A morning that was already tense because of Russia's clashes with Ukraine got even worse as the hours ed. Several posts on social media indicated that the only Antonov An-225 Myria built had been destroyed.
The information was posted after the publication of some videos near Hostomel Airport, in Kiev, which show a lot of black smoke with several Russian helicopters flying in attack to the place. There was also information about a fire in the hangar where the giant freighter would be.
Aviation fans around the world feared that the worst had happened to the only example of the Antonov AN-225. Fortunately, a few hours later, Commander Dmytro Antonov, who is one of the pilots of the freighter, published important information about the plane.
Dmytro said on his Facebook that the aircraft was safe and nothing had happened despite the attacks. Hostomel Airport, which is an Antonov base, was taken over by the Russian military in the late morning of this Thursday (24).
The pilot reassured everyone with the message, which soon spread to the world.
Some unofficial information indicated that the An-225 had been withdrawn from Ukraine in the early hours of Wednesday to Thursday (24), before the attacks, however, no flight tracking application computed the possible flight of the aircraft.
Its last recorded flight was on February 05th, coming from Turkey on a regular cargo flight with Antonov Airlines. The An-225, registration number UR-82060, is always used when transporting large volumes or extremely heavy equipment that other freighters would take a little longer to carry in two trips.
In front of the biggest plane in the world, Dmytro Antonov, one of the captains of the An-225, the pilot show on your YouTube channel some of your operational routine. The idea is to bring the viewer inside one of the most iconic aircraft in the world.
https://www.facebook.com/Aeroflap/videos/3040993282848321
Antonov An-225: The largest aircraft in the world
Produced in the late 1980s, the An-225 was developed by present-day Ukraine to the Soviet space program, more specifically, in transporting the Buran space shuttle.
Named in Ukrainian Mriya ou Mriya, which means dream, the An-225 emerged as a hope for the Soviets in their ambition to become a great power against the United States. The six-engine aircraft took off for the first time on December 21, 1988.
In the early 2000s, the An-225 underwent modernization, becoming the largest aircraft with the highest cargo capacity in the world, and has been part of Antonov Airlines ever since.
Interestingly, despite having only one An-225 produced, a second unit of the model even had its fuselage built, but its conclusion was never taken forward by Antonov for budgetary reasons, leaving open the possibility of the existence of another giant. in the air.
The An-225 can carry up to 250 tons of cargo, according to the manufacturer. The heaviest single payload ever carried by the Antonov An-225 had a maximum weight of 187,6 tonnes.
The aircraft has a wingspan (wing) of only 88 meters. You can check out more curiosities about the largest plane in the world in operation Clicking here.
