ANTONOV AN-225 DREAM WITH SHUTTLE MODEL

The Antonov An-225 Mriya (Dream) - the worlds largest airplane, designed specifically to carry the Buran space shuttles, is of the middle of 2001, back in active service.

The Antonov Design Bureau has now made the sole production An-225 airworthy once more, with the aim of making the worlds largest cargo aircraft available to the commercial freighter market. This follows on from the highly successful An-124, which has carved itself a niche in outsized cargo markets around the world.

The 250-tonnes capacity An-225 is expected to become available for use from mid 2001, and will join Antonov Airlines existing fleet of eight An-124s.

The An-225 that flew Buran now carries the Ukrainian flag on its tail and is registered UR-82060.

The superheavy An-225 Mriya (Dream), has now been fitted with new safety systems, navigation and communication equipment. Designers have said they are also reinforcing the aircrafts fuselage so that the bay can accommodate very heavy cargo.

The An-225 has been equipped with a new cockpit and passenger cabin, new ventilation and lighting, Savenko said. The engines were designed and produced at the countrys leading Motor Sich engine maker.