Antonov AN-225 destroyed (world's largest plane) in airport battle

Maybe this was already posted, but the world's largest plane was destroyed this week in the battle at Gostomel airport in Kyiv.

Buddy of mine used to charter this thing for clients, and I have seen it at IAH many times.

Truly the end of an era.

Interesting Engineering

quote:

---

Antonov Design Bureau in Ukraine based the An-225 design on its predecessor, the An-124. While the An-124 cargo jet had four engines, Mriya was destined for bigger tasks such as carrying the Soviet Space Shuttle named Buran, and was equipped with six Ivchenko Progress D-18T turbofan engines.

Measuring 275 feet long, the An-225 became the biggest cargo plane thanks to its 290-feet wingspan. Each of the engines under the wings was capable of producing 51,600 pounds of thrust during takeoff.

Built in the Soviet era, the An-225 was the only aircraft of its kind to be completed; and after the Soviet Union collapsed, it was purchased by Antonov and used as a cargo carrier capable of ferrying monstrous-sized equipment like steam generators and power transformers. In 2010, it recorded a historic achievement after transporting two 138-feet wind turbines, the longest pieces of air cargo ever, from China to Denmark.

---