Antonov An-225
The history of the An-225 began more than 30 years ago, at the time conceived to proceed hand in hand with two other overtly ambitious Soviet aerospace programmes – the An-124 Ruslan strategic military transport aircraft and a re-usable space system similar to the US space shuttle. Design activities for the An-124 were launched at the Kiev-based Antonov Design Bureau in the late 1960s, to meet a Soviet Union Ministry of Defence requirement to replace the An-22 Antey turboprop airlifter and get an equivalent of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy that was fielded by the US Air Force in 1969. The programme proved a notably protracted undertaking due to numerous conceptual problems and the design was not frozen until the late 1970s, while the An-124’s maiden flight did not take place until December 1982.
Ukraine crisis: Antonov An-225 reportedly destroyed
Following days of conflict in Ukraine, one of the largest aircraft ever built, the Antonov An-225 Mriya has been destroyed by Russian forces, according to Ukrainian officals
Ukraine Crisis: Antonov An-225 reported safe
Antonov Design Bureau's chief pilot has confirmed via Facebook that the world's largest cargo aircraft has not been destroyed
WATCH: Antonov An-225 lands at RAF Brize Norton
Aviation enthusiasts flocked to RAF Brize Norton this afternoon (June 24) as the Antonov An-225 Mriya - the world's largest strategic transport aircraft - touched down at the Oxfordshire base
The Giant of the Skies: Antonov AN-225
The heaviest aircraft ever built landed in the UK over the weekend. With six engines, 32 wheels and a wingspan of 88 metres, the Antonov An-225 Mriya draws a crowd wherever it goes…
How the An-225 became the super-heavy air cargo king
From 2002 until its destruction during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the unique An-225 aircraft was in regular commercial use, offering oversize and super-heavy transportation capability like no other. Alexander Mladenov and Krassimir Grozev report