The largest plane in the world, Ukraine’s Antonov-225 cargo plane was destroyed by Russian strikes outside Kyiv on Sunday, Ukraine’s state defence conglomerate Ukroboronprom said on Telegram. “Russian invaders destroyed the flagship of the Ukrainian aviation, the AN-225 at the Antonov airport in Gostomel near Kyiv,” the group said in a statement.
The word ‘Mriya’ in Ukrainian means dream. “The enormous aircraft, named ‘Mriya’, or ‘dream’ in Ukrainian, was parked at an airfield near Kyiv when it was attacked by Russian occupants,” Ukrainian authorities said. A tweet from the Antonov Company said it could not verify the ‘technical condition’ of the aircraft until it had been inspected by experts.
This was the world’s largest aircraft, AN-225 ‘Mriya’ (‘Dream’ in Ukrainian). Russia may have destroyed our ‘Mriya’. But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state. We shall prevail! pic.twitter.com/TdnBFlj3N8
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) February 27, 2022
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted an image of the Antonov-225 and wrote, “This was the world’s largest aircraft, AN-225 ‘Mriya’ (‘Dream’ in Ukrainian). Russia may have destroyed our ‘Mriya’. But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state. We shall prevail!”
Ukrainian state defence company Ukroboronprom, which manages Antonov, on Sunday issued a statement saying the aircraft had been destroyed but would be rebuilt at Russia’s expense, a cost it put at USD 3 billion.
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Antonov-225 cargo plane
Antonov-225 cargo plane was named ‘Mriya’ which means ‘dream’ in Ukrainian language.
The AN-225 Mriya, designed in the 1980s, is the longest and the heaviest airplane ever built.
Powered by six turbofan engines, the plane was capable of carrying up to 640 tons of cargo.
The aircraft was unique to the world at 84 meters long (276 feet) with more than 30 years of service.
It could transport up to 250 tons (551,000 pounds) of cargo at a speed of up to 850 kilometers per hour (528 mph).
The AN-225 was sometimes drafted in to help airlift aid during crises in other countries.
In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, it delivered relief supplies to the neighbouring Dominican Republic.
During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was used to transport medical supplies to affected areas.
The cargo plane has a maximum payload weight of 250 tonnes, which can be carried inside or on its back.
The AN-225 boasts the largest wingspan of any airplane in operational service.
Only one An-225 was ever built by the Kyiv-based Antonov company, which came up with the design.
Antonov-225 cargo plane first took flight in 1988 and has been in service ever since.
