Antonov An-225 Mriya

The Antonov An-225 Mriya was a large <a href="/facts/Strategic_airlift/B4AxnbhF">strategic airlift</a> <a href="/facts/Cargo_aircraft/5UTxmPsn">cargo aircraft</a> designed and produced by the <a href="/facts/Antonov/AAC4wqrH">Antonov Design Bureau</a> in the <a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto">Soviet Union</a>.
It was originally developed during the 1980s as an enlarged derivative of the <a href="/facts/Antonov_An-124_Ruslan/TcEvHRQP">Antonov An-124</a> airlifter for transporting <a href="/facts/Buran_(spacecraft)/s0nNfe61">Buran spacecraft</a>. On 21 December 1988, the An-225 performed its <a href="/facts/Maiden_flight/LW569ILn">maiden flight</a>; only one aircraft was ever completed, although a second airframe with a slightly different configuration was partially built. After a brief period of use in the Soviet space programme, the aircraft was <a href="/facts/Aircraft_boneyard/t242vnhW">mothballed</a> during the early 1990s. Towards the turn of the century, it was decided to refurbish the An-225 and reintroduce it for commercial operations, carrying oversized payloads for the operator <a href="/facts/Antonov_Airlines/BJrPN3qJ">Antonov Airlines</a>. Multiple announcements were made regarding the potential completion of the second airframe, though its construction largely remained on hold due to a lack of funding. By 2009, it had reportedly been brought up to 60–70% completion.
With a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes (705 short tons), the An-225 held several records, including <a href="/facts/List_of_large_aircraft/HyJCcmcW">heaviest aircraft ever built</a> and largest <a href="/facts/Wingspan/xsWBF9Qa">wingspan</a> of any operational aircraft. It was commonly used to transport objects once thought impossible to move by air, such as 130-ton generators, <a href="/facts/Wind_turbine/lUfWqfLg">wind turbine</a> blades, and <a href="/facts/Diesel_locomotive/RvJF30q2">diesel locomotives</a>. Additionally, both Chinese and Russian officials had announced separate plans to adapt the An-225 for use in their respective space programmes. The Mriya routinely attracted a high degree of public interest, attaining a global following due to its size and its uniqueness. 
The only completed An-225 was destroyed in the <a href="/facts/Battle_of_Antonov_Airport/UK8Rs6Y9">Battle of Antonov Airport</a> in 2022 during the <a href="/facts/Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine/kE7cHvoQ">Russian invasion of Ukraine</a>. Ukrainian president <a href="/facts/Volodymyr_Zelenskyy/XaAUoF3n">Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a> announced plans to complete the second An-225 to replace the destroyed aircraft.

Antonov An-225 Mriya open-in-new

Antonov An-225 Mriya