In the name of war, the world’s largest plane now lies buckled and broken at Ukraine’s Gostomel Airport under a shattered crescent hangar.
The Antonov An-225 Mriya – a cargo-lift plane with an 88-metre (290-feet) wingspan considered to be the largest of any aircraft in operational service has been mauled by blasts.
The plane used to be a source of national pride is now lost in a mass of scorched metal scraps and abandoned ammunition as one of the sacrifices to pay in the fight to keep Russian troops outside the city gates.
At 84-meters long and 175 metric tons without fuel and cargo, the aircraft was the longest and heaviest operational plane in the world. It had a maximum take-off weight of 640 tons. The aircraft was incredibly popular with aviation enthusiasts and people often visited airports to see its scheduled arrivals and departures.
The largest plane, which completed its first flight in 1988, was ruined after Russian missiles attacked the Hostomel Airfield on the fringes of Kyiv. It was destroyed on or about Feb. 27, 2022.
The huge plane is said to had six turbofan jet engines and a cruise speed of 800km/h, and used to transport military vehicles. The aircraft’s 88.4-meter wingspan was also the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service.
The once largest and biggest plane has now become a ruin of war
