The only Antonov AN-225 in the world destroyed by Russia

[AZRedhawk44]

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/antonov-an-225-largest-plane-destroyed-ukraine-scli-intl/index.html

This was the largest heavy lift aircraft in the world and was a global commercial asset and resource.  It's flown payloads for Boeing, Rolls Royce, NASA, JAXA, ESA, Roskosmos, SpaceX, and countless large companies and government agencies.  It has delivered enormous quantities of relief supplies to disasters all around the world.

Now it's gone and no imminent replacement on the horizon.  Ukraine says that they'll rebuild it and Russia will pay for it, but that's only going to happen if Ukraine exists, and Russia is contrite.

Who knows, perhaps Stratolaunch can be reconfigured and repurposed into a heavy lift cargo craft.  It looks too fragile to me to serve that kind of purpose, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.  But there are payloads out there that the AN-124 fleet, Boeing 747 fleet, and NASA SuperGuppy are unable to service.

[Brad Johnson]

Well damn.

If there's a positive, crap like this seems to be causing cracks in Putin's support base. Russia and former Soviet states have finally seemed to mostly wrap their head around the benefits of capitalism. Lots of people are reaping the rewards, some of whom have loose morals, vindictive natures, and no problem using questionable means to get their way. These people have the means and mindset to involve things most of us can't even fathom, much less act on, and they aren't restricted by diplomacy, decorum, discretion, or restraint. Putin equates power with bluster and braggadocio but he's really just a neighborhood bully with a louder mouth and bigger stick than the other kids. These people are the kind who make bullies into examples, or just make them disappear without a trace. Putin is playing a tough to the world, but he's playing a much more dangerous game with his own countrymen and their ire is starting to show.

Brad

[BobR]

There is another unfinished airframe for the AN 225. It has been shown on the television show "Mysteries of the Abandoned" at least once. Maybe it survived and can be rehabbed and completed. Probably not though as it has been sitting quite a while.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/antonov-an-225-kiev-ukraine/index.html


bob

[AZRedhawk44]

Yeah, she ain't flying again.

[Brad Johnson]

I dunno. Baling wire, some duct tape, and a few zip screws....

Brad

[AZRedhawk44]

There is another unfinished airframe for the AN 225. It has been shown on the television show "Mysteries of the Abandoned" at least once. Maybe it survived and can be rehabbed and completed. Probably not though as it has been sitting quite a while.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/antonov-an-225-kiev-ukraine/index.html


bob

Much like how the US, despite having blueprints, is unable to make a Saturn V rocket or an F1 rocket engine... or how Boeing claimed institutional expertise on manned spaceflight systems via heritage with the Space Shuttle via their acquisition of Rockwell and yet has totally screwed up their Starliner capsule project...  I expect that Ukraine/Antonov is going to be unable to re-create a new AN 225.  The institutional knowledge necessary to understand the blueprints and their dependencies, and the manufacturing processes behind the componentry of that era, is just gone.  It was designed in a world 40 years now gone.

[Boomhauer]

You’d be better off building new clean sheet

[cordex]

That strikes me as the kind of thing that only ever gets built when there are government interests with a special project in mind, but once it is built many uses are found.

[WLJ]

Rather interesting event described at 12:56  "The Real Ghost of Kyiv"

A Dream that is Gone but not Forgotten: The An 225 Mriya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlyw5bPXs0U

[tokugawa]

The institutional knowledge necessary to understand the blueprints and their dependencies, and the manufacturing processes behind the componentry of that era, is just gone.  It was designed in a world 40 years now gone.

 This applies in so many areas- we threw away our knowledge base. Welcome to the third world.

[230RN]

....
Who knows, perhaps Stratolaunch can be reconfigured and repurposed into a heavy lift cargo craft.  It looks too fragile to me to serve that kind of purpose, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.  But there are payloads out there that the AN-124 fleet, Boeing 747 fleet, and NASA SuperGuppy are unable to service.

Maybe we can develop air "barges" that can be towed?

Aircraft have been towing other aircraft for a long time... gliders come to mind, so does the fact that B-17s have towed two gliders at once in WWII.  Maybe a helium-lift-assisted "barge?"

Maybe with the "barges' " aerodynamic controls tied in to the towing aircraft controls.

If they use pilots in the "barges," they could release them one at a time to land independently according to the payload, like compound trucks pulling more than one trailer.  For really big cargo, perhaps an RBFB, "Really Big Friggin' Barge." You could probably build two RBFBs for the price of one AN-225.

https://videos.pond5.com/b-17-takes-towing-two-footage-103687992_main_xxl.mp4

That clip also shows a B-54 towing three (3, count 'em) gliders



And hows 'bout them^ apples?

Terry, groundlubber, 230RN

[MillCreek]

^^^Every few years, someone trots out a design for an enormous yet economical LTA (lighter than air) proposal that will solve all our heavy airlift problems and emit a pleasing trail of rainbow sprinkles and fairy dust in its wake.  We are still waiting.

[RoadKingLarry]

https://d1t0xk6rn1avc6.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/cargo-airship.jpg

[230RN]

That always happens.  I actually took out a line in that post which said, "Let the naysaying begin."



Oh,well.  Open your valves.

"Oh, come on, now.  How are you going to make that little piece of rock amplify an electrical current?"

http://www.ck722museum.com/

"Hey, you know, with all those neutrons being emitted, we might make other atoms split as well.  Get enough together and it might go bang."

https://youtu.be/vjqIJW_Qr3c

"You know, I think an airplane can sink a battleship."

I'm Laughing Out Loud.  Let the yeah-buts begin.

Terry, 230RN