First flight of Antonov An-225 Mriya

The Antonov An-225 Mriya, whose name means dream in Ukrainian, was a six-engined strategic airlifter, which was the heaviest aircraft ever built and had the longest wingspan of any aircraft in operation. It was designed by the Antonov design bureau in Soviet Ukraine to carry the Buran space shuttle on its back, and only one was ever completed. After the end of the Soviet space programme it was used to carry extremely large and heavy cargo, such as generators, locomotives and humanitarian aid for the world's disasters. The aircraft was destroyed in 2022 during the fighting at Hostomel airport near Kyiv, in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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