How was the Mriya, the largest plane in the world that Russia destroyed in Ukraine

Among all the military and material objectives that it destroyed Russia in his invasion, one appears that penetrates very deeply into the feelings of the people ukrainian. The Antonov 225 (AN-225) plane, the world’s largest, was destroyed by Russian troops at the Hostomel air base, a runway near the Ukrainian capital Kiev. The aircraft was a source of pride for the country and was also called “Mriya”, which means “dream” in Ukrainian.

SIGHT: Ukraine confirms that Russia destroyed the world’s largest plane and promises to rebuild it

The news was confirmed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, via Twitter. “This was the largest aircraft in the world, the AN-225 ‘Mriya’ (‘Dream’ in Ukrainian),” the official explained, adding: “Russia may have destroyed our ‘Mriya’. But they can never destroy our dream of a strong, free and democratic European state. We will prevail!”

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For his part, the president Volodymyr Zelensky further confirmed that the Government will be in charge of rebuilding the planewhich affects the morale of the country so much.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a news conference against the background of the world’s largest aircraft, Antonov’s An-225 Mriya, at the Antonov aircraft factory in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, May 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

According to official information, the AN-225 was located at the Hostomel base, which was the center of heavy clashes between Ukrainian and Russian troops until now. In fact, on Thursday the invading troops had taken control of that airfield.

After the first attacks, the aerodrome and the hangar in which the plane was located were the scene of major fires. However, the CNN news signal reported that the origin of the fire that affected the hangar and damaged “mriya”.

According to information from the BBC agency, the plane was scheduled to fly on February 24, although the flights were blocked. “It lasted three days until it was destroyed,” the source said. The aircraft would have been practically burned and it is estimated that it will take more than five years to rebuild it, at a cost of 3,000 million dollars.

Yury Gusevthe director of the Ukrainian state infrastructure and transport company Ukroboronprom, assured that for the destruction of “mriya” will initiate actions so that Putin’s management takes charge. “We want the Russian Federation to pay for it”, declared according to Europa Press slogan.

A profile shot of “Mriya”, the world’s largest aircraft. (Photo: Video Capture)

How was the AN-225, the largest plane in the world

The AN-225 surprised at each airport where it arrived or took off. Not only was it the largest aircraft but it was also the heaviest in the world, at 640 tons. It consisted of six turbine engines (three under each wing), a double vertical tail rudder (installed at the ends of a wing structure, at the rear) and a total of 32 wheels on the landing gear. It was capable of carrying up to 250 tons inside and traveling up to 4,000 kilometers.

Its aerodynamic design was unique in its kind: it improved its flight performance and reduced the rear turbulence generated by the large size of its fuselage. Loading was done at the top, in a special pod and ideal for carrying the Burán space shuttle and other space rocket launch designs, where the rear airflow could be extended without altering the aircraft’s flight behavior.

This is how the world’s largest plane was loaded (Photo: Video capture)

Due to its size, this plane could only take off from airports with little air traffic. Such was the impact of “Mriya” that other aircraft had to wait 15 minutes before taking off, due to the strong air currents generated by the largest and heaviest aircraft in the world.

Built in the Soviet Union in 1988, the plane was developed to carry the Soviet space shuttle Buran or other heavy cargo. The Buran program was closed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the plane remained in the territory of independent Ukraine.

The International Aeronautical Federation included it in 2004 in the Guinness Book of Records for its 240 marks. The most important: broke the absolute world record for air cargo transport, with 189,980 kilos in a single flight.

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Source: Elcomercio