The Legendary Antonov AN-225: From Glory to Destruction

Kazi Abul Monsur##

In the realm of aviation technology, one of the most remarkable and astonishing inventions has been the Antonov AN-225 “Mriya,” a strategic cargo aircraft from the era of the former Soviet Union. Until February 2022, it was the largest and heaviest cargo aircraft in the world. Sadly, this iconic giant was completely destroyed on February 27, 2022, during the Russia-Ukraine war, following a missile attack by Russian forces.

The Antonov Design Bureau, an aviation manufacturing giant of the Soviet Union, designed and built this colossal AN-225 “Mriya” heavy cargo aircraft in 1985 during the Cold War. The aircraft remains unparalleled in size and payload capacity to this day, with no other nation successfully building anything comparable. It was designed in the 1980s in Ukraine under the supervision of its chief designer, Viktor Tolmachev.

Although the Soviet Union’s Antonov Aviation Agency completed the design and construction of the AN-225 in 1985, its first successful flight was conducted on December 21, 1988. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the aircraft came under Ukraine’s ownership. Ukraine managed to keep it operational using its technical expertise until February 2022. Despite its destruction in the Russia-Ukraine war, the Ukrainian government plans to rebuild the aircraft, which is estimated to cost around $500 million.

Initially, the AN-225 was designed to support space research and development. From 1988 until the end of the Cold War in 1991, the aircraft served as the primary carrier for Buran-class orbiter space shuttles in the Soviet Union’s space program. However, after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Ukraine repurposed it into a massive cargo aircraft for commercial use.

The AN-225 was powered by six Ivchenko Progress D-18T turbofan jet engines, each capable of generating a thrust of 229.5 kilonewtons (kN). It had a fuel capacity of approximately 300 tons, enabling it to fly up to 15,400 kilometers non-stop. When carrying a maximum payload of 200 tons, the aircraft could travel up to 4,000 kilometers.

The empty weight of this iconic heavy cargo aircraft was 285 tons. While its official maximum payload capacity was 640 tons, it set a record by successfully carrying 250 tons of cargo in flight. Standing as tall as a five-story building, the AN-225 was equipped with 32 wheels. The aircraft’s length was 275 feet 7 inches, with a height of 59 feet 5 inches, and its wingspan measured 290 feet. Its maximum speed was 850 kilometers per hour, with a cruising speed of 800 kilometers per hour.

During its operational lifetime, Ukraine’s strategic AN-225 “Mriya” cargo aircraft landed twice in Bangladesh. Although it was destroyed by Russian aggression, the engineering marvel and massive scale of this super-giant cargo aircraft will remain a landmark achievement in the history of aviation technology. Even in the 21st century, when global aviation technology has reached remarkable heights, the grandeur of this aircraft, built in the 1980s, remains unparalleled.##Sources: CNN, Simple Flying, Flightline, Wikipedia