World’s largest Aircraft: Russian Antonov 225

A few days ago the new super jumbo AirBus was in the news. It is the worlds largest airliner. This post is about the worlds largest airplane. It is large enough to carry the fuselage of a Boeing 737 in the cargo hold.

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The Russian Antonov 225 is the world’s largest aircraft. It was first flew in 1988 and entered service in 1989. The Antonov 225 was built to carry the Buran space shuttle. After cancellation of the Buran space program, the only An-225 built was stored in spring 1994.

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To give you an idea of the size of this plane, the complete assembled fuselage of a Boeing 737 can be fitted into the cargo hold of the An-225. This plane has a 32-wheel landing gear system. It has two nose and fourteen main wheel bogies, seven per side, each with two wheels.

Click here to enlarge

Click here to enlarge

Seven years after the 1994 retirement, the aircraft was made airworthy again. The huge An-225 took to the air again on May 7, 2001. More information can be found here and here.

Comments

[Marcus Preston]

My name is Marcus Preston.I am still lookingfor a kit of the Antanov 225.Does anyone know of a kit.Any big scale kit.I amanxious to obtain one.

[marcus preston]

A magnificent aircraft the an-225. I have been scouring the internet to see if there was 1/72 scale model kit obtainable.If one is to be had.Could you inform me. Thank you.

[Nikita]

It was made in Sovjet... The different parts of the plane are made in different states of Sovjet.. But its Ukrain idea to make a plane like that. But Russia was the one who was behind building evrything and so on.. SO yes its about 50% Russian 25% Ukrain and the rest is different..

[plane lease]

Hey very nice images that i have never seen.I think its truly a Russian Plane..

[warren hutchins]

this is truly the largest aircraft I've ever seen.Would'nt mind seeing that thing in person.

[Daniel Crawford]

This is the coolest thing i have ever seen... appart from the plane in my pants that can hold 2 boeing 737's in its cargo hulls

Click on the links in the posting and/or search the web for this plane using Google

[Ron]

Was this plane built in Ukraine? Is it truly a Russian Plane if it was built in Ukraine? Is the reason they say it is a Russian plane is it because they own it right now?