Decode the world's largest transport plane manufactured by the Soviet Union

Powered by six powerful engines capable of carrying an entire spacecraft, the Antonov An-225 "Mriya" is the largest cargo plane in the world still in operation today.

Owning a wingspan of up to 88.4 meters and a body length of 84 meters, "Mriya" (the name assigned by the company to the Antonov An-225 ) is a true sky monster. One more parameter will make you even more amazed by this giant, its unladen weight of up to 285,000kg.

By the time of its launch in 1988, the Antonov An-225 was larger than at least 50% larger than any previous aircraft. trade in Ukraine since 2001 . 'Mriya' is powered by six Ivchenko Progress D-18T super-sized jet engines. Each engine is capable of generating thrust up to 23,000 k g. Besides its large capacity, one of the advantages of the line This engine is low fuel consumption, easy to maintain, low emissions and quite smooth to operate.

Not only the engine, 'Mriya's landing system' will also amaze many people, with 32 wheels allowing it to turn around on a 60 meter wide runway. It is the largest cargo plane in the world. in operation, is not synonymous with 'Mriya' being the largest cargo plane in the world ever produced.A good example is the Hughes H-4 Hercules family, which has a wingspan of 97.54 meters (compared to 88.4 meters for the Antonov An-225) or a Stratolaunch with a wingspan of up to 117 meters.However, the aforementioned giants are now in museums or no longer in operation.

Historically, the Antonov An-225 family of aircraft (Soviet) was built by the former Soviet Union to function as a super-heavy carrier, replacing the outdated Myasishchev VM-T aircraft.The design of the Antonov An-225 is geared towards the transportation of boosters, as well as spacecraft.

The first flight of Antonov An-225 was made in 1988, departing from Kiev, the capital of Ukraine and lasting 74 minutes.After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Antonov An-225 was forgotten for many years, until it was acquired by a Ukrainian company.

A specialized transport aircraft, the Antonov An-225 constantly sets world records for its incredible capabilities. Accordingly, in 2009, with the transport of more than 170 tons of goods, mainly the turbine of the power plant, the giant recorded in the Guiness book with the title 'The heaviest cargo volume ever transported by road. air'.Besides this title, Antonov An-225 currently holds about 30 other world records.

In fact, 'Mriya' is the Antonov An-225 aircraft ever completed in the world, there is still an Antonov An-225 but the assembly process has never been completed. "will continue to be used at least until 2033.