World’s Largest 13 Billion $ Aircraft Carrier Plane In The World
Built to support the Soviet space program back in the late eighties, one gargantuan aircraft has proved itself an invaluable asset to aid agencies in the Covid-19 era. Capable of lugging unparalleled payloads around the globe, this airborne behemoth is one of a kind. Well, until the Chinese get around to finishing their own hush-hush copycat version.
So why is it so gigantic?
And how much thrust are those six mighty engines actually capable of?
Join us we take to the skies for a voyage of discovery inside the world’s biggest plane. Strategic airlift cargo aircraft are designed to transport military materiel, weaponry, and personnel over long distances, and this is loosely the aim of the AN-225.
You may have heard of the Airbus A400M, Boeing C-17, or Lockheed C-5, all of which serve similar purposes. Unlike these, the AN-225 was specifically designed to airlift the Energeia rocket’s boosters and to transport Buran-class orbiters for the Soviet space program.
In fact, its original mission was almost identical to the mission of the American Shuttle Carrier aircraft — a pair of significantly smaller Boeing 747–100s.
It was conceived in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic during the 1980s, and only one example was ever complete in 1988. This Antonov aircraft has been compared to exotic supercars before because while it may be loud, Smokey, and bad for the environment, and just as uncomfortable, it’s rather fun and rather quirky.
It belongs to a company initially known as Antonov Design Bureau, which has overseen the assembly of around 22,000 aircraft in its time, some of which can still be seen to be flying in and between Ukraine and Belarus. It recently went through a period of six dormant years, though, so the future isn’t looking prosperous. But that’s enough history — the most impressive details are in the figures. Its 640-tonne maximum takeoff weight puts it at the forefront of all airlines; an Airbus A380 sits at 575 tones while a Boeing 747–8 is around 445 tones.
Antonov claims it can carry 250 tones of cargo, or up to 200 tones on the upper fuselage, where cargo can be up to 70 meters in length. But let’s not forget, rules are there to be broken, and after all, these are just guidelines set out by Antonov.
The AN-225 holds an absolute world record for the heaviest total payload, at 253.82 tones. It also holds a record for the heaviest single-item payload, measuring a whopping 189.98 tones.
But ‘world’s heaviest aircraft’ wasn’t enough for the company — the aircraft that first took to the skies in December 1988 is also at the forefront of the wingspan category. Its 88.4-meter wingspan isn’t ridiculously impressive when compared to the 80-meter wingspan of an A380, but aircraft like the 787 are significantly smaller at 60 meters.
In fact, you could park around 80 cars on its wings alone, thanks to an enormous wing area of 905 square meters. That’s more than the estimated 50 cars that you could carry inside the fuselage. The 84-meter long aircraft is manned by a crew of six, who can burn through over 300 tones of fuel at a max speed of 530mph. Read more….