Russian invasion of Kiev destroys Antonov Miriam, the world’s largest aircraft – Prisma

In addition to the loss of human life, Russia’s military action against Ukraine is a great tragedy for aviation.

The world’s largest aircraft, the Antonov Miria Ann-225, was destroyed as a result of a second airstrike by Russian troops at the Hostomel (Kostomel) airport near Kiev.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba confirmed this on social media.

On February 25, 2022, 2 days after the first Russian invasion, Antonov said An-225 was still intact.

Only one model of the AN-25 was built. The plane was named “Dream” in Portuguese. And it had a huge identity among aviation and aviation enthusiasts.

Wherever the plane landed, it dragged groups of activists who had rallied to record the plane’s landing.

Paradoxically, the aircraft was developed by Ukraine in the late 1980s to provide logistical support for the Soviet space program.

AN-225 was the first Russian spacecraft to be built as part of a Soviet / Russian program, the Puran. Puran means “blizzard”. Last November, the spacecraft was found abandoned in a hangar near Pykonor, Kazakhstan.

The Antonov AN-225S had unparalleled use in global freight transport because it was only able to carry certain loads due to its size.

The strategic cargo plane was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukrainian SSR within the Soviet Union. After the successful completion of its Soviet military mission, it was suspended for eight years. After that, it was refurbished and re-introduced into business operations with Antonov Airlines, loaded with large payloads.

As a large aircraft, the Antonov An-225 Mriya held many unique records, making it the heaviest aircraft ever built and the largest wings on any aircraft in operational service. As the AN-225 was capable of carrying up to 640 tons (705 short tons), there were other records related to cargo in terms of weight and length. The AN-225 attracted a great deal of public interest and was able to reach a global following due to its size and uniqueness. People often went to airports to see scheduled arrivals and departures.

AN-225 was in Brazil in February 2010 and November 2016. Check out the video below of Sergio Mazzi’s post on YouTube as the 6-engine giant Viracopos landed at the airport.