The Russian plane that transports other planes such as the NASA Space Shuttles?Originally Posted by EJ25RUN
The Russian plane that transports other planes such as the NASA Space Shuttles?
Not exactly.
The Antonov AN225 is the Ukrainian plane built in the mid 80's to transport the Russian Buran space Shuttle. After the Buran's failure and the Soviet Union's fall, the program's money was. The AN225 sat for 8 years before being re-engined and turned from a military plane into a FAA/EASA regulated cargo plane. It is now the only airborne unit that can carry loads of 250 tons. The AN225's base plane, the AN124, is the second largest in the world and the much older AN22 is the largest propeller plane.
The AN225 finally got painted in 2009. Notice how the set of front wheels recline. There are also cranes inside the cargo bay. The U.S. military is said to be a user of the AN225 since the Galaxy is nowhere near its potential.
Yeah I meant Russian cause I knew the builder was Russian, and also do you mean that it was not built to carry space craft but it still does?Not exactly.
The Antonov AN225 is the Ukrainian plane built in the mid 80's to transport the Russian Buran space Shuttle. After the Buran's failure and the Soviet Union's fall, the program's money was. The AN225 sat for 8 years before being re-engined and turned from a military plane into a FAA/EASA regulated cargo plane. It is now the only airborne unit that can carry loads of 250 tons. The AN225's base plane, the AN124, is the second largest in the world and the much older AN22 is the largest propeller plane.
The AN225 finally got painted in 2009. Notice how the set of front wheels recline. There are also cranes inside the cargo bay. The U.S. military is said to be a user of the AN225 since the Galaxy is nowhere near its potential.
Like this...
It is Ukrainian. Not Russian.
It was built to A. Carry the Buran space shuttle, and B. Carry loads too large for the AN124.
It hasn't carried the space shuttle since the early 90's since it the space program was canceled when the Soviet Union fell. It was transformed from a military plane to a commercial cargo plane in the early 2000s. Antonov Airlines runs it now from Kiev.
Ohh I thought the main guy who designed the ship was Russian and I know the company that actually built the ship was Ukrainan.
Its complicated as Oleg Antonov was very old and his final work was the AN124. He died before the AN225 was complete although he was alive when the design process began.
Petro Balabuyev is credited with the AN225 and he was also Ukrainian.
This documentary goes over all the people involved.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prd4R...eature=related
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