Antonov An 225 (Mryia)
Antonov An-225 is the largest aircraft ever built. Here is shown only as the massive nose (it did not fit in a 35 mm slide). With 7 pairs of wheels on main landing gear, 24 wheels in all, it is a monster of the air.
Designed in the 1980s to transport over size cargo (including the Russian space vehicle Buran on piggyback) it never became a commercial enterprise. One one aircraft was built (the above, shown at the Paris Air show). The competitor (slightly smaller airplane) An-114, instead, has become more popular.
The maximum demostrated take off weight is MTOW = 508,200 kg, with a payload of 156,300 Kg, although the design point was at MTOW = 600,000 kg, with PAY – 250,000.
The wing is clean, having no fences and no vortex generators. The 6 turbofan engines provide a maximum of 1,377,000 kN of thrust.
Technical Data
| Cruise Speed | M=0.76 |
| Powerplant | 6 x 229.5 kN, D-18T ZMKB |
| Wing Span | 88.4 m |
| Cruise altitude | 12,300 m |
| Empty Weight | 150,000 kg |
| Max Take-Off Weight | 508,300 kg |
Selected References:
- The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, edited by D. Donald, Blitz Editions, London, 1997.
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