An-225 Mriya. Reviews, specifications, photos. Heavy transport aircraft

Airliner An-225 "Mriya", the photo of which is located below, is the heaviest cargo aircraft of all that ever flew into the air. Its greatest takeoff weight is 640 tons. The creation of the model was associated with the need to build an air transportation system for the needs of the project of the reusable Soviet spacecraft Buran. It is impossible not to note the fact that at the moment this aircraft exists in only one copy. All this will be discussed in more detail later.

Order for design

In the middle of 1988, the government of the Soviet Union commissioned the Antonov Design Bureau to develop a project and build a new airplane. The main requirement, which was put forward to him, was the ability to transport the space shuttle Buran. In addition, the aircraft was planned to be used in such a field of activity as transport aviation, where it would transport large-scale equipment for the oil, construction and mining industries.

Predecessor

In addition to all other requirements, designers were faced with the task of making the cost of a new airliner as cheap as possible. In addition, it was necessary to minimize the time of its construction. In this regard, they decided to take as a basis the design, as well as the main units and assemblies of another large model - AN-124 Ruslan. It should be noted that at that time she confidently headed the rating "The best aircraft of Ukraine" (photo of the vessel is given below).

His first flight was made at the end of 1982. Its transport characteristics were among the best on the planet. A striking proof of this was the fact that after the appearance of Ruslan, some world space companies began to actively develop their air transport vessels. This applies to the Americans, who urgently began to improve their Lockheed project - the S-5A Galaxy.

Preliminary studies showed that this heavy transport aircraft could transport components not only of the Buran system, but even the oxygen and hydrogen tanks of the Energia rocket in docked form, in terms of its capacity, as load capacity. On the other hand, due to its tail single-keel tail, the external transportation of long cargoes became impossible.

Key changes

The designers changed the design of the wings for Mriya. In connection with the addition of additional sections in the center, their scope increased. The design of the fastenings for the wings on the pylons remained the same, but their number increased to six. If the size of the cross section of the fuselage, in comparison with the previous modification, remained the same, the total length of the hull increased. With a view to reducing weight, it was decided to eliminate the cargo hatch with all the devices intended for loading and unloading. For access to the cargo compartment the nose of the liner rises. In total, the opening or closing of the ramp takes about ten minutes. On the model "Ruslan" five separate stands with twin wheels were installed, which were the main support for the chassis, in the An-225 their number increased to seven. The tail fins for the possibility of carrying loads outside the body were made by a two-keel.

Presentation

The An-225 Mriya was introduced to the Soviet public by the general designer of the Antonov bureau, PV Balabuev, on November 30, 1988. At the same time, engineers for the first time rolled out an airliner from the assembly shop. A few days later the car completed its first maneuvers at the plant's airfield, namely jogging at speeds of up to 200 km / h, turns and rising of the front chassis rails. February 1, 1989 at the airport "Borispol" it was first shown to foreign experts and journalists.

First take off

Initially, the designers planned to make their debut takeoff in the air on December 20, 1988. However, due to bad weather conditions (strong wind and low clouds) this event was postponed. The situation was similar the next day. Despite this, after a take-off run of 950 meters, the ship easily broke away from the ground and began to gain altitude. The first flight of the liner lasted 1 hour and 14 minutes. The main thing that the designers of the An-225 "Mriya" wanted to determine during it were the characteristics of the ship's control system, as well as the correctness and reliability of the on-board equipment functioning. In addition, engineers needed to clarify the aerodynamic corrections of the machine. According to the results of the flight, they came to the conclusion that all systems and nodes work in full accordance with the calculated data. On December 28, 1988 the airliner performed another test flight.

Highscores

On March 22, 1989, a very unusual flight of the Mriya (An-225) aircraft was scheduled. Technical specifications of the liner provided all the prerequisites for breaking several world records. In preparation for this event, many experts - testers, designers, technicians, engineers and pilots took an active part. After the commission weighing of the cargo, the mass of which was 156.3 tons, the filler necks of the fuel tanks were sealed. Then the ship flown into the air without any problems, and 45 minutes later it landed successfully. During this short period of time, the An-225 Mriya beat 110 world records. The previous achievement of the American "Boeing 747-400" in this indicator, as the maximum take-off mass, was exceeded by as much as 104 tons. Experts' testimonies testified that the An-225 is waiting for a great and bright future.

Fulfillment of the main goal

Whatever it was, setting world records was not the main goal in the construction of the novelty. As already mentioned above, the aircraft was aimed at the external transportation of the Buran space complex. The liner made its first flight with such cargo on the "back" on May 13, 1989, when it was delivered to the Baikonur cosmodrome. The crew, headed by A. Galunenko, managed to check the handling of the ship with the "Buran" on board, and also to measure fuel consumption and the speed of flight in various conditions. Ten days after this the plane made a direct flight on the route "Baikonur-Kiev". The distance of 2700 kilometers in this case was overcome in 4 hours and 25 minutes. Photo of the largest aircraft on the planet with the "Buran" on board is given below.

First commercial flight

His debut commercial flight An-225 was made in May 1990. Then the airliner moved a special tractor "T-800" (its weight was more than 100 tons) from Chelyabinsk to Yakutia. After he landed at the airport, instantly fell into the midst of an enthusiastic crowd. It should be noted that this expedition was far from accidental. It was of great importance not so much for the national economy of the country, as it carried the goal of checking the transport capabilities of the aircraft in such difficult conditions as in the Arctic. Based on the results of the constructors, a number of useful studies were carried out and valuable conclusions were drawn.

Main characteristics

One of the main advantages of the aircraft "Mriya" (An-225) - technical characteristics and flight data. The liner is equipped with six turbojet engines, which are called D-18T. The weight of each of them exceeds the mark of four tons. Their total thrust is 1377 kN, which is an unprecedented magnitude. During take-off, each of them develops a capacity that is 12,500 horsepower. The wingspan of this aircraft is 88.4 meters, while the area is 905 square meters. As for the dimensions, its length and height are 84 and 18.1 meters, respectively.

Cruising speed An-225 is set at 850 km / h. Provided that the fuel tanks are fully refueled, the ship is able to cover 15 thousand kilometers in empty condition and 4.5 thousand kilometers with maximum load. The payload of the airliner is 250 tons. At the same time, he is able to fly at an altitude of 11 thousand meters. As for the requirements for the runway, its minimum length should be 3 kilometers. The fuel consumption of the machine is almost 16 tons per hour (subject to operation at cruising speed and full load).

Capabilities

The aircraft is capable of carrying out non-stop intercontinental shipments of cargoes weighing up to 200 tons, as well as intercontinental transportation of cargoes weighing up to 150 tons. Outside on the fuselage by airplane you can transport large-sized elements that weigh up to 200 tons. The cargo cabin of the An-225 is quite roomy. In particular, 16 universal aviation containers UAC-10 (10 tons each), 50 passenger cars or mono-loads weighing up to 200 tons (dump trucks, generators, turbines, etc.) will be located inside the fuselage without problems. For loading and unloading the model is equipped with a whole complex, which includes four lifting mechanisms with a load capacity of five tons. In addition, the designers of the ship provided two winches.

Crew

Management of the An-225 Mriya is carried out by a crew of six people. In order to facilitate access to the cockpit, the seats of the first and second pilots are equipped with a whole system of adjustments and are able to rotate. Behind them is the workplace of a specialist in navigation and communications. On the right in the cockpit are the seats of the onboard engineers. It should be noted that inside the airliner there is a room for a backup crew. In the main cabin in total, six seats are equipped, and in the auxiliary - twelve. In order to become the commander of the crew of this car, the pilot must have a seniority in the management of the An-124 Ruslan model, which is at least five years old.

Avionics

The avionics of the An-225 Mriya model includes an automatic flight performance monitoring system, as well as a dynamic map display. In this case, electronic monitors, which are designed for electronic monitoring, are not available here. The nose compartment is divided into two dielectric zones. They are designed to provide protection to ground-based radar, as well as a radar front-view system. In the role of backup devices, a height indicator and an air horizon serve here. In addition, the cabin has a position indicator fuel levers, traction indicators power plants, sensors deflection of the landing gear and steering surfaces.

Revival

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the world's largest aircraft was useless. In 1994, his flights were terminated. Moreover, the engines and other equipment were removed from it in general for further use in the Ruslana. Whatever it was, every year there was a growing need for the resuscitation of the project called Mriya: large aircraft from other leading world manufacturers were unable to cope with the tasks that the An-225 model alone could. As a result, designers have finalized the liner in order to ensure its compliance with existing standards in civil aviation.

May 7, 2001 is considered the second birthday of "Mriya". It was then, after a series of runs, turns and tests, the liner again rose into the air. On board it was marked UR-82060, and the crew was headed by the pilot A. V. Galunenko. The car spent about fifteen minutes in the air, after which it landed safely. On May 23, 2011 the ship received all necessary certificates, including international ones. This allows you to use it for commercial cargo shipments.

The second copy

From the very beginning of the construction of the An-225 Mriya plane, it was planned to create two of its copies. Despite this, the second car was completed and was not. The reason for this was the lack of proper financing of the project. At present, it is located on the territory of the Antonov plant. Experts estimate the overall degree of its readiness in 70 percent. More specifically, since the Soviet times there was a fuselage, one wing and a center wing. According to the designers, it is quite feasible to complete this car, but this requires a cash amount of about $ 150 million. This is possible only when a customer or sponsor appears.

Some features of the plane "Mriya"

In order to ensure safety during the flight, the center of gravity of this airliner with the cargo should be placed along the length in certain limits. In this regard, loading is carried out in accordance with the instructions. Verification of the correctness of this process is the responsibility of the co-pilot. Drivers from other manufacturers for transportation of this vessel can not be used, therefore, a special copy of this device is transported on its board. This is a heavy transport aircraft, because of the huge weight of the machine on the asphalt there are always traces of the chassis. At the same time, the cost of one of their bus starts from the mark of one thousand US dollars.