71-440: Mriya , Ukrainian for 'dream', may refer to: Antonov An-225 Mriya , a cargo aircraft, destroyed during Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine Mriya, a Ukrainian bank bought up by Russia's VTB Bank Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Mriya . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
142-603: A Shuttle Carrier Aircraft on December 11, 2010. The Approach and Landing Tests were a series of taxi and flight trials of the prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise , conducted at Edwards Air Force Base in 1977. They verified the shuttle's flight characteristics when mated to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and when flying on its own, prior to the Shuttle system becoming operational. There were 3 taxi tests, 8 captive flight tests and 5 free flight tests. During
213-561: A decision was made to preserve N905NA and display it at Space Center Houston with the mockup Space Shuttle Independence mounted on its back. N905NA was flown to Ellington Field where it was carefully dismantled, ferried to the Johnson Space Center in seven major pieces (a process called The Big Move), reassembled, and finally mated with the replica shuttle in August 2014. The display, called Independence Plaza, opened to
284-556: A feat that was at one point scheduled to occur around 2008. However, the work was subject to repeated delays. By August 2009, the aircraft had not been completed and work had been abandoned. In May 2011, the Antonov CEO reportedly stated that the completion of the second An-225, which would have a carrying capacity of 250 tons, requires at least $ 300 million; upon the provision of sufficient financing, its completion could be achieved in three years. According to different sources,
355-566: A fleet of four An-124-100s and three Antonov An-12s , the need for aircraft larger than the An-124 became apparent by the late 1990s. By this time, the Soviet Union was no longer in existence and the Buran program had been terminated; consequently, the sole completed An-225 was left unused and without a purpose. As early as 1990, Antonov officials were openly speaking on their ambitions for
426-572: A lack of funding. By 2009, it had reportedly been brought up to 60–70% completion. With a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes (705 short tons), the An-225 held several records, including heaviest aircraft ever built and largest wingspan of any operational aircraft. It was commonly used to transport objects once thought impossible to move by air, such as 130-ton generators, wind turbine blades, and diesel locomotives . Additionally, both Chinese and Russian officials had announced separate plans to adapt
497-778: A long-term loan to the city from NASA. Shuttle Carrier N905NA was used to ferry the retired Space Shuttles to their respective museums. After delivering Endeavour to the Los Angeles International Airport in September 2012, the aircraft was flown to the Dryden Flight Research Facility, where NASA intended it to join N911NA as a source of spare parts for NASA's SOFIA aircraft, but when NASA engineers surveyed N905NA they determined that it had few parts usable for SOFIA. In 2013,
568-544: A maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.6 with the orbiter attached. A crew of 170 took a week to prepare the shuttle and SCA for flight. Studies were conducted to equip the SCA with aerial refueling equipment, a modification already made to the U.S. Air Force E-4 (modified 747-200s) and 747 tanker transports for the IIAF . However, during formation flying with a tanker aircraft to test refueling approaches, minor cracks were spotted on
639-509: A new photograph, taken since the initial conflict, was tentatively identified as the tail of the aircraft protruding from its hangar, suggesting that it remained at least partly intact, however, further evidence proved to show that the aircraft is inoperable due to the extreme damage it sustained. On 3 March, a video circulated on social media, showing the aircraft burning inside the hangar alongside several Russian trucks, confirming its likely destruction. Nonetheless, Antonov stated again that until
710-403: A payload of 189,980 kg (418,830 lb ), It also transported a total payload of 247,000 kg (545,000 lb) on a commercial flight. On 11 September 2001, carrying five main battle tanks at a record load of 253.82 tonnes (279.79 short tons) of cargo, the An-225 flew at an altitude of up to 10,750 m (35,270 ft) over a closed circuit of 1,000 km (620 mi) at
781-516: A photo was posted on Twitter of an object tentatively identified as the An-225 on fire in its hangar. A report by the Ukrainian edition of Radio Liberty stated that the airplane was destroyed during the Battle of Antonov Airport, which was repeated by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and by Ukroboronprom , Antonov's parent organisation. The Antonov company initially refused to confirm or deny
SECTION 10
#1732772079848852-639: A single blue cheatline. That year, after secretly being fitted with an infrared countermeasures system to protect it from heat-seeking missiles , it was also used to fly Enterprise on a tour in Europe, with refueling stops in Goose Bay , Canada; Keflavik, Iceland ; England; and West Germany. It then went to the Paris Air Show . In 1988, in the wake of the Challenger accident , NASA procured
923-444: A speed of 763.2 km/h (474.2 mph). During 2017, the hired cost was US$ 30,000 ( £23,220 ) per hour. On 11 June 2010, the An-225 carried the world's longest piece of air cargo, two 42.1 m (138 ft) test wind turbine blades from Tianjin , China, to Skrydstrup , Denmark. On 27 September 2012, the An-225 hosted the highest altitude art exhibition in the world at 10,150 metres (33,301 feet) above sea level during
994-933: A surplus 747SR-46 from Japan Airlines . Registered N911NA, it entered service with NASA in 1990 after undergoing modifications similar to N905NA. It was first used in 1991 to ferry the new shuttle Endeavour from the manufacturers in Palmdale, California to Kennedy Space Center . Based at the Dryden Flight Research Center within Edwards Air Force Base in California the two aircraft were functionally identical, although N911NA has five upper-deck windows on each side, while N905NA has only two. The rear mounting points on both aircraft were labeled with humorous instructions to "attach orbiter here" or "place orbiter here", clarified by
1065-542: A total of six Progress D-18T turbofan engines, two more than the An-124, the addition of which was facilitated by the redesigned wing root area. An increased-capacity landing gear system with 32 wheels was designed, some of which are steerable; these enable the airlifter to turn within a 60-metre-wide (200 ft) runway. Akin to its An-124 predecessor, the An-225 incorporated a nose gear designed to "kneel" so cargo can be more easily loaded and unloaded. Additional measures to ease loading and unloading activities included
1136-615: Is a 747-100 model, while the other (N911NA) is a short-range 747-100SR. Both are now retired. The SCAs were used to ferry Space Shuttles from landing sites back to the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center . The orbiters were placed on top of the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices , large gantry -like structures that hoisted the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing then mated them with
1207-419: Is uncertainty regarding whether or not it would be commercially viable and worth the cost. However, Andrii Sovenko, a former An-225 pilot and aviation author, said: It's impossible to talk about the repair or restoration of this aircraft -- we can only talk about the construction of another Mriya, using individual components that can be salvaged from the wreckage and combining them with those that were, back in
1278-472: The Antonov Design Bureau produced a derivative of their existing Antonov An-124 Ruslan airlifter. The aircraft was stretched via the addition of fore and aft fuselage barrel sections, while a new enlarged wing centre was designed that facilitated the carriage of an additional pair of Progress D-18T turbofan engines, increasing the total from four to six powerplants. A completely new tail
1349-451: The U.S. Air Force would have retained ownership of the C-5, while NASA could own the 747s outright. The first aircraft, a Boeing 747-123 registered N905NA, was originally manufactured for American Airlines . With a decline in air traffic and failure to fill their 747s, American Airlines sold it to NASA. It still wore the visible American cheatlines while testing Enterprise in the 1970s. It
1420-536: The Ukrainian National Guard from setting up defenses at Hostomel Airport in anticipation of an invasion. In April 2023, Ukrainian prosecutors charged the former head of Antonov, Serhii Bychkov, with " official negligence " for failing to order the aircraft flown to Leipzig, Germany, ahead of the Russian invasion. The Ukraine Security Service ( SBU ) who investigated the case stated, "according to
1491-406: The empennage of the An-225 was a twin tail with an oversized, swept-back horizontal stabilizer , having been redesigned from the single vertical stabilizer of the An-124. The use of a twin tail arrangement was essential to enable the aircraft to carry its bulky external loads that would generate wake turbulence , disturbing the airflow around a conventional tail. The An-225 was powered by
SECTION 20
#17327720798481562-468: The first flight of the Wright Flyer . The cargo hold, which was pressurized and furnished with extensive soundproofing , could contain up to 80 standard-dimension cars, 16 intermodal containers , or up to 250,000 kilograms (551,150 lb) of general cargo. The flight deck of the An-225 was at the front of the upper deck, which was accessed via a ladder from the lower deck. This flight deck
1633-399: The 1980s, intended for the construction of a second aircraft. On 20 May 2022, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced his intentions to complete the second An-225, to replace the destroyed aircraft and as a tribute to all the Ukrainian pilots killed during the war. In November 2022, Antonov confirmed plans to rebuild the aircraft at an estimated cost of $ 500 million. At the time,
1704-518: The An-225 for use in their respective space programmes. The Mriya routinely attracted a high degree of public interest, attaining a global following due to its size and its uniqueness. The only completed An-225 was destroyed in the Battle of Antonov Airport in 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine . Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced plans to complete the second An-225 to replace
1775-543: The An-225 received its type certificate from the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Register (IAC AR) on 23 May 2001. The type's first flight in commercial service departed from Stuttgart , Germany, on 3 January 2002, and flew to Thumrait, Oman , with 216,000 prepared meals for American military personnel based in the region. This vast number of ready meals was transported on 375 pallets and weighed 187.5 tons. The An-225
1846-450: The An-225 was capable of flying non-stop across great distances, such as between New York and Los Angeles . As originally constructed, the An-225 had a maximum gross weight of 600 t (660 short tons), however, between 2000 and 2001, the aircraft received numerous modifications at a cost of US$ 20 million, such as the addition of a reinforced floor, which increased the maximum gross weight to 640 t (710 short tons). Both
1917-464: The An-225's blue and yellow paint scheme, added in 2009. These matched the colors of the Ukrainian flag and led to the An-225 becoming "Ukraine's winged ambassador to the world," in the words of The New York Times . When the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world in early 2020, the An-225 participated in the relief effort by conducting flights to deliver medical supplies from China to other parts of
1988-840: The AviaSvit-XX1 Aerospace Show at Antonov Airport . The exhibition was part of the Globus Gallery based in Kyiv and consisted of 500 artworks by 120 Ukrainian artists. In total, the An-225 has set 240 world records, which is unique in aviation. The aircraft's last commercial mission was from 2 to 5 February 2022, to collect almost 90 tons of COVID-19 test kits from Tianjin , China, and deliver them to Billund , Denmark, via Bishkek , Kyrgyzstan. From there, it returned on 5 February to its base at Antonov Airport in Hostomel , where it underwent an engine swap. On
2059-417: The Russian government announced plans to revive Soviet-era air launch projects that would use a purpose-built modification to the An-225 as a midair launchpad. In May 2017, Airspace Industry Corporation of China (AICC)'s president, Zhang You-Sheng, informed a BBC reporter that AICC had first contemplated cooperation with Antonov in 2009 and made contact with them two years later. AICC intends to modernize
2130-634: The SCA with Endeavour performed low level flyovers above various landmarks across California, from Sacramento to the San Francisco Bay Area, before finally being delivered to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). From there the orbiter was transported through the streets of Los Angeles and Inglewood to its final destination, the California Science Center in Exposition Park . Shuttle Carrier N911NA
2201-424: The SCAs for ferry flights. In approach and landing test flights conducted in 1977, the test shuttle Enterprise was released from an SCA during flight and glided to a landing under its own control. The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy was considered for the shuttle-carrier role by NASA but rejected in favor of the 747. This was due to the 747's low-wing design in comparison to the C-5's high-wing design, and also because
Mriya - Misplaced Pages Continue
2272-665: The Smithsonian was transported to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City on April 27, 2012, making low-level passes over the city's landmarks, before landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport , where it was transferred by barge to the museum. The last ferry flight took Endeavour from Kennedy Space Center to Los Angeles between September 19 and 21, 2012 with refueling stops at Ellington Field and Edwards Air Force Base. After leaving Edwards
2343-535: The Soviet Union at the 1989 Paris Air Show where it was presented carrying a Buran orbiter. One year later, it performed a flying display for the public days at the Farnborough Air Show . While two aircraft had been ordered, only a single An-225, ( registration CCCP-82060 , later UR-82060 ) was finished. It could carry ultra-heavy and oversized freight weighing up to 250,000 kg (550,000 lb) internally or 200,000 kg (440,000 lb) on
2414-607: The Soviet space program. Its first pilot was Oleksandr Halunenko, who continued flying it until 2004. " Antonov Airlines " was concurrently founded in 1989 after it was set up as a holding company by the Antonov Design Bureau as a heavy airlift shipping corporation. This company was to be based in Kyiv , Ukraine, and operate from London Luton Airport in partnership with Air Foyle HeavyLift . While operations began with
2485-549: The additional drag and weight of the Orbiter imposed significant fuel and altitude penalties. The range was reduced to 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 km; 1,200 mi), compared to an unladen range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi), requiring an SCA to stop several times to refuel on a transcontinental flight. Without the Orbiter, the SCA needed to carry ballast to balance its center of gravity. The SCA had an altitude ceiling of 15,000 feet (4,600 m) and
2556-404: The advice of NATO it was prepared for evacuation, scheduled for the morning of 24 February, but on that day Russia invaded , with the airfield being one of their first targets. A ban on civilian flights was quickly enacted by Ukrainian authorities. During the ensuing Battle of Antonov Airport , the runway was rendered unusable. On 24 February, the An-225 was said to be intact. On 27 February,
2627-400: The aircraft (ready to fly status) to Leipzig , Germany, in advance. Multiple Antonov staff have denied his allegations. On 1 April, drone footage of Hostomel Airport showed the destroyed Mriya, with the forward fuselage completely burned and destroyed, but with the wings partly intact. It was later revealed that the right wing had been broken, but was held up only by its engines resting on
2698-409: The aircraft is inspected by experts, its official status could not be fully known. On 4 March, footage on Russian state television Channel One showed the first clear ground images of the destroyed aircraft, with much of the front section missing. Following Russia's withdrawal from northern Ukraine, the second unfinished aircraft airframe was reported to be intact, despite Russian artillery strikes on
2769-401: The aircraft to enter commercial use. Despite this, in 1994, it was decided to put the An-225 into long-term storage. During this time, all six of its engines were removed for use on various An-124s, while the second uncompleted An-225 airframe was also stored. As the 1990s progressed, it became clear that there was sufficient demand for a cargo liner even bigger than the An-124. Accordingly, it
2840-440: The company did not state whether parts from the wrecked aircraft and the incomplete airframe would be combined to create a new flying aircraft or where funding might come from. Four months later, Antonov confirmed that parts had been removed from the wrecked aircraft for future mating to the unfinished fuselage. In March 2023, the Ukrainian government announced that it detained two of three Antonov officials suspected of preventing
2911-437: The decades of Shuttle operations, the SCAs were most often used to transport the orbiters from Edwards Air Force Base , the shuttle's secondary landing site, to the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at the Kennedy Space Center where the orbiter was processed for another launch. The SCAs were also used to transport the orbiters between manufacturer Rockwell International and NASA during initial delivery and mid-life refits. At
Mriya - Misplaced Pages Continue
2982-554: The destroyed aircraft. Work on the Antonov An-225 began in 1984 with a request from the Soviet government for a large airlifter as a replacement for the Myasishchev VM-T . The specifics of this request included the ability to carry a maximum payload of 231,838 kilograms (511,116 lb), both externally and internally, while operating from any runway of at least 3,500 metres (11,500 ft). As originally set out,
3053-436: The earlier and later takeoff weights establish the An-225 as the world's heaviest aircraft, exceeding the weight of the double-deck Airbus A380 airliner. Airbus claims to have improved upon the An-225's maximum landing weight by landing an A380 at 591.7 t (652.2 short tons) during testing. The Antonov An-225 Mriya was originally operated between 1988 and 1991 as the prime method of transporting Buran -class orbiters for
3124-782: The end of the Space Shuttle program the SCA was used to deliver the retired orbiters from the Kennedy Space Center to their museums. Discovery was flown to the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Institution 's National Air and Space Museum at the Dulles International Airport on April 17, 2012, making low-level passes over Washington, D.C. landmarks before landing. Enterprise , which had been on display at
3195-451: The four overhead cargo cranes that could move along the whole length of the cargo hold, each of which was capable of lifting up to 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb). To facilitate the attachment of external loads, such as the Buran orbiter, various mounting points were present along the upper surface of the fuselage. Unlike the An-124, the An-225 was not intended for tactical airlifting and
3266-417: The fuselage was strengthened. Mounting struts were added on top of the 747, located to match the fittings on the Shuttle that attach it to the external fuel tank for launch. With the Shuttle riding on top, the center of gravity was altered. Vertical stabilizers were added to the tail to improve stability when the Orbiter was being carried. The avionics and engines were also upgraded. An internal escape slide
3337-425: The ground. Investigations into rebuilding the An-225 are being undertaken, including the possibilities of cannibalising the second, incomplete An-225, or salvaging the remnants of the first plane to finish the second. However, there are several obstacles to rebuilding. Many of the aircraft's Soviet-made components were from the 1980s and are no longer made. Engineers quote a price of US$ 350–500 million, although there
3408-501: The hangar housing it at the Antonov factory at Sviatoshyn Airfield . Major Dmytro Antonov , the pilot of the An-225, alleged on 19 March 2022 that Antonov Airlines knew that an invasion was imminent for quite some time, but did nothing to prevent the loss of the aircraft. On his YouTube channel, Antonov accused company management of not doing enough to prevent the destruction of the aircraft, after having been advised by NATO to move
3479-769: The investigation, on the eve of the full-scale invasion, the An-225 was in proper technical condition, which allowed it to fly outside Ukraine. Instead, the general director of the company did not give appropriate instruction regarding the evacuation of Mriya abroad. Such criminal actions of the official led to the destruction of the Ukrainian transport plane." Data from Antonov's Heavy Transports , and others General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Shuttle Carrier Aircraft The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ( SCA ) are two extensively modified Boeing 747 airliners that NASA used to transport Space Shuttle orbiters . One (N905NA)
3550-582: The latter fell on top of it. Ukroboronprom said that they planned to rebuild the plane at the Russians' expense. The statement said: "The restoration is estimated to take over 3 billion USD and over five years. Our task is to ensure that these costs are covered by the Russian Federation, which has caused intentional damage to Ukraine's aviation and the air cargo sector." The Ukrainian government also said that it would be rebuilt. On 1 March,
3621-516: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mriya&oldid=1080658331 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Antonov An-225 Mriya The Antonov An-225 Mriya ( Ukrainian : Антонов Ан-225 Мрія , lit. 'dream' or 'inspiration'; NATO reporting name : Cossack )
SECTION 50
#17327720798483692-622: The mission and objectives were broadly identical to that of the United States' Shuttle Carrier Aircraft , having been designed to airlift the Energia rocket's boosters and the Buran -class orbiters for the Soviet space program . Furthermore, a relatively short timetable for the delivery of the completed aircraft meant that development would have to proceed at a rapid pace. Accordingly,
3763-426: The parent company of Antonov, had continued to seek partners to finish the second airframe. On 25 March 2020, the first An-225 commenced a series of test flights from Hostomel Airport near Kyiv, after more than a year out of service, for the installation of a domestically designed power management and control system. The Antonov An-225 was a strategic airlift cargo aircraft that retained many similarities with
3834-572: The precautionary note "black side down". Shuttle Carriers were capable of operating from alternative shuttle landing sites such as those in the United Kingdom, Spain, and France. Because Shuttle Carrier's range is reduced while mated to an orbiter, additional preparations such as removal of the payload from the orbiter may have been necessary to reduce its weight. Boeing transported its Phantom Ray unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator from St. Louis, Missouri, to Edwards on
3905-410: The preceding An-124 airlifter that it was derived from. It had a longer fuselage and cargo deck due to the addition of fuselage barrel extensions that were fitted both fore and aft of the wings. The wings, which were anhedral , also received root extensions to increase their span. The flight control surfaces were controlled via fly-by-wire and powered by triple-redundant hydraulics . Furthermore,
3976-427: The reports, and said it was still investigating them. Also on 27 February, a press release by Ukroboronprom stated that the An-225 had been destroyed by Russian forces. Several other aircraft were in the same hangar as the An-225 at the time of its destruction, and were also destroyed or damaged during the battle; these include a Hungarian-registered Cessna 152 , which was crushed by the An-225's left wingtip after
4047-422: The second aircraft was 60–70% complete by 2016. The revival of space activities involving the An-225 was repeatedly announced and speculated upon throughout its life. During the early 2000s, studies were conducted into the production of an even larger An-225 derivative, the eight-engined Antonov An-325 , which was intended to be used in conjunction with Russia's in-development MAKS space plane . In April 2013,
4118-492: The second unfinished An-225 and develop it into an air launch to orbit platform for commercial satellites at altitudes up to 12,000 m (39,000 ft). The aviation media cast doubt on the production restart, speculating that the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war would prevent various necessary components that would have been sourced from Russia from being delivered; it may be possible that China could manufacture them instead. That project did not move forward but UkrOboronProm,
4189-417: The tailfin of N905NA. While these were not likely to have been caused by the test flights, it was felt that there was no sense taking unnecessary risks. Since there was no urgent need to provide an aerial refueling capacity, the tests were suspended. By 1983, SCA N905NA no longer carried the distinct American Airlines tricolor cheatline . NASA replaced it with its own livery, consisting of a white fuselage and
4260-425: The upper fuselage. Cargo on the upper fuselage can be up to 70 m (230 ft) in length. A second An-225 was partially built during the late 1980s for the Soviet space program, however, work on the airframe was suspended following the collapse of the Soviet Union. By 2000, the need for additional An-225 capacity had become apparent; during September 2006, it was decided that the second An-225 would be completed,
4331-495: The world. The aircraft was popular with aviation enthusiasts , who frequently visited airports to view its scheduled arrivals and departures. On 11 August 2009, the heaviest single cargo item ever sent by air was loaded onto the An-225. At 16.23 m (53 ft 3 in) long and 4.27 m (14 ft 0 in) wide, its consignment, a generator for a gas power plant in Armenia along with its loading frame, represented
SECTION 60
#17327720798484402-555: Was a strategic airlift cargo aircraft designed and produced by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Soviet Union . It was originally developed during the 1980s as an enlarged derivative of the Antonov An-124 airlifter for transporting Buran spacecraft . On 21 December 1988, the An-225 performed its maiden flight ; only one aircraft was ever completed, although a second airframe with a slightly different configuration
4473-403: Was acquired in 1974 and initially used for trailing wake vortex research as part of a broader study by NASA Dryden , as well as Shuttle tests involving an F-104 flying in close formation and simulating a release from the 747. The aircraft was extensively modified for NASA by Boeing in 1976. While first-class seats were kept for NASA passengers, its main cabin and insulation were stripped, and
4544-509: Was added behind the flight deck in case of catastrophic failure mid-flight. In the event of a bail-out, explosives would be detonated to make an opening in the fuselage at the bottom of the slide, allowing the crew to exit through the slide and parachute to the ground. The slide system was removed following the Approach and Landing Tests because of concerns over the possibility of escaping crew members being ingested into an engine. Flying with
4615-468: Was also required to handle the wake turbulence generated by the bulky external loads that would be carried on the aircraft's upper fuselage. Despite the novelty of its scale, the design of the An-225 was largely conventional. The lead designer of the An-225 (and the An-124) was Viktor Tolmachev . On 21 December 1988, the An-225 performed its maiden flight . It made its first public appearance outside
4686-722: Was decided that the first An-225 would be restored. The aircraft was re-engined, received modifications to modernise and better adapt it to heavy cargo transport operations, and placed back in service under the management of Antonov Airlines. It became the workhorse of the Antonov Airlines fleet, transporting objects once thought impossible to move by air, such as 130-ton generators, wind turbine blades, and even diesel locomotives . It also became an asset to international relief organizations for its ability to quickly transport huge quantities of emergency supplies during multiple disaster-relief operations. Under Antonov Airlines,
4757-457: Was largely identical to that of the An-124, save for the presence of additional controls to manage the additional pair of engines. To the rear of the flight deck was an array of compartments which, amongst other things, accommodated the crew stations for the aircraft's two flight engineers, navigator, and communication specialist, along with off-duty rest areas, including beds, which facilitated long range missions to be flown. Even when fully loaded,
4828-546: Was later contracted by the Canadian and U.S. governments to transport military supplies to the Middle East in support of coalition forces. An example of the cost of shipping cargo by An-225 was over 2 million kr. (about €266,000 ) for flying a chimney duct from Billund , Denmark, to Kazakhstan in 2004. During 2016, Antonov Airlines ceased cooperation with Air Foyle and partnered with Volga-Dnepr instead. This led to
4899-406: Was not designed for short-field operations . Accordingly, the An-225 does not have a rear cargo door or ramp, as are present on the An-124, these features having been eliminated in order to save weight. The cargo hold was 1,300 m (46,000 cu ft) in volume; 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) wide, 4.4 m (14 ft) high, and 43.35 m (142 ft 3 in) long —longer than
4970-464: Was partially built. After a brief period of use in the Soviet space programme, the aircraft was mothballed during the early 1990s. Towards the turn of the century, it was decided to refurbish the An-225 and reintroduce it for commercial operations, carrying oversized payloads for the operator Antonov Airlines . Multiple announcements were made regarding the potential completion of the second airframe, though its construction largely remained on hold due to
5041-537: Was retired on February 8, 2012, after its final mission to the Dryden Flight Research Facility at Edwards Air Force Base in Palmdale, California, and was used as a source of parts for NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft, another modified Boeing 747. N911NA is now preserved and on display at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark in Palmdale, California as part of
#847152