Antonov Airlines Antonov AN-225 "Mriya"

The world’s largest aircraft is now available as part of the Herpa SnapFit range. Powered by six Progress D18T turbofans producing 230 kN thrust each, the AN-225 performed its maiden flight on 21st of December 1988. “Mriya” (“Dream”) was originally designed to support the Soviet space program, including the carriage of the “Buran” shuttle. Civil certification of the aircraft was completed in 2001, and the first commercial flight took off from Stuttgart that year. The Antonov AN-225 has gone on to set 240 world records, including the heaviest total cargo (five military tanks at 253.8 tons total), and the heaviest single piece (a generator at 187.6 tons). Virtually self-sufficient, with a range of 15,000 km, requiring no ground support equipment and equipped with a nose loading ramp, internal overhead cranes and winches, the AN-225 provides a unique capability for transporting oversized cargo by air. Operated by Ukrainian Antonov Airlines (the transport division of ANTONOV Company) the AN-225 has proven its value and capability in relief operations following natural and environmental disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, as well as in support of industrial and infrastructure projects around the world. As part of the Covid-19 pandemic relief efforts, “Mriya” was in continuous demand around the world, setting a further new world record in the process: Antonov’s giant lifted more than 1,000 cubic meters of cargo – the largest volume ever transported by air. In February 2022, the world’s largest cargo plane was destroyed in a Russian attack during the war against Ukraine. Initial hopes of repairing the only aircraft of this type have probably gone up in smoke given the extent of the damage.