Inheritance of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has the two largest aircraft in the world (if we do not count the monstrous Stratolaunch, of course). Or had. On the one hand, a beast with wings called Antonov AN-225, a unique model in the world that had a large load capacity and that could carry spacecraft on its back. On the other hand, the Antonov An-124, another somewhat smaller load model. With the beginning of the Ukraine War, both were trapped.
Now the AN-124 sets the skies again, and it is much more than to see this giant fly again.
Soviet monsters. In the context of the Cold War, one of the battles was that of the “more.” The United States flew for the first time in 1968 the imposing Lockheed C-5 Galaxy for transport of troops, becoming the new largest plane in the world. The Soviet Union was not going to stay with a crossed arms and began working in its replica. Thus, two companies (Aviastar-SP at Uliánovsk, Russia, and Aviant in Kyiv, Ukraine) undertook design and RPUEBAS work in parallel.
The result was the AN-124, a huge cargo plane with an imposing front that is physically similar to Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but something bigger. It was introduced in 1986 and, just two years later, the AN-225 Mriya appeared. Aviant Fruit (current Antonov) a larger version, with six engines and with a wingspan that prevented him from landing in 65% of airports around the world. After all, although it was a cargo plane, it was focused on the transport of the Soviet transfers Burán and any other element of the Soviet space program.
See this live must have been impressive
Antonov Airport Battle. And if I speak of Antonov AN-225 in the past it is because, with the beginning of the Ukraine War, both the AN-225 and the AN-124 with registration U-82073 were catching you in one of the Ukraine airports. As is logical, for security reasons, the flights were suspended and the ships were abandoned to their fate at the Hostomel airport.
The AN-225 that once surprised the world, was completely shattered. Initially, the plane pilot said the ship was intact, but shortly after the destruction of it was confirmed. This meant more than the destruction of an airplane because yes, the AN-225 made few missions a year (putting it in the air costs a million dollars), but it was a symbol of Ukraine.
El An-225
UR-82073. The AN-124 is not so unique because Russia has a couple of dozens, another seven and there are units owned by other countries, but the UR-82073 has become another symbol of Ukrainian resistance. In addition, it is a very important model for the transport of goods in Europe. Also abandoned, he got what his older brother does not: survive bombings.
Removing Russian ballast. The last three years, the ship was stopped and partially disassembled, but from Antonov they have been working secretly with a goal: to modernize it. These tasks began before the war with the aim of replacing the Russian key components with parts made in Ukraine and in the West. The Russian invasion modified the plans and caught the operators with half-work, but continued working and, just a few days ago, the AN-124-100 Ruslan, now renamed IRPIN, has re-crossed the skies.
Furtive flight. Symbolic flight. With a nose that proudly shows a “Be Brave Like Irpin” -“is brave as IRPIN” -now it has new plane and navigation systems that meet the current standards. IRPIN is a Ukrainian city located west of Kyiv who played a relevant role at the beginning of the war and on July 11, the plane furrowed the Ukrainian sky with the transposeor off until crossing Poland.
The transponder is a piece that gives real-time information about the ship as its location and altitude, and everything indicates that Ukraine did not want Russia to know that the UR-82073 was again in the air. Your destiny? Leipzig, in Germany, where Antonov has its new operations base.
Antonov itself shared the video of the feat a few days ago and it is they who claim that “the relocation of” Ruslan “was not only a technical decision, but a symbol of resilience, professionalism and unity of the Ukrainian aeronautical builders. The modernized” Ruslan “will continue flying and serving Ukraine in the international arena.
¿Y el An-225? Happy end to the AN-124, but … will Ukraine leave as if nothing the destruction of the AN-225? When I said there was only one AN-225, it was half truth. There was really a complete and operational, but they had one “in half” stored. As it is such a unchanging plane, it was not considered necessary to finish the second unit, although there was a conato according to China to supply several units that never concretized.
In July 2024, however, the situation turned a turn. David Lomdzharia, president of the State Defense conglomerate of Ukraine, said they want to rebuild the AN-225 Mriya from that second incomplete fuselage. He has been saved since the Soviet era, so the State is not known, but Antonov has said that the job has already begun and that it would cost about 500 million euros.
In the end, if Ukraine reconstructs the AN-225, he would do it for more symbolic than practical reasons, but we must wait to see why there are no dates or anything on the table. At least, publicly.
Imágenes | Tapia379, Oleksandr Ratushniak, Dmitry A. Mottl, Antonov
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