The Loss of Mriya, Antonov An-225
Russian Strikes Have Destroyed This Beautiful Plane Out of Envy and Malice
The Antonov An-225 was designed in 1980s Kyiv, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Intended to transport heavy machinery for Soviet aerospace and space exploration, it was built by Kyiv´s Antonov Company, and first flew on 21 December 1988. They built only one; it was called Mriya, meaning “dream.”
I was looking forward to being at Schiphol this April, a place where such wonders might appear. Not likely, as it could be anywhere, but if you love planes and airports, you hope to be lucky and see something really special.
Not this one any more though. The dream was destroyed by a nightmare.
There are competitors for the title “largest ever cargo plane,” but this one had the greatest wingspan at 88 metres and was heaviest at 285,000 kilogrammes. It was powered by six Ivchenko Progres Lotare D-18T three-shaft turbofan engines.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, it was operated by Ukraine´s Antonov Airlines. Its capacity to carry large or heavy cargo was a great asset in any crisis. A top speed of 850km/hour and a range of 15,400 kilometres made it a viable and faster alternative to maritime transport.
The An-225 had a pressurised cargo hold of 1.330 cubic metres (46,000 cubic feet) and could carry up to 250 tonnes. It holds records for carrying the longest and heaviest cargoes, including a generator weighing 190.055.2 kilogrammes (419,000 pounds).
On Sunday 27 February 2022, Antonov An-225 was destroyed during Russian strikes outside Kyiv, while parked at its base at Hostumel/Gostumel airport. It´s not just aviation nerds who have lost something special. The An-225 has been invaluable in transporting cargo during the pandemic and other crises.
Ukraine is justly proud of the An-225, which is precisely why the Russian invaders destroyed it. Malice, spite and envy of a Ukrainian achievment. Vladimir Putin can´t stand his chosen enemies having anything good. It was also stupidity; they could have captured it instead.
The Ukrainian government has stated that it will ask for reparations of $3,000 million to restore the An-225. They say it can be rebuilt, but will take at least 5 years. They have to win first.
I saw a Spanish boy on the news, who said NATO should give Ukraine immediate membership. If they were brave enough to do it, that would be an interesting development. A people who created such a wonderful aeroplane deserve the chance to see it fly again.
Update: Friday 4 March 2022
If you want to know how sanctions will affect the Russian aviation industry, I recommend a YouTube video by Mentour NOW, called The End of Russian Aviation? I learned a lot from it.
Sources
Statistics about the plane from Google and wikipedia
There are also videos on YouTube now about this.
