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Antonov An-225 Mriya

Antonov · Widebody / Heavy / Commercial Aviation · Ukraine · Cold War (1970–1991)

Antonov An-225 Mriya — Widebody / Heavy / Commercial Aviation
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The Antonov An-225 Mriya (Ukrainian for "dream") was the heaviest and most-powerful aircraft ever to fly. A single airframe was built by Antonov in 1988 in Kyiv, Soviet Ukraine, as a piggy-back carrier for the Soviet Buran space shuttle. After the Buran programme collapsed, the An-225 was repurposed as a commercial outsize-cargo freighter and operated by Antonov Airlines from Hostomel Airport near Kyiv. It was destroyed on the ground at Hostomel on 27 February 2022, three days into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The An-225 was developed from the four-engine An-124 Ruslan, with two extra Lotarev D-18T turbofans added (six total, 51,600 lbf each), the fuselage stretched by 49 ft, the wing area expanded, and a twin-tail empennage substituted for the An-124's single fin so that the wake behind the orbiter on the back would clear the tail. Maximum takeoff weight was 640 tonnes (1,410,000 lb) — about 17% heavier than a fully loaded Boeing 747-8F. Maximum payload was 250 tonnes (550,000 lb), more than double anything else in the world. It set 240 world aviation records during its operating life, including a single-flight payload of 253.8 tonnes set in September 2001.

First flight came on 21 December 1988 with Antonov chief pilot Aleksandr V. Galunenko in command. It carried the Buran orbiter on its back to the 1989 Paris Air Show, then flew the orbiter again in 1990. After the USSR's collapse and Buran's cancellation, the An-225 sat in storage from 1994 to 2000 before being refurbished as a commercial cargo aircraft. From 2001 onward it operated under Antonov Airlines, hauling oversized cargo no other aircraft could move — power-station rotors, locomotives, mining-truck dumpers, oil-and-gas pressure vessels, and humanitarian-relief loads. During the COVID-19 pandemic the An-225 became the de facto symbol of global air freight, ferrying 100-tonne loads of medical supplies and PPE between China and Europe.

On the morning of 27 February 2022, three days into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces captured Hostomel Airport. The An-225 was inside its hangar, undergoing an engine check that had grounded it at the start of the war. The hangar was struck and the aircraft destroyed; aerial imagery from 2 April 2022, after Ukrainian forces retook the airfield, confirmed the wreck was beyond repair. Antonov has stated publicly that it intends to complete the second An-225 airframe (about 60-70% finished, in storage in Kyiv since 1994) using salvaged components from the destroyed aircraft. Cost is estimated at USD$500 million-$3 billion; as of 2026 no firm completion date has been announced.

For Kids — a shorter, friendlier version

The Antonov An-225 Mriya was the biggest airplane ever built. Just one was ever made. It was 275 feet long — about as long as a city block — with a wingspan wider than a football field. The name Mriya means "dream" in Ukrainian.

The Mriya was designed in the Soviet Union in the 1980s to carry the Buran space shuttle (Russia's version of NASA's space shuttle) on its back. The Mriya was the only airplane big enough to do this. After the Buran program ended, the Mriya started a new life carrying huge cargo for companies and governments — things like generators, locomotives, trucks, and even small airplanes inside its enormous fuselage.

The Mriya had six jet engines — more than any other airplane in regular service. (Most jets have two; the biggest passenger 747 has four.) It could carry 250 tons of cargo, more than any other plane. It needed 32 wheels just to spread its weight on the runway. The cockpit alone was as big as a small studio apartment.

Sadly, the Mriya was destroyed at its home base in Hostomel, Ukraine, in February 2022 during a battle near the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. The world's biggest airplane is gone forever. Antonov has promised to build a new Mriya someday — but it would cost over $3 billion and take many years. For now, the new world's biggest airplane is the Stratolaunch Roc, designed for launching rockets from the sky.

Fun Facts

  • The An-225 Mriya was longer than a city block — 275 feet long, with a wingspan as wide as a football field.
  • It had six jet engines, more than any other airplane in regular service.
  • Only one An-225 was ever built — between 1985 and 1988 in Ukraine.
  • The Mriya could carry 250 tons of cargo — more than 30 African elephants.
  • It needed 32 wheels to spread its weight on the runway.
  • The Mriya was destroyed at its home airport in February 2022 during a battle near the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.
  • The cockpit alone was about the size of a small studio apartment — six crew members worked side by side.

Kids’ Questions

Why was only one Mriya built?

The Soviet Union started building a second An-225, but the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991 before the second plane was finished. The half-built second Mriya sat in a hangar in Kyiv for over 30 years, slowly rusting. After the first Mriya was destroyed in 2022, Antonov said they wanted to finish the second one as a tribute. But the work has stopped because of the war, and it will cost billions of dollars and many years to complete.

What was the biggest thing the Mriya ever carried?

The Mriya carried many record-breaking loads. One of the biggest was a 187-ton electricity generator from Germany to Armenia in 2009. The Mriya also carried four 50-ton armored trucks from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, an entire 100-foot-long wind-turbine blade, and millions of pounds of medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Whenever someone needed to move something too big for any other airplane, they called the An-225.

Variants

An-225 Mriya (UR-82060)
Sole completed airframe. First flight 21 December 1988. Buran-shuttle carrier 1988-1990; storage 1994-2000; commercial cargo from 2001. Destroyed in the Battle of Antonov Airport on 27 February 2022.
Second An-225 (incomplete)
Construction begun in 1985, paused in 1994 at about 60-70% completion. Stored in Kyiv. Antonov has stated it will be completed with salvaged components from the destroyed aircraft, with cost estimates from USD$500M to $3B.

Notable Operators

Antonov Airlines
Sole commercial operator. Hauled outsize cargo on charter contracts from 2001 to 2022 — power-station rotors, locomotives, oil-and-gas pressure vessels, humanitarian relief, and during COVID-19 over 1,000 tonnes of medical supplies between China and Europe.
Soviet Air Force / Aeroflot
Original 1988-1991 user. Carried the Buran orbiter to the 1989 Paris Air Show and flew it again in 1990 before the Buran programme was cancelled.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to the Antonov An-225?

It was lost on the ground at Hostomel Airport (Antonov Airport), Ukraine, on 27 February 2022 during the Battle of Antonov Airport at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The aircraft was in its hangar for an engine check; the hangar was struck during the fighting and the airframe was wrecked beyond repair (Battle of Antonov Airport).

Will the An-225 be rebuilt?

Antonov has stated it intends to complete the second An-225 airframe (about 60-70% finished, in storage since 1994) using salvaged components from the destroyed aircraft. Cost estimates range from USD$500 million to $3 billion. As of 2026 no firm completion date has been set; Antonov is also rebuilding its Hostomel manufacturing facilities, which were damaged in 2022.

How big was the An-225?

Length 84 m (275.6 ft), wingspan 88.4 m (290 ft), maximum takeoff weight 640 t (1.41 million lb), maximum payload 250 t (550,000 lb). It was the heaviest aircraft ever flown — about 17% heavier than a fully loaded Boeing 747-8F — and held that title throughout its operating life.

How was the An-225 different from the An-124?

The An-124 Ruslan has four Lotarev D-18T engines and a single vertical tail. The An-225 added two more engines (six total), stretched the fuselage by 49 ft, expanded the wing, and changed to a twin-tail layout so that the Soviet Buran shuttle on its back would not blank the tail. Max payload roughly doubled, from 120 t to 250 t.

Did the An-225 ever carry the Buran shuttle?

Yes. The An-225 carried Buran orbiter OK-GLI on its back to the 1989 Paris Air Show as the central public-relations exhibit of the Soviet space programme, and again in 1990. After Buran's 1993 cancellation the carrier role disappeared and the aircraft was put into storage until 2001.

Sources

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