Antonov An-225 Mriya destroyed *

The massive Antonov An-225, the world’s largest aircraft, was destroyed during a Russian attack on Hostomel Airport (Ukraine) which began on 24 February.

The destruction was confirmed by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

“This was the world’s largest aircraft, An-225 ‘Mriya’ (‘Dream’ in Ukrainian). Russia may have destroyed our ‘Mriya’”, Kuleba said on Twitter. “But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state. We shall prevail!”

The An-225 was developed as part of the Soviet space programme to transport the space shuttle Buran as well as large rocket components. It flew for the first time in 1988. With six engines and 42 tyres, it could transport up to 640 tons, making it the most powerful aircraft ever created.

In more recent times it has been used successfully in a variety of commercial roles. When the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the world in early-2020, the An-225 participated in the relief effort by conducting flights to deliver medical supplies from China to other parts of the world.

The programme initially planned on building two aircraft, but only one was completed before the fall of the Soviet Union. The incomplete airframe of the second giant is resting in another hangar at the airport. Its current condition is unknown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225_Mriya

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William Bright, Amsterdam

Great plane the 225. And a great loss. In 2020 it was working for humanity. Putin needs to be destroyed not the aircraft.