It’s been a tense, tragic, devastating week for much of the world due to the ongoing events
in Ukraine.
In addition to the numerous airspace closures and shifts in commercial air travel, the world
of aviation was saddened to discover that the world’s largest aircraft has since been
destroyed…
Over the weekend, Ukraine officially revealed the status of the largest aircraft on Earth.
The country's authorities confirmed that the world's only Antonov An-225 Mriya has been
destroyed following Russian attacks.
Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs posted to Twitter saying:
"Russia may have destroyed our ‘Mriya’.
But they will never be able to destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European
state, We shall prevail!"
The aircraft had been busy across the continents up until recently.
It could be well spotted heading into 2022.
The jet suffered some minor damage when landing last month, but the long-term future wasn’t
a concern at the time.
Indeed, it had an operational life that was expected to last until at least 2033, helped
by a recent refurbishment.
Sadly, the recent damage sustained is far more considerable this time around.
There were reports that the plane was hit following an air assault operation in Hostomel,
Kyiv Oblast.
Screenshots of drone footage showed that the aircraft was on fire within a hangar at the
airport.
The An-225, holding registration UR-82060, had been sitting at Hostomel Airport since
February 5th.
Antonov couldn't initially confirm the report as its personnel were evacuated.
An Antonov pilot, Dmytro Antonov reported that the plane was still intact at one point.
Nonetheless, Ukraine's official Twitter has now stated that the unit has been destroyed
by occupants.
The country has declared that it will rebuild the aircraft as it looks to a brighter future.
With skin as thick as Mriya, the plane will hopefully find its way back in the air.
The invasion of Ukraine is completely rocking the country’s air operations while also
taking its toll on the wider aviation spectrum, with flight suspensions and airspace bans
causing chaos for airlines and passengers.
As the aviation industry's heaviest and longest operational aircraft, the An-225 Mriya has
attracted significant fanfare from across the globe.
Built by the Antonov Serial Production Plant while Ukraine was still part of the Soviet
Union, the massive aircraft conducted its first flight on December 21, 1988.
Only a single unit had ever been produced as a planned second example was never delivered
amid the downfall of the Soviet Union.
Meaning 'Dream' in Ukrainian, Mriya was developed to support the Soviet space program and carry
Buran orbiters.
After the dissolution of the union, the aircraft was placed into storage in 1994 but was restored
by 2001, the same year that it broke a record on September 11th by carrying four main battle
tanks- a load of 253.82 tonnes of cargo.
The aircraft continued setting records, including carrying the heaviest single cargo item ever
sent by air in August 2009- a generator for a gas power plant in Armenia weighing 189
tonnes.
The following summer, it flew the longest piece of air cargo in the world: Two 42.1
m (138 ft) test wind turbine blades.
These were picked up from Tianjin, China, and taken to Skrydstrup, in Denmark.
What are your thoughts about the world's only Antonov An-225 Mriya being destroyed in Ukraine?
What do you make of the overall situation in the country?
Let us know what you think of the conditions and their prospects in the comment section.