KYIV, UKRAINE — When Russia launched a massive military campaign against Ukraine in the early hours of February 24, the Antonov An-225, the world's largest aircraft, was under regular maintenance at Hostomel Airport near Kyiv. At that time, Antonov's engineers and technicians were in a rush to make the giant freighter ready to fly to a safer place. But they were late.
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
History
Design
The An-124 (Ruslan), which made its first flight in 1982, was taken as a baseline in the development of the An-225 Myria. Designers stretched the An-124's fuselage by 23 ft enabling a 141 ft-long cargo hold. The rear ramp was deleted to save weight, reduce drag, and increase range. The wing was also extended by 30 percent to increase the lift force and add two more Progress D-18T turbofan engines, which were also used to power the An 124 quadjets. The landing gear was also modified to accommodate two additional tandem bogeys, bringing the total number of wheels to 32. A few changes were made to the avionic systems, including extra gauges and throttles associated with the additional engines.First flight and operations
Six years of grounding
After being based in Kyiv, Antonov Airlines looked for ways to make the An-225 a revenue generator for the company. They assessed different concepts, including the aircraft's raison d'être as an air-launch-to-orbit platform. The most daring idea was to transform it into a three-deck, 300-seater plane, but the idea was shelved quickly due to the complicated certification process for the colossal heavy lifter as a passenger airliner.In the same period, Antonov Airlines' An-124s became highly popular among governments and companies from all over the world. Their huge capacity made them very attractive to clients who wanted to transport vast cargo, such as military equipment or humanitarian aid. At first, Antonov managers thought to use the An-225 as a space part source for An-124s. It was stored in a remote corner at Hostomel Airport in 1994.
Return to the skies
After six years of deep storage, Antonov Airlines saw an opportunity amid the growing cargo market. Ukraine's Dream underwent a full restoration program thanks to a $20 million fund borrowed from global investors. The engines were renewed, and the cargo cabin was strengthened.Myria made its first post-storage flight on May 7, 2001. On September 11, it put its stamp on the record books again by carrying the heaviest payload ever: five war tanks weighing 249,81 tons on a 540 NM-long route. March 2023 became a turning point for aircraft to demonstrate its value as a heavy cargo lifter. It transported an electric power transformer from Linz, Austria, to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona, USA. Just a week later, it moved a 133-ton air conditioning unit from Houston, Texas, to Dubai. Despite its remarkable performance, it operated fewer than 20 flights per year until it was idled again in 2017.
In early 2018, the aircraft returned to the skies after receiving an upgrade to its navigation systems. Later that year, it ferried 121 tons of humanitarian aid to Guam in the Pacific after Typhoon Mangkhut. The demand for aircraft soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as the need for "Personal Protective Equipment" (PPE) skyrocketed.
Plans to rebuild the world’s biggest plane
Last month, Ukraine's state-owned aircraft manufacturer, Antonov Co., announced that it had started the initial work for building a new An-225 at the Antonov aircraft plant outside Kyiv. The project would require the support and participation of foreign partners, the statement added without elaborating.
The company said the plane will be built under the auspices of the Antonov Group of Companies, an international airline, and the government of Ukraine. But it is unclear how the company plans to overcome adverse conditions caused by the ongoing war with Russia and the current economic situation of the country. Antonov estimates the cost to construct the gigantic aircraft would be at least $500 million, acknowledging that it could grow further as it is too early to talk about specific costs. After the aircraft was destroyed, Antonov's parent company, state-run Ukroboronprom, stated that restoring it would take more than five years and cost more than $3 billion.A little-known secret in a remote corner of the Antonov factory
When the An-225 took to the skies in 1988, the Soviet Union had already started the construction of a second An-225. But the aircraft was never completed. The Soviets were on the brink of collapse, and the construction of the aircraft was left unfinished. During the post-soviet era, Ukraine maintained its hope to finish the aircraft one day. We know that the second An-225 was about 70% complete and stored somewhere in the Antonov factory. All the essential components of its superstructure had already been manufactured, including the fuselage, wings, nose gear, and tail.