Largest plane in the world has been destroyed, the Antonov AN-255 "Mriya" ("The Dream") is the first out of two planes that was planned to be built in (designed in the 1980s by the Antonov Design Bureau in Soviet Ukraine.).
According to the aircraft
manufacturer's website, the fuselage and tail unit were assembled at the
Antonov Kyiv Mechanical Works facility in Kyiv, while the wing center section
and outer wing panels were assembled at the Valerii Chkalov Tashkent Production
Association in Tashkent. The wings and wing center sections were
transported from Tashkent to Kyiv on the AN-22 Antaeus (Antei).
How sad it really is to destroy largest plane in the world in a
futile war. I write this article and I feel very sad about every human soul
lost in wars and also sad for the loss of this plane, which I was very
impressed with its performance as an air cargo instructor.
I know that you are interested in reading as much as you can about
this plane. I will give you a summary of its history and specification to
answer all question that you are need.
How many "Antonov AN-255" are there?
Only one largest plane in the world was ever
built by the Kyiv-based Antonov Company, the defence manufacturers who
originally designed
the plane.
Antonov AN-255 | The First Flight
The first flight of the largest plane in the world took off on December 21, 1988 from
the airfield of the plant in Svyatoshin by captain Oleksandr Galonenko .
What is it used for?
The first objective of the largest plane in the world's development was to transport the orbital shuttle Buran and components of the Energiya carrier rocket.
The AN-225 was also expected to be
used as a space launch site to fly the Reusable Space Transport System (MAKS)
with the aircraft performing its first stage and a compact space shuttle fitted
with a fuel tank.
The second objective of the largest plane in the world 's development is to
transport extra-heavy oversize cargo to
any point on the globe so that the cargo is carried either in the fuselage or
in the external cargo holds.
Antonov | Meaning
Antonov is a masculine Russian surname that is
derived from the male given name Anton and literally means Anton's. I.e.,
it is a patronymic surname derived from the Antonius root name. Its feminine
counterpart is Antonova.
Antonov AN-255| Aircraft Characteristics
1- Main Characteristics
|
Length (m) |
84 (275.6 ft) |
|
Height (m) |
18.2 (59.3 ft) |
|
Wing span (m) |
88.40 (290 ft 2 in) |
|
Wing area (m²) |
905.0 (9,743.7 ft²) |
2- Flight characteristics
|
Cruise speed (km/h) |
800 |
|
Maximum speed |
850 km/h (460 knots, 530 mph) |
|
Operational range (km) |
15 400 |
|
Operational ceiling (m) |
9 000 |
3- General characteristics
|
Crew: |
6 |
|
Payload: |
250,000 kg (550,000 lb) |
|
Door
dimensions: |
440 x 640 cm (14.4 x 21.0 ft) |
|
Cargo Volume |
1300 m³ (45913.8 ft³) |
|
Empty weight: |
175,000 kg (385,800 lb) |
|
Max takeoff
weight |
600,000 kg (1,323,000 lb) |
|
Powerplant: |
6× ZMKB Progress D-18 turbofans, 229.5 kN (51,600 lbf)
each |
|
Takeoff run |
3,500 m (11,500 ft) with maximum payload |
Huge but graceful with six
powerful engines. We cannot see this large bird again.
Largest plane in the world| Chronology
16th
of October 1986
approval of the Requirements
Specifications for development of a multiple-purpose airplane for the aerospace
system which, according to the Enactment of the CPSU Central Committee and the
USSR Council of Ministers No. 132-51, also included the Buran shuttle orbiter
and the Rassvet (Energiya) carrier .
20th of May 1987
publication of Enactment of the
CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers No. 587-132 regarding
launch of development and construction of the airplane with code designation
“400М” (later – “402” or AN-225).
30th of November 1988
the airplane that was later named
“Mriya” is rolled out of the ANTONOV ASTC assembly shop.
20th of December 1988
the crew including: Oleksandr
Galunenko (captain), Sergii Gorbik (co-pilot), Sergii Nechayev (navigator),
Oleksandr Shuleshchenko (senior flight engineer), Volodymyr Gusar (flight engineer),
Vyacheslav Belousov (radio operator) and Mykhaylo Kharchenko (leading test
flight engineer) first flew the AN-225.
February 1989
Mykhaylo Gorbachov, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, visited the AN-225 at the Kyiv Boryspil Airport. It was aboard the Mriya that a historic decision was made to place two An-124s at the disposal of Antonov ASTC.
This event opened the flood-gates for commercial transport operations using the Ruslans and served as an incitement for setting up the Antonov Airlines, air transport division of the ASTC.
22nd of March 1989
Mriya takes off with 156.3 tons
of cargo and establishes 110 world speed, altitude and weight-to-altitude
records within 3 hours and 45 minutes of flight.
13th of May 1989
Mriya takes off from the Baikonur
aerodrome with its principal cargo – Buran orbiter weighing about 60 tons –
carried piggy-back. 13 test flight were accomplished in such vehicles
configuration in the Baikonur area.
June 1989
Demonstration of Mriya with Buran
at the 38-th Paris International Aerospace Show at Le Bourget (France).
May 1990
Mriya (captain Sergii Gorbik’s
crew) makes its first commercial flight carrying a Т-800 tractor weighing over
110 tons from Chelyabinsk to Yakutia.
21st of June 1991
The aerospace system comprising
Mriya and the British Aerospace Interim HOTOL reusable spacecraft is presented
at the European Space Agency headquarters in Paris .
7th of May 2001
Mriya’s first flight (pilot in
command – А.V. Galunenko) after reconditioning overhaul following a seven-years
downtime on the aerodrome.
26th of May 2001
AN-225 Type Certificate is handed
in during a new runway opening ceremony at Boryspil airport.
11th of September 2001
Mriya sets 124 world and 214
national speed, altitude and weight-to-altitude records.
16th of June 2004
having flown the AN-225 with 247
tons of cargo (4 pipe-laying machines) from Prague (Czech Republic) to Tashkent
(Uzbekistan) the crew headed by Anatolii Moiseyev set six world records.
10th of June 2010
the AN-225 carries the longest
cargo item in the history of air transportation. Two wind turbine blades 42.1
meters each were delivered by air from China to Denmark for special testing.
27th of September 2012
on the opening day of AviaSvit
-ХХΙ Aerospace Show, Mriya lifted an art exhibition of the Globus Gallery (500
paintings by 120 Ukrainian artists) accommodated in the airplane’s cargo
compartment, to the altitude of 10150 m. The flight was recorded in the
Guinness Book of Records.
2016
Ukrainian AN-225 Mriya carries a
cargo item weighing 182 tons (a 155-ton electric turbine accommodated in a
special-purpose 27-ton carcass is delivered from São Paulo (Brazil) to Santiago
(Chile) ).
One says “A great Christmas
present: "Mriya" visits Amsterdam”
Cost its Rent
Not available in the future, the cost of chartering Antonov
AN-225 Mriya was vary depending on the cargo you wish to transport, the length
of the route, and destination airports of the flight. Charters in the AN-225 was
around $30,000 an hour
Antonov AN-255 | How much fuel does it use?
The fuel consumption of all engines is
about 18-22 tons (19.8 – 24.3 short tons) per hour of flight.
Is it Bigger than A380
It has six engines and 32 wheels to support
its huge wingspan of 290 feet. This is bigger than the A380.
Antonov AN-255 | How was it destroyed?
An aviation wonder and the world's largest
cargo aircraft, the Antonov An-225, has been “destroyed” in an attack on
its base at Hostomel/Gostomel airport in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Officials
Say the World's Largest Aircraft, Antonov AN-225, Has Been Destroyed. March
3, 2022 3:14 p.m.
Last Words
Good bye Mriya "Largest plane in the world", I dreamed one day that I would take a picture next to it, hear the craving of its engines, count its wheels, and watch its take-off or landing. But like any aviation lover, I feel sad, and like any normal human being, I hate wars.
The restoration is estimated to take over 3 billion USD and over five years.