The Largest Airplane Ever Built

The Antonov An-225 Mriya is a cargo aircraft that was designed by the Soviet Union’s Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s. It is powered by six turbofan engines and is the longest and heaviest airplane ever built, with a maximum

takeoff weight of 640 tonnes. It also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service. Only one

An-225 was ever built and the behemoth transporter is still in service today.

The first and only An-225 was completed in 1988 after four years of construction. The An-225 first flew on 21

December 1988 with a 74-minute flight from Kiev. The Antonov An-225 was originally designed to airlift the

Energia rocket’s boosters and the Buran space shuttle for the Soviet space program.

After successfully fulfilling its Soviet military missions, it was mothballed for eight years. It was then refurbished and re-introduced, and is in commercial operation with

Antonov Airlines carrying oversized payloads. An increased-capacity landing gear system with 32 wheels

was designed, some of which are steerable, enabling the aircraft to turn within a 60 m (200 ft) wide runway.

The pressurized cargo hold is 1,300 m3 (46,000 cu ft) in volume; 6.4 m (21 ft) wide, 4.4 m (14 ft) high, and 43.35 m (142.2 ft) long—longer than the first flight of the Wright Flyer. The airlifter

holds the absolute world records for an airlifted single item payload of 189,980 kilograms

(418,834 pounds), and an airlifted total payload of 253,820 kilograms (559,577 pounds). It has

also transported a payload of 247,000 kilograms (545,000 pounds) on a commercial flight.

General CharacteristicsCrew: 6

Length: 84 m (275 ft 7 in)Wingspan: 88.4 m (290 ft 0 in)

Height: 18.1 m (59 ft 5 in)Wing area: 905 m2 (9,740 sq ft)

Aspect ratio: 8.6Empty weight: 285,000 kg (628,317 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 640,000 kg (1,410,958 lb)Fuel capacity: 300,000 kg

Cargo hold – volume 1,300m3, length 43.35m, width 6.4m, height 4.4m

Powerplant: 6 × ZMKB Progress D-18 turbofans, 229.5 kN (51,600 lbf) thrust each

PerformanceMaximum speed: 850 km/h (528 mph; 459 kn)Cruising speed: 800 km/h (497 mph; 432 kn)

Range: 15,400 km (9,569 mi; 8,315 nmi) with maximum fuel; range with maximum payload: 4,000 km (2,500 mi)

Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,089 ft)Wing loading: 662.9 kg/m2 (135.8 lb/sq ft)

Thrust/weight: 0.234