The world’s largest operating cargo aircraft, the Antonov-225, also nicknamed ‘Mriya’ has allegedly been burned down by Russian troops.
Mriya, meaning ‘Dream’ in Ukrainian, was attacked near Kyiv while undergoing maintenance, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said according to ABC News. Russia has not publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.
The aircraft was much-loved by Ukrainians and seen as the ‘flagship of the Ukrainian aviation’ by many. ‘Russia may have destroyed our Mriya. But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state,’ Kuleba said.
Mriya was built for the Soviet aeronautical programme and took to the skies for the first time in 1988 but was grounded for many years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In recent years, it was operated again by Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines.
The AN-225 weighed 285 tonnes and could load up to 254 tonnes. This giant had a wingspan of 290 feet and a length of 275 feet, (adding up to 88 x 84 metres), according to Interesting Engineering.
Mriya owned the world record for airlifting the largest single payload of 187.6 tonnes from Frankfurt Hahn airport in 2009. The cargo was a power plant generator. ‘This incredible plane already holds a number of records, including that of the only plane to have a maximum take-off weight of over 600 tonnes and the plane with the widest wingspan, at 290 ft (88.4 mt),’ Guinness World Records said at the time.
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Take a look at the famous plane:
Mriya – You will always be remembered! We pay tribute to the world’s largest transporter!
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs confirming the news the world’s largest cargo aircraft, the Antonov #AN225, has been destroyed at Hostomel Airport outside Kyiv.
Video by @flyrosta pic.twitter.com/y48XMNQCaO
— Sam Chui (@SamChuiPhotos) February 27, 2022
Picture: Screenshot from video
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