The only Antonov An-225 destroyed in Ukraine

 

Antonov AN-225 Mriya logo.

March 20, 2022

Antonov AN-225 Mriya

The Antonov An-225, the largest cargo plane in the world, built in a single copy, has just been destroyed by Russian strikes near kyiv. The information was confirmed on February 27, 2022 by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister.

Size and comparisons

The Antonov An225 was parked in a hangar at Hostomel airport for maintenance operations. This image, of poor quality that we could not authenticate, would show the rear of the fuselage of the An-225 on fire.

Nicknamed Mriya, "the dream" in Ukrainian, the Antonov An-225 made its first flight in the late 1980s. It was originally built to carry the Russian space shuttle Buran on its back. He did this fourteen times.

Antonov AN-225 Mriya carrying Russian space shuttle Buran

The Antonov An-225 had been used since 2001 for on-demand cargo flights. During the Covid-19 crisis, the device was in high demand. We see him here at Paris-Vatry airport in Marne in April 2020, who came to deliver 150 tonnes of masks and sanitary equipment. For loading and unloading, the nose of the aircraft rose and the fuselage lowered.

 Antonov An-225 Orbiter.ch Aerospace Tribute

Recognizable by its six reactors, its high wing, and its double empennage, the Antonov An-225 was until a few hours ago the longest and heaviest aircraft in the world: Length 84 m, Maximum take-off weight 640 tonnes.

The only Antonov An-225 destroyed in Ukraine (in French)

With a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes (705 short tons), the An-225 held several records, including heaviest aircraft ever built and largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service. The Mriya attracted a high degree of public interest, attaining a global following due to its size and its uniqueness. People frequently visited airports to see its scheduled arrivals and departures.

Related link:

Antonov An-225 Mriya - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225_Mriya

Images, Videos, Text, Credits: AviationNeews/AeroNews.TV/Wikipedia/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Sadly, Orbiter.ch