What Antonov 225 at Google Maps?? The Antonov An-225 "Mriya" is considered the world's largest aircraft because of its immense size, with a massive wingspan, length, and maximum takeoff weight, allowing it to carry heavier cargo than any other plane, making it ideal for transporting oversized items like wind turbine blades, locomotives, and even space shuttle components; it was originally designed by the Soviet Union to support their space program. Key points about the Antonov An-225: Huge payload capacity: It can carry a payload exceeding 250 tons, significantly more than any other cargo aircraft. Massive size: With a wingspan of nearly 290 feet and a length of 275 feet, it is significantly larger than other aircraft. Unique design: The An-225 features a specially designed cargo bay and a unique twin-tail configuration to handle heavy loads. Tragic history: Unfortunately, the only ever built An-225 was destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Powered by six turbofan engines, it is the biggest heavier-than-air aircraft in terms of length (85.3m) and wingspan (88m) in operational service. It is able of carrying up to 250 tons of cargo, which is equivalent to the average weight of 52 mature The Antonov An-225 Mriya [a] was a Soviet Aircraft, and the largest airplane by weight in the world. It needed 6 engines because it was very large. It was made by a company called Antonov. The Mriya was designed to carry the Russian Shuttle, Space Shuttle Buran. The Buran only flew once, and was successful. However, the funding of Buran was insufficient, and the project quickly ended. The remaining plane, registration UR-82060, was used to carry very large items that were not efficient to carry by train.