Antonov An-225 Mriya: All you need to know about Ukraine-made world's largest airplane

Built during the Soviet era to carry spacecraft, Antonov An-225 has always been known for its size and marvellous freight carrying capacity.

Antonov An-225

Ukraine was the home for the giant with wings known as Antonov An-225, nicknamed 'Mriya' designed during the Soviet Union's rule. We have heard the name of the giant carrier multiple times. But since the only An-225 in the world has been destroyed, we probably won't hear the name much anymore, until, of course, a new one is built. Remembering the aircraft, we have mentioned here all the qualities that added to the uniqueness of the aircraft. Here's all you need to know about the Antonov An-225 Mriya:

Antonov An-225 size

Since the Antonov was made, it has been known for its marvellous size. You can fathom how big it was just by the fact that its wings were capable of carrying six turbofan engines. The only thing that can describe its size perfectly in a single word is its nickname 'Mriya'. The word in Ukrainian means 'Dream' or 'Inspiration.'

Coming to the actual numbers on the scale, it had a length of 84 meters from nose to tail. For a better understanding, it was capable of dwarfing the longest aircraft like Boeing 777-9, 77-8 and Airbus A340-600 measuring 76.7, 76.4, and 75.4, respectively. The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, with a length of 75.3 metres, is the closest transport aircraft in length.

If the length of the aircraft got you wondering, wait for the wingspan. Only the Hughes H-4 Hercules and the Scaled Composites Stratolaunch could match the plane's wingspan of 88.4 metres. With a maximum takeoff weight of 650 tonnes and a cargo capacity of 250 tonnes.

Since we have described the length and wingspan of the aircraft, it would not be fair to leave out the height. The An-225 had a height of 18m. To give you a perspective that is around the height of a six-storey building.

Antonov An-225 world records

Considering the astonishing size of the aircraft, it is not hard to guess that the aircraft has created world records. However, the world records of the aircraft are based on its cargo-carrying capacity.

The An-225 was built to carry spacecraft, 'Buran' orbiters from its landing site to Kazakhstan, but it was put on hold after the Soviet Union fell apart. When it was reintroduced to service in the twenty-first century, it found itself being utilised to transport an increasingly wide range of commercial cargo. It was able to break the records as a result of this.

Coming to the records on paper, in June 2010, it delivered two wind turbine blades for China to Denmark, making it the world's longest individual item of air freight (42.1 metres). The An-225 also set records for the biggest single piece of air cargo (a 189-ton generator) and the highest total payload (a 189-ton generator) (four tanks totalling 253.82 tons).