As a result of an air attack by Russian troops at Gostomel airport near Kyiv, the An-225 “Dream” was burned. This was announced by the State Communications Agency of Ukraine in its Telegram channel, UNIAN reports.
The ministry noted that such information was reported to Radio Svoboda by two informed sources in the Antonov enterprise and confirmed by the mayor of Bucha.
The largest aircraft in the world – AN-225 “Mriya” (“Dream” in Ukrainian) – was destroyed by Russia, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba.
“Russia may have destroyed our Dream, but they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state. We will prevail!” He wrote on Twitter.
Earlier today, President Vladimir Zelensky confirmed that the plane was destroyed on February 26 at Antonov Airport near Kyiv.
“Yesterday we lost, unfortunately, our “Dream”, but the old “Dream”. And now we are building a new one. Glory to Ukraine!”
“There is information that as a result of an air attack by Russian troops at Gostomel airport near Kyiv, one of the largest and most powerful aircraft in the world, a Ukrainian-made AN-225 Mriya, was burned,” the report said.
“Antonov An-225 Mriya” is the largest heavy cargo and the largest aircraft in the world ever built!
Antonov An-225 Mriya (Ukrainian: Мрія) is a class 1 transport aircraft manufactured in the Ukrainian SSR in the late 1980s by the Antonov Aviation Science and Technology Complex and is currently the largest aircraft. in the world.
The maximum payload of the Mriya is 275 t, making it the heaviest aircraft ever built, and the six turbojet engines create a total thrust of 1377 kN, making it the most powerful aircraft on Earth.
For comparison: the maximum load of the An-124 “Ruslan” is 150 t and 152.4 t for the Airbus A380, version A380F
The tentative name of the An-225 in NATO is “Cossack”.
„Mriya“ was designed and constructed to transport the Soviet shuttle Buran, but was later abandoned due to lack of funds at the international airport in Gostomel.
After years of landing, the aircraft was completely reconstructed and re-launched its “first” flight in 2001. After that date, it was used by the Ukrainian company Antonov Airlines mainly to fulfill orders for the transport of oversized and heavy cargo.
The restoration of the An-255 aircraft will cost more than 3 billion dollars and will take a long time, Ukrinform writes.
This is the only aircraft of this type ever produced. It was built in the 80s. His first flight was on December 21, 1988.
„Mriya“ can carry up to 275 tons, making it the heaviest aircraft ever built.
The aircraft also has six turbojet engines, making it the most powerful aircraft in the world. The popularity of the An-225 is great due to its ability to land on difficult terrain. This makes it very famous in the regions of Siberia, where it lands on ice, and in Africa, where it lands on lawns. Mria’s flights are also included in the Guinness Book of World Records:
For a maximum speed of 815.09 kilometers per hour with a load of 155 tons on a closed section with a length of 2000 km;
For maximum flight altitude – 12,430 meters with a load of 155 tons;
For a maximum aircraft weight of 508, this when flying at an altitude of 2000 meters.
“Dream” can accommodate about 1,500 people. The idea was to turn it into a flying hotel with rooms and suites on the upper deck, and on the lower to have swimming pools and casinos.
The construction of the next generation An-255 was included in the Soviet space program, but it was never built.
The „Mriya“ aircraft was decommissioned in the spring of 1994. It remained at the Gostomel test site, a city near Kyiv, for more than seven years, during which parts for Ruslan aircraft were taken from it.
In the late 1990s, the company that owned „Mriya“, Antonov Airlines, received orders to transport heavy cargo. This is the reason why the world’s largest aircraft has been modernized. After years at the test site, in April 2001, „Mriya“ made its second “first” flight.
In recent years, the plane has not flown.
