed (from top to bottom): slat transmission and air bleed pipelines from engines.
In front of her are stationary cylinders of the fire protection system with Freon extinguishing composition.
Stickers - souvenirs from numerous visitors on the panel on the doors of the emergency escape hatch.
The farthest point from the base airport, which the aircraft managed to visit, is the island of Tahiti, which is part of French Polynesia.
Distance along the shortest arc the globe about 16400 km.
Rynda An-225
Vladimir Vladimirovich Mason mentioned in the engraving is an aircraft maintenance engineer who worked for Mriya for many years.
Aircraft commander (PIC) - Vladimir Yuryevich Mosin.
To become an An-225 commander, you must have at least 5 years of experience in flying an An-124 aircraft as a commander.
Weight and balance control is simplified by the installation of a weight measurement system on the chassis.
The crew of the aircraft consists of 6 people:
aircraft commander, co-pilot, navigator, senior flight engineer, aircraft equipment flight engineer, flight radio operator.
To reduce the effort on the throttles and improve the accuracy of setting the engine operating modes, a remote engine control system is provided. In this case, the pilot makes a relatively small effort to move the lever of an electromechanical device mounted on the engine with the help of cables, which reproduces this movement on the fuel regulator lever with the necessary effort and accuracy. For the convenience of joint control during takeoff and landing, the thrusters of the outer engines (THROTTLE1 and THROTTLE6) are coupled to the THROTTLE2 and THROTTLE5, respectively.
The steering wheel of the largest aircraft in the world.
Booster aircraft control i.e. control surfaces are deflected exclusively by means of hydraulic steering actuators, in case of failure of which it is impossible to control the aircraft manually (with an increase in the necessary efforts). Therefore, a quadruple redundancy has been applied. The mechanical part of the control system (from the steering wheel and pedals to hydraulic steering gears) consists of rigid rods and cables.
The total length of these cables is: aileron control systems in the fuselage - about 30 meters, in each console (left, right) of the wing - approximately 35 meters; elevator and rudder control systems - about 65 meters each.
With an empty plane, 2400 m of runway is enough for takeoff and landing.
Takeoff with a maximum weight of 3500 m, landing with a maximum weight of 3300 m.
At the executive start, the engines warm up, which takes about 10 minutes.
Thus, engine surge during takeoff is prevented and its maximum takeoff thrust is ensured. Undoubtedly, this requirement leads to the fact that: the takeoff is carried out during the period of minimum workload of the airport, or the plane waits a long time for its turn to take off, skipping scheduled flights.
The takeoff and landing speed depends on the takeoff and landing weight of the aircraft and ranges from 240 km/h to 280 km/h.
Climbing is carried out at a speed of 560 km / h, with vertical speed 8 m/s.
At an altitude of 7100 meters, the speed increases to 675 km / h with a further continuation of the climb to the flight level.
Cruising speed of An-225 - 850 km/h
When calculating cruising speed the mass of the aircraft and the flight range that the aircraft must overcome are taken into account.
Dmitry Viktorovich Antonov - senior PIC.
The middle panel of the dashboard of the pilots.
Backup instruments: artificial horizon and altitude indicator. Fuel lever position indicator (UPRT), engine thrust indicator (UT). Deviation indicators for control surfaces and take-off and landing devices (slats, flaps, spoilers).
The instrument panel of the senior flight engineer.
In the lower left corner there is a side panel with hydraulic complex controls and chassis position signaling. Top left panel of the aircraft fire protection system. At the top right is a panel with controls and instruments: starting the APU, pressurization and air conditioning systems, an anti-icing system and a block of signal displays. Below is a panel with controls and controls for the fuel supply system, engine control and onboard automated system control (BASK) of all aircraft parameters.
Senior on-board engineer - Polishchuk Alexander Nikolaevich.
Engine control instrument panel.
On the left, at the top, a vertical indicator of the position of the fuel levers. Large round instruments - high pressure compressor and engine fan speed indicators. Small round instruments - oil temperature gauges at the engine inlet. A block of vertical instruments at the bottom - indicators of the amount of oil in the engine oil tanks.
Instrument panel of an aircraft equipment engineer.
Here are the controls and instruments for monitoring the power supply system of the aircraft and the oxygen system.
Navigator - Anatoly Binyatovich Abdullaev.
Landing is carried out at a speed of 295 km / h with fully released mechanization. It is allowed to touch the runway at a vertical speed of 6 m/s. After touching the runway, the reverse thrust is immediately shifted on engines 2 to 5, and 1 and 6 are left at idle. The landing gear is braked at a speed of 140-150 km/h until the aircraft comes to a complete stop.
Aircraft resource - 8000 flight hours, 2000 takeoffs and landings, 25 calendar years.
The aircraft can still fly until December 21, 2013 (25 years since the start of its operation), after which a thorough study of it will be carried out. technical condition and performed the necessary work to ensure the extension of the calendar service life up to 45 years.
Due to the high cost of transportation on the An-225, orders appear only for very long and very heavy loads, when transportation by land transport is not possible. Flights are random: from 2-3 per month to 1-2 per year. From time to time there is talk about building a second copy of the An-225 aircraft, but this requires an appropriate order and appropriate funding. To complete the construction, an amount approximately equal to $ 90 million is required, and taking into account the testing, it increases to $ 120 million.
Perhaps this is one of the most beautiful and impressive aircraft in the world.
Thanks to "Antonov Airlines" for help in organizing photography!
The aircraft was designed in the USSR and built in 1988 at the Kiev Mechanical Plant.
"Mriya" set a world record for take-off weight and payload. On March 22, 1989, the An-225 flew with a load of 156.3 tons, thus breaking 110 world aviation records at the same time, which is a record in itself.
Since the start of operation, the aircraft has flown 3740 hours. If we assume that the average speed of flights (taking into account takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, landing approach) is about 500 km / h, then we can calculate the approximate value of the distance traveled: 500 x 3740 \u003d 1,870,000 km (more than 46 orbits around the earth at the equator).
The scale of the An-225 is amazing: the length of the aircraft is 84 meters, the height is 18 meters (like a 6-storey 4-entrance building)
Visual comparison of "Mriya" and passenger Boeing-747.
If we take as a basis the largest of the Boeing 747-800, then the length of the An-225 will be 8 meters longer, and the wingspan will be 20 meters longer.
Compared to the Airbus A380, Mriya is 11 meters longer, and its wingspan exceeds it by almost 9 meters.
It happens that the airport does not have an appropriate parking lot for such a large aircraft, and it is parked directly on the runway.
Of course, we are talking about an alternate runway, if the airport has one.
The wingspan is 88.4 meters and the area is 905 m²
The only aircraft that surpasses the An-225 in terms of wingspan is the Hughes H-4 Hercules, which belongs to the class of flying boats. The ship took to the air only once in 1947. The history of this aircraft is reflected in the film "Aviator"
Since the Buran spacecraft itself and the blocks of the Energia launch vehicle had dimensions that exceeded the dimensions of the cargo compartment of the Mriya, the new aircraft provided for securing cargo from the outside. In addition, it was planned that the aircraft would be used as the first stage at the launch of the spacecraft.
The formation of a wake from a bulky cargo fixed on top of the aircraft required the tail unit to be fitted with two tails in order to avoid aerodynamic shading.
The aircraft is equipped with 6 D-18T engines.
In takeoff mode, each engine develops a thrust of 23.4 tons (or 230 kN), i.e. the total thrust of all 6 engines is 140.5 tons (1380 kN)
It can be assumed that each engine in takeoff mode develops about 12,500 horsepower!
The D-18T engines of the An-225 aircraft are the same as those of the An-124 Ruslan.
The height of such an engine is 3 m, the width is 2.8 m, and the weight is more than 4 tons.
Starting system - air, with electric automatic control. An auxiliary power unit, consisting of two TA-12 turbine units installed in the left and right landing gear fairings, provides autonomous power to all systems and engine start.
The mass of fuel in the tanks is 365 tons, it is placed in 13 wing caisson tanks.
The aircraft can stay in the air for 18 hours and cover a distance of over 15,000 km.
The refueling time of such a machine ranges from half an hour to a day and a half, and the number of tankers depends on their capacity (from 5 to 50 tons), that is, from 7 to 70 tankers.
The fuel consumption of the aircraft is 15.9 tons / h (in cruise mode)
When fully loaded, the aircraft can stay in the sky without refueling for no more than 2 hours.
The chassis includes a two-column bow and a 14-column main (7 struts on each side) supports.
Each rack has two wheels. A total of 32 wheels.
Wheels require replacement every 90 landings.
Tires for Mriya are produced at the Yaroslavl Tire Plant. The price of one tire is about $1000.
On the bow stand there are wheels measuring 1120 x 450 mm, and on the main stand there are wheels measuring 1270 x 510 mm.
The pressure inside is 12 atmospheres.
Since 2001, An-225 has been performing commercial cargo transportation as part of Antonov Airlines.
Cargo cabin dimensions: length - 43 m, width - 6.4 m, height - 4.4 m.
The cargo compartment of the aircraft is sealed, which allows the transportation of various types of cargo. Inside the cabin, 16 standard containers, up to 80 cars and even heavy dump trucks of the BelAZ type can be placed. There is enough space to fit the entire body of a Boeing 737.
Access to the cargo compartment is through the nose of the aircraft, which leans up.
The process of opening / closing the ramp of the cargo compartment takes no more than 10 minutes.
To unfold the ramp, the aircraft performs the so-called "elephant bow".
The front landing gear tilts forward, and the weight of the aircraft is transferred to the auxiliary supports, which are installed under the front sill of the cargo compartment.
Auxiliary support.
Aircraft squat control panel.
This method of loading has a number of advantages in comparison with the Boeing 747 (loading on which is carried out through a compartment in the side of the fuselage.
Mriya holds the record for the weight of transported cargo: commercial - 247 tons (which is four times the maximum payload of the Boeing 747), commercial monocargo - 187.6 tons, and an absolute record for carrying capacity - 253.8 tons. On June 10, 2010, the longest cargo in the history of air transportation was transported - two windmill blades 42.1 m long each.
To ensure safe flight, the center of gravity of the aircraft with cargo must be within certain limits along its length. The load master performs the loading in strict accordance with the instructions, after which the co-pilot checks the correct placement of the cargo and reports this to the crew commander, who decides on the possibility of flying and is responsible for this.
The aircraft is equipped with an onboard loading complex, consisting of four lifting mechanisms, each with a carrying capacity of 5 tons.
In addition, two floor winches are provided for loading non-self-propelled wheeled vehicles and cargo on the loading ramp.
This time, the An-225 was chartered by the French engineering company Alstom to transport 170 tons of cargo from Swiss Zurich to Bahrain with refueling in Athens and Cairo.
These are a turbine rotor, a turbogenerator for the production of electricity and components.
Flight manager Vadim Nikolaevich Deniskov.
To tow the An-225 aircraft, it is impossible to use the carrier of aircraft of other companies, therefore the carrier is transported on board the aircraft.
And since the aircraft is not equipped with a rear cargo hatch and the towing carrier is unloaded and loaded through the front cargo hatch, which requires a full cycle of squatting the aircraft on the front support, as a result, at least 30 minutes are lost and the resource of the aircraft structure and the squat system is unreasonably spent.
Aircraft Maintenance Technician.
To ensure turns when the aircraft moves along the ground, the last four rows of the main support struts are made orientable.
Aircraft maintenance technician: specialization "hydraulic system and landing gear".
The large weight of the aircraft leads to the fact that the landing gear leaves marks on the pavement.
Ladder and hatch to the cockpit.
The passenger compartment is divided into 2 parts: in the front there is the crew of the aircraft, and in the back - the accompanying and maintenance personnel.
Cabin sealing is separate - they are separated by a wing.
The rear part of the attendant's cabin is designed for eating, working with technical documentation and holding conferences.
The aircraft provides 18 seats for rest of crew members and members of the engineering team - 6 seats in the front cabin and 12 in the rear.
Ladder and hatch to the cabin of the attendants in the tail section of the aircraft.
Technical compartment located at the rear of the cockpit.
On the shelves, you can see the blocks that ensure the operation of various aircraft systems, and the pipelines of the pressurization and air conditioning system and the anti-icing system. All aircraft systems are highly automated and require minimal crew intervention during operation. Their work is supported by 34 on-board computers.
The wall of the front spars of the center section. It is installed (from top to bottom): slat transmission and air bleed pipelines from engines.
In front of her are stationary cylinders of the fire protection system with Freon extinguishing composition.
Stickers - souvenirs from numerous visitors on the panel on the doors of the emergency escape hatch.
The farthest point from the base airport, which the plane managed to visit, is the island of Tahiti, which is part of French Polynesia.
The distance along the shortest arc of the globe is about 16,400 km.
Rynda An-225
Vladimir Vladimirovich Mason mentioned in the engraving is an aircraft maintenance engineer who worked for Mriya for many years.
Aircraft commander (PIC) - Vladimir Yuryevich Mosin.
To become an An-225 commander, you must have at least 5 years of experience in flying an An-124 aircraft as a commander.
Weight and balance control is simplified by the installation of a weight measurement system on the chassis.
The crew of the aircraft consists of 6 people:
aircraft commander, co-pilot, navigator, senior flight engineer, aircraft equipment flight engineer, flight radio operator.
ORES
To reduce the effort on the throttles and improve the accuracy of setting the engine operating modes, a remote engine control system is provided. In this case, the pilot makes a relatively small effort to move the lever of an electromechanical device mounted on the engine with the help of cables, which reproduces this movement on the fuel regulator lever with the necessary effort and accuracy. For the convenience of joint control during takeoff and landing, the thrusters of the outer engines (THROTTLE1 and THROTTLE6) are coupled to the THROTTLE2 and THROTTLE5, respectively.
The steering wheel of the largest aircraft in the world.
Booster aircraft control i.e. control surfaces are deflected exclusively by means of hydraulic steering actuators, in case of failure of which it is impossible to control the aircraft manually (with an increase in the necessary efforts). Therefore, a quadruple redundancy has been applied. The mechanical part of the control system (from the steering wheel and pedals to hydraulic steering gears) consists of rigid rods and cables.
The total length of these cables is: aileron control systems in the fuselage - about 30 meters, in each console (left, right) of the wing - approximately 35 meters; elevator and rudder control systems - about 65 meters each.
With an empty plane, 2400 m of runway is enough for takeoff and landing.
Takeoff with a maximum weight of 3500 m, landing with a maximum weight of 3300 m.
At the executive start, the engines warm up, which takes about 10 minutes.
Thus, engine surge during takeoff is prevented and its maximum takeoff thrust is ensured. Undoubtedly, this requirement leads to the fact that: the takeoff is carried out during the period of minimum workload of the airport, or the plane waits a long time for its turn to take off, skipping scheduled flights.
The takeoff and landing speed depends on the takeoff and landing weight of the aircraft and ranges from 240 km/h to 280 km/h.
Climbing is carried out at a speed of 560 km / h, with a vertical speed of 8 m / s.
At an altitude of 7100 meters, the speed increases to 675 km / h with a further continuation of the climb to the flight level.
Cruising speed of An-225 - 850 km/h
When calculating cruising speed, the weight of the aircraft and the flight range that the aircraft must cover are taken into account.
Dmitry Viktorovich Antonov - senior PIC.
The middle panel of the dashboard of the pilots.
Backup instruments: artificial horizon and altitude indicator. Fuel lever position indicator (UPRT), engine thrust indicator (UT). Deviation indicators for control surfaces and take-off and landing devices (slats, flaps, spoilers).
The instrument panel of the senior flight engineer.
In the lower left corner there is a side panel with hydraulic complex controls and chassis position signaling. Top left panel of the aircraft fire protection system. At the top right is a panel with controls and instruments: starting the APU, pressurization and air conditioning systems, an anti-icing system and a block of signal displays. Below is a panel with controls and controls for the fuel supply system, engine operation control and an on-board automated control system (BASK) for all aircraft parameters.
Senior on-board engineer - Polishchuk Alexander Nikolaevich.
Engine control instrument panel.
On the left, at the top, a vertical indicator of the position of the fuel levers. Large round instruments - high pressure compressor and engine fan speed indicators. Small round instruments - oil temperature gauges at the engine inlet. A block of vertical instruments at the bottom - indicators of the amount of oil in the engine oil tanks.
Instrument panel of an aircraft equipment engineer.
Here are the controls and instruments for monitoring the power supply system of the aircraft and the oxygen system.
Navigator - Anatoly Binyatovich Abdullaev.
Flight over the territory of Greece.
Navigator-instructor - Yaroslav Ivanovich Koshytsky.
Flight operator - Gennady Yurievich Antipov.
The ICAO call sign for the An-225 on the flight from Zurich to Athens was ADB-3038.
On-board engineer - Yuri Anatolyevich Mindar.
Athens airport runway.
Landing at night on the "Mriya" is carried out instrumentally, that is, according to instruments, from the leveling height to the touch - visually. According to the crew, one of the most difficult landings is in Kabul, which is associated with high mountains and many obstacles. The approach is started at a speed of 340 km/h up to a height of 200 meters, then the speed is gradually reduced.
Landing is carried out at a speed of 295 km / h with fully released mechanization. It is allowed to touch the runway at a vertical speed of 6 m/s. After touching the runway, the reverse thrust is immediately shifted on engines 2 to 5, and 1 and 6 are left at idle. The landing gear is braked at a speed of 140-150 km/h until the aircraft comes to a complete stop.
Aircraft resource - 8000 flight hours, 2000 takeoffs and landings, 25 calendar years.
The aircraft can still fly until December 21, 2013 (25 years since the start of its operation), after which a thorough study of its technical condition will be carried out and the necessary work will be carried out to ensure the extension of the calendar service life to 45 years.
Due to the high cost of transportation on the An-225, orders appear only for very long and very heavy loads, when transportation by land transport is not possible. Flights are random: from 2-3 per month to 1-2 per year. From time to time there is talk about building a second copy of the An-225 aircraft, but this requires an appropriate order and appropriate funding. To complete the construction, an amount approximately equal to $ 90 million is required, and taking into account the testing, it increases to $ 120 million.
Perhaps this is one of the most beautiful and impressive aircraft in the world.
Thanks to "Antonov Airlines" for help in organizing photography!
Special thanks to Deniskov Vadim Nikolaevich for help in writing the text for the post!
For all questions regarding the use of photographs, write to e-mail.
An-225 "Mriya" is the largest aircraft in the world that has ever taken to the air ("Mriya" from the Ukrainian "dream"). The maximum lifting weight of the aircraft is 640 tons. The An-225 aircraft was built specifically to transport the Soviet reusable spacecraft Buran. The aircraft was produced in a single copy.
The aircraft project was developed in the USSR and built at the Kiev Mechanical Plant in 1988.
"An-225" set a world record for carrying capacity. On March 22, 1988, the plane took off with a load of 156.3 tons and broke 110 aviation records.
For the entire period of operation, the aircraft flew 3740 hours. If you count average speed aircraft 500 km / h, takeoff and landing time, goes approximately 1,870,000 kilometers or 46 around the Earth at the equator.
The dimensions of the An-225 are amazing: length - 84 meters, height -18 meters.
On the picture good example aircraft An-225 and Boeing-747.
If we compare the largest Boeing-747-800, then the An-225 is 8 meters longer, and the size of the wings is 20 meters.
Not all airports can park such a giant; in such cases, the aircraft stands right on the alternate runway.
Wingspan 88.4 meters. There is one aircraft in the world that surpasses the An-225 in terms of wingspan, this Hughes H-4 Hercules took off once in 1947.
On the An-225 aircraft, external mounts were provided for transporting bulky cargo, for example, the Buran spacecraft and blocks of the Energia launch vehicle. The cargo is secured at the top of the aircraft.
Loads fixed at the top could create a wake, which required a two-keel tail assembly to avoid aerodynamic shadowing.
The aircraft is equipped with six D-18T engines, each developing a thrust of 23.4 tons during takeoff.
Each engine develops 12,500 hp during takeoff.
The D-18T engine of the An-225 Mriya aircraft is also installed on the An-124 Ruslan. The weight of the engine is 4 tons, and the height is 3 meters.
The total volume of fuel tanks is 365 tons. The plane can fly 15 thousand kilometers and stay in the air for 18 hours.
It takes from 2 to 36 hours to refuel such a giant, it all depends on the volume of tankers (from 5 to 50 tons).
Fuel consumption 15.9 tons per hour (cruise flight). When fully loaded, the aircraft can stay in the air without refueling for no more than 2 hours.
The chassis consists of 16 racks, each rack has 2 wheels, a total of 32 wheels.
90 landings, this is the resource of all wheels, after which they need to be changed. Wheels are produced in Yaroslavl, the price of one wheel is about 30 thousand rubles.
Wheel size: on the main pillar 1270 x 510 mm, on the front 1120 x 450 mm. Wheel pressure 12 atmospheres.
An-255 has been performing commercial transportation since 2001.
Cargo cabin: length-43 meters, width-6.4 meters, height-4.4 meters.
The cargo compartment is completely sealed, which allows you to transport any kind of cargo. What can be placed on a plane, for example: 80 cars, 16 containers or BelAZ giant trucks.
The cargo compartment is opened by lifting the bow up.
It takes 10 minutes to open access to the cargo hold.
The landing gear is bent under itself, the front of the aircraft is lowered down on special supports.
Auxiliary steam.
Control panel "lowering system" of the aircraft.
This type of loading has a number of advantages over the Boeing 747, which is loaded from the side of the fuselage.
The An-225 aircraft carries cargo: commercial 247 tons (4 times more than the Boeing-747), and the record load capacity is 2538 tons. In 2010, the longest cargo in air transportation was delivered, 2 windmill blades of 42.1 m each.
For the sake of flight safety, loads are placed strictly according to the instructions, observing the center of gravity, after which the co-pilot checks the correct placement of the load and reports to the commander.
The aircraft is equipped with its own loader of 4 lifts, each lifts 5 tons. The floors are equipped with two winches for loading non-self-propelled cargo.
The services of the largest aircraft are used all over the world, for example: now you need to transfer 170 tons of cargo from a French engineering company from Zurich to Bahrain. Refueling will be required in Athens and Cairo.
Alston turbine rotor for electricity production.
An-225 Mriya aircraft towing
The very large weight of the aircraft leaves such traces on the pavement.
The technical compartment is located at the rear of the cockpit. There are many different systems here, but their work is controlled by 34 on-board computers, human intervention is minimized.
An-225 aircraft crew of six people: aircraft commander, co-pilot, navigator, senior flight engineer, aircraft equipment flight engineer, flight radio operator.
The helm, it is controlled by the largest aircraft in the world.
To take off an empty plane, 2400 meters of the runway is enough. If the aircraft is fully loaded, it is required runway 3500 meters.
It takes 10 minutes to warm up the engine before takeoff, which ensures maximum thrust.
The takeoff and landing speed depends on the weight of the aircraft (with and without cargo) and ranges from 240 to 280 km/h.
The aircraft is gaining altitude at a speed of 560 km/h.
After climbing more than 7 thousand meters, the speed increases to 675 km / h and further grows, the ship is gaining altitude to the flight level.
The cruising speed is 850 km/h. The speed is calculated taking into account the cargo carried and the flight range.
Pilots' dashboard (middle panel).
The instrument panel of the senior flight engineer.
Devices for monitoring the operation of engines.
Navigator.
Flight engineer.
Ship captain and co-pilot.
Landing at a speed of 295 km / h, braking of the landing gear occurs at a speed of 145 km / h and until the aircraft stops.
Aircraft resource: 25 years, 8 thousand flight hours, 2 thousand takeoffs and landings. The aircraft reached its service life in 2013 and was sent for a thorough study and repair, after which the service life will increase to 45 years.
The transportation services of the largest An-225 Mriya aircraft are very expensive. An aircraft is ordered when very heavy and long loads need to be transported, only if transportation by land and water is not possible. The company wants to make a second such aircraft, but this is just talk. The cost of building the second An-225 aircraft is about $90 million, taking into account all the tests, it increases to $120 million.
The largest aircraft in the world An-225 belongs to Antonov Airlines.
Transport aircraft AN-225 "Mriya" is by far the largest aircraft in the world. This aircraft was developed by OKB im. Antonova. The main task of the air giant was the transportation a large number cargo.
Received the poetic name "Mriya", the AN-226 was designed and built in just 4 years, from 1984 to 1988. The first flight of a huge aircraft with an incredible payload took place on December 21, 1988. This flight was successful, and the AN-226 is still operated by Antonov Airlines. Although the project included the construction of a second such machine, the collapse of the USSR prevented this from being fully realized. grandiose project, and the second plane has not yet been assembled.
The history of the appearance of the largest aircraft in the world
The history of the appearance of a huge aircraft with heavy load capacity began in connection with the need to service the Buran spacecraft. Since the transportation of various parts of the ship to the place of its launch was extremely problematic, this is how this problem was solved. Due to the fact that the new transport aircraft was supposed to deliver to launch pad the first stage of the spacecraft, its carrying capacity should have been no less than 250 tons.
Since the dimensions of the cargo compartment of the AN-225 did not correspond to the dimensions of the launch vehicle and the Buran, the transport aircraft received drawings of external fasteners developed according to special schemes. Thus, the transportation of the spacecraft was carried out outside. In this regard, the standard tail of the aircraft had to be replaced with a two-tail tail, which could withstand powerful aerodynamic flows.
Although the AN-225 aircraft was designed precisely as a specialized technique designed to transport a spacecraft, its drawings had much in common with the drawings of the first successful development of the OKB im. Antonov - AN-224 "Ruslan", therefore, in their own performance characteristics and the purpose of the AN-225 turned out to be a fairly versatile aircraft.
Often in open sources you can find information where Balabuev is called as the chief designer. This information is not correct, because, although Balabuev was the chief designer of the Antonov Design Bureau, Tolmachev led the project to create the AN-225.
Since very tight deadlines were set for the development and creation of the AN-225, thousands of different designers, engineers, technologists and other specialists from all over the Soviet Union were involved in the process of creating a new aircraft. Each enterprise took on a separate section of work to create a huge transport aircraft:
- All the main work on the design of the AN-225 was taken over by the Antonov Design Bureau. They were also involved in the production of most of the parts of the aircraft body. The assembly of the fuselage and the general assembly of the aircraft were also within their competence;
- In Tashkent, at the aircraft production association named after Chkalov were engaged in the manufacture of parts of the wings of the aircraft, using the AN-224 base for this;
- The Ulyanovsk Aircraft Industrial Complex was entrusted with the task of producing various large-sized parts, which were made by milling;
- The Kiev Aircraft Production Association was supposed to manufacture the front fuselage, horizontal and nose plumage and landing gear;
- The Moscow Institute of Automation and Electromechanics was responsible for the operation of the aircraft control complex;
- Powerful D-18 engines, the technical characteristics of which made it possible to use them for such powerful aircraft, like AN-225, was manufactured by the Zaporizhzhya Engine Building Plant;
- Specialists from the Voronezh Aircraft Plant were brought in specifically to paint the new aircraft.
In addition to the above enterprises, many different components and equipment for the AN-225 were manufactured at various enterprises throughout the Soviet Union, so it would be fundamentally wrong to consider the AN-225 Mriya (and AN-224 Ruslan) as Ukrainian developments.
AN-225 - the technical capabilities of a huge aircraft
According to its performance characteristics, AN-225 can be used for the following transport operations:
- Transportation of various long, oversized and heavy cargoes, which can have a total weight of up to 250 tons;
- Non-stop inland transportation of goods. In this case, their weight can be up to 200 tons;
- In intercontinental transportation of goods, the total weight of the transported can be up to 150 tons;
- Transportation of oversized cargo that can be placed outside by attaching it to the fuselage of the aircraft. Outdoor cargo can weigh up to 200 tons.
In addition, the AN-225 "Mriya" is a ready-made chassis for the design of various space systems.
Reading the description and the weight of the transported goods, it is impossible to accurately imagine the dimensions of the cargo compartment of the AN-225. To get a rough idea of the actual dimensions of the aircraft cargo hold, you need to consider specific examples:
- The cargo compartment of the AN-225 can fit 50 cars;
- 16 large aviation containers UAK-10;
- Large unit loads such as mining trucks, industrial generators or turbines.
Many are interested in what fuel consumption this huge aircraft has? An-225 consumes about 15.9 tons of fuel per flight hour.
Flight history AN-225 "Mriya"
The first flight of the AN-225 was carried out at the end of 1988. After that, the AN-225 was used only to move the Buran, since the launch vehicles were transported on the Atlant aircraft. In 1989, the AN-225 was presented at the Paris Air Show. In 1991, several flights were made over the Baikonur cosmodrome for demonstration purposes.
In 1994, all flights on the AN-225 were stopped, and its main components were removed and put on the AN-224 Ruslans.
Already in the 2000s, it became clear that having the only working AN-225 in the world was not only prestigious, but also profitable. In order to modify the aircraft to the standards of modern civil aviation took about a year. Although the same Soviet instruments remained inside the AN-225 cockpit, many modern systems were added to them. On May 23, 2001, Antonov Airlines received all the necessary certificates and permits, which allowed the AN-225 to start working in the field of air transportation.
The base of the AN-225 aircraft is the most suitable for the implementation of flying complexes for the launch of space systems. A vivid confirmation of this is the Max system, which is a joint aerospace system of Ukraine and Russia.
Records AN-225 "Mriya"
Although the AN-225 did not fly so many flights during its short existence, it managed to set many records in aviation:
- AN-225 is the largest and heaviest operating aircraft in the world. The only aircraft that surpassed it in wingspan was the HuglesH-Herkules, which made only one flight in 1947;
- In 1989, when the AN-225 took to the air weighing 156.3 tons, it was able to break 110 aviation records at once. Although many believed that this weight was the limit of its capabilities, in 2004 the updated AN-225 took to the air, carrying a load of 250 tons on board;
- In 2009, the AN-225 was again able to get into the Guinness Book of Records. This time he transported the heaviest single cargo in the history of world aviation. It was a German generator set that weighed 187.6 tons;
- The heaviest weight ever carried by an AN-225 is 253.8 tons;
- In mid-2010, the longest cargo in the history of cargo aviation was transported - windmill blades, each of which was 42.1 meters long.
In total, there are about 250 records that the AN-225 managed to break during its existence.
The main differences between the AN-125 "Mriya" and the AN-224 "Ruslan"
Although the development of the AN-225 is based on the AN-224 aircraft, there are several significant differences between Ruslan and Mriya:
- AN-225 has two additional engines that are needed to lift such a huge aircraft into the air;
- The fuselage was significantly increased in length due to special inserts;
- For the AN-225, a new center section of the aircraft wings was developed;
- The tail unit was replaced with a new one;
- The AN-225 does not have a cargo hatch in the tail section;
- Since the AN-225 can carry external cargo, it has a special fastening system for cargo that the ship is forced to transport from the outside;
- Since the chassis had to hold a large load, additional racks were added to it.
Most of the other parameters and characteristics of the An-225 practically do not differ from the design of the An-224 Ruslan, which greatly simplified its development and accelerated the release of this model.
Parameters of the aircraft AN-225 "Mriya"
Although the AN-225 aircraft was created as a transport platform for the transportation of the Buran spacecraft, its creation on the basis of the AN-124, which is a transport aircraft, determined its scope in the field of cargo transportation.
The cargo compartment of the AN-225 aircraft has truly impressive dimensions:
- Its length is 43 meters;
- The width is 6.4 meters;
- The height of the cargo compartment is 4.4 meters.
Although the dimensions of the cargo compartment of the AN-124 Ruslan are almost the same (the only difference is the length of the cargo compartment, it is 1.5 meters less), the total weight that the AN-225 can lift is 100 tons more. The cargo compartment is completely sealed, which greatly expands its transportation capabilities. various kinds cargo.
The cabin for a shift crew, which is located above the cargo compartment, can accommodate not only the direct members of the AN-225 crew in the amount of 6 people, but also 88 people accompanying the cargo. The front cargo hatch is designed in such a way as to make loading and unloading operations as quick and convenient as possible. A special set of onboard equipment helps to carry out this type of work.
Since the fuselage of the AN-225 is equipped with a system of fastenings for the external transportation of bulky cargo, Mriya is able to transport such cargo that does not fit in its large cargo hold. Since the attachment system on the fuselage of the aircraft was developed for reliable fixation of the Buran spacecraft, there is no need to worry about the safety of the cargo attached to the fuselage.
Flight parameters and dimensions of the AN-225
The flight characteristics of the AN-225 "Mriya" are as follows:
- The cruising speed of the aircraft is 850 km/h;
- The flight range with a cargo weight of 200 tons is about 4,500 km;
- With a load of 150 tons, the flight range of the AN-225 is increased to 7,000 km.
AN-225 has the following dimensions:
- The wingspan is 88.4 meters;
- Aircraft length - 84 meters;
- Height - 18.1 meters.
AN-225 is made in only one copy. The second An-225 aircraft, which was assembled back in Soviet times, is only 70 percent assembled. According to information from the Antonov plant, in order to complete the assembly of the second aircraft, about 120 million dollars are needed (including tests). If an investor appears who is ready to invest this amount, then the aircraft can be completed within a few years.
In 2015, an interesting incident occurred with the AN-225 Mriya aircraft. Having taken off with cargo from Prague (the plane was carrying a generator intended for an Australian power plant) and, having made several landings en route for refueling, the plane suddenly disappeared from the locator screens. As it turned out later, the plane was simply delayed in taking off, although this incident made many people seriously worried.
Although the AN-225 Mriya aircraft is a fairly old development, no foreign manufacturer has yet been able to produce a similar analogue. Now only two models can compete with the AN-225. This is Airbus A3XX-100F and 747-X Boeing Corporation, although their carrying capacity is limited to 150 tons.
Among the many aircraft that have appeared since the first flight of the Wright brothers, there are several unique machines specially created to perform special functions or to test unusual technical solutions. Many of these aircraft never went into production or were made in limited numbers.
Our material is about a completely unique aircraft, which was also designed for a special job and made in a single copy. But this machine is still in service, it serves people and does not get tired to amaze with its epic power. We are talking about the largest aircraft in the world - the An-225 Mriya transport aircraft.
The history of the creation of the An-225 "Mriya"
This machine was designed and built in a very short time: the first drawings appeared in 1985, and in 1988 the transport aircraft was already built. The reason for such a short time is quite easy to explain: "Mriya" was created using well-developed components and assemblies of the An-124 "Ruslan" aircraft. The fuselage of the Mriya has the same transverse dimensions as the An-124, but is longer, the wingspan and area have increased. The same structure as that of Ruslan has a wing, but additional sections have been added to it. The An-225 has two additional engines. The landing gear of the aircraft is almost the same as the chassis of the Ruslan - but it has seven instead of five racks. The cargo compartment has been significantly changed. Initially, two aircraft were laid down at the aircraft plant, but so far only one An-225 has been completed. The second copy of the unique aircraft is approximately 70% ready and can be completed at any time with proper funding. For its completion, an amount of 100-120 million dollars is needed.
On February 1, 1989, the aircraft was shown to the general public, and in May of the same year, the An-225 made a non-stop flight from Baikonur to Kiev, carrying a Buran weighing 60 tons on its back. In the same month, the An-225 delivered the Buran spacecraft to the Paris air show and made a splash there. In total, the aircraft has 240 world records, including the transport of the heaviest cargo (253 tons), the heaviest monolithic cargo (188 tons) and the longest cargo.
The An-225 Mriya aircraft was originally designed for the needs of the Soviet space industry. In those years, the Soviet Union was building the Buran, its first reusable ship, the answer to the American shuttle. To implement this project, it was necessary transport system which could be used to transport goods large sizes. It was for these purposes that Mriya was conceived. In addition to the components and assemblies of the spacecraft itself, it was necessary to transport parts of the Energia rocket, which also had colossal dimensions. All this was delivered from the place of production to the points of final assembly. The nodes and components of Energia and Buran were manufactured in the central regions of the USSR, and the final assembly of the space system took place in Kazakhstan, at the Baikonur cosmodrome. In addition, the An-225 was originally designed so that in the future it could carry the completed Buran spacecraft. Also, the An-225 could carry bulky cargo for the needs National economy, for example, equipment for mining, oil and gas industry.
In addition to participating in the Soviet space program, the aircraft was to be used to transport oversized cargo long distances. This work An-225 "Mriya" will perform today.
The general functions and tasks of the machine can be described as follows:
- transportation of general-purpose cargo (oversized, heavy) with a total weight of up to 250 tons;
- intracontinental non-stop transportation of goods weighing 180−200 tons;
- intercontinental transportation of goods weighing up to 150 tons;
- transportation of heavy oversized cargo on an external sling with a total weight of up to 200 tons;
- use of aircraft for air launch of spacecraft.
Flying cosmodrome An-225 "Mriya"
This is far from all. Other, even more ambitious tasks were set before the unique aircraft - and they were also related to space. The An-225 "Mriya" aircraft was supposed to become a kind of flying cosmodrome, a platform from which spaceships and rockets would be launched into orbit. "Mriya", as conceived by the designers, was to become the first step for the launch of reusable spacecraft of the "Buran" type. Therefore, initially the designers were faced with the task of making an aircraft with a carrying capacity of at least 250 tons.
The Soviet shuttle was supposed to start from the "back" of the aircraft. This method of launching vehicles into near-Earth orbit has many serious advantages. Firstly, there is no need to build very expensive ground-based launch complexes, and secondly, launching a rocket or ship from an aircraft saves fuel significantly and allows increasing the payload of a spacecraft. In some cases, this may allow you to completely abandon the first stage of the rocket.
Various air launch options are being developed at the present time. The United States is especially active in this direction; there are also Russian developments.
Alas, with the collapse Soviet Union the "air launch" project using the An-225 was practically buried. This aircraft was an active participant in the Energia-Buran program. An-225 carried out fourteen flights with Buran on the top of the fuselage, hundreds of tons of various cargoes were transported under this program.
After 1991, funding for the Energia-Buran program ceased, and the An-225 was left without work. Only in 2000 did the modernization of the machine begin for commercial use. The An-225 Mriya aircraft has unique technical specifications, huge carrying capacity and can carry bulky cargo on its fuselage - all this makes the aircraft very popular for commercial transportation.
Since that time, the An-225 has performed many flights and transported hundreds of tons of various cargoes. Some transport operations can be safely called unique and unparalleled in the history of aviation. The plane took part in humanitarian operations several times. After the devastating tsunami, he delivered power generators to Samoa, transported construction equipment to earthquake-ravaged Haiti, and helped clean up the aftermath of an earthquake in Japan.
In 2009, the An-225 aircraft was upgraded and its service life was extended.
The device of the An-225 aircraft
The An-225 "Mriya" aircraft is made according to the classical scheme, with high-raised wings of small sweep. The cabin is located in front of the aircraft, the cargo hatch is also located in the nose of the machine. The aircraft is made according to the two-keel scheme. Such a decision is associated with the need to transport goods on the fuselage of the aircraft. The glider of the An-225 aircraft has very high aerodynamic properties, the value of the aerodynamic quality of this machine is 19, which is an excellent indicator not only for transport, but also for passenger aircraft. This, in turn, greatly improved the performance of the aircraft and reduced fuel consumption.
Almost the entire internal space of the fuselage is occupied by the cargo compartment. Compared to the An-124, it has grown by 10% (by seven meters). At the same time, the wingspan increased by only 20%, two more engines were added, and the aircraft's carrying capacity increased by one and a half times. During the construction of the An-225, drawings, components and assemblies of the An-124 were actively used, thanks to which the aircraft was able to be created in such a short time. Here are the main differences between the An-225 and the An-124 Ruslan:
New center section;
increased fuselage length;
single-keel tail unit was replaced with a two-keel one;
lack of a tail cargo hatch;
the number of main landing gear racks has been increased from five to seven;
system of fastening and pressurization of external loads;
two additional D-18T engines were installed.
Unlike Ruslan, Mriya has only one cargo hatch in the nose of the aircraft. Like its predecessor, "Mriya" can change the clearance and angle of the fuselage, which is extremely convenient for loading and unloading. The chassis has three supports: a front two-column and two main ones, each of which consists of seven pillars. At the same time, all racks are independent of each other and are produced separately.
An-225 has six D-18T engines suspended under the wings, as well as two auxiliary power plants located inside the fuselage.
The cargo compartment is made airtight and equipped with everything necessary equipment for loading work. Inside the fuselage, the An-225 can carry up to sixteen standard air containers (each weighing ten tons), fifty cars or any cargo weighing up to two hundred tons (turbines, trucks, especially large sizes, generators). On top of the fuselage, special fastenings are provided for the transportation of oversized cargo.
To take off without cargo, the aircraft needs a runway 2400 meters long, with cargo - 3500 meters.
Specifications An-225 "Mriya"
Video about An-225 Mriya
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