Has the An-225 Mriya, the largest aircraft in the world, been destroyed by Russian bombing in Ukraine?

A clash between Russian and Ukrainian helicopters allegedly took place over Hostomel Airport. According to unconfirmed reports, the only existing An-225 Mriya aircraft (Cossack in NATO code), which was based here, was destroyed during it.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. Russian ground and air forces are attacking various targets in Ukraine. The fighting also hit Hostomel Airport (GML/UKKM) in Northwestern Kiev, which is the factory airport for Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov. Hostomel also houses the only An-225 aircraft built by Antonov Design Bureau and operated by Antonov Airlines.

A fierce battle between Russian Mi-8 and Ukrainian helicopters was to take place over the airport. Was An-225 destroyed? According to unconfirmed reports, the world’s largest cargo aircraft, the An-225, was destroyed in a hangar fire that housed the six-engine plane. Independent confirmation was not possible and no official confirmation is available.

After some speculation on the fate of the aircraft, the good news came out: it has not been damaged. Some sources say it is safe in Georgia (but the flight has not been recorded on aircraft tracking sites).

The An-225 first took off in 1988. It was designed to transport the Russian space shuttle Buran, which first took off in 1989. The aircraft with a crew of six people and six engines (each with a thrust of 229 kN) is 84 m long, 18.2 m high, with a wingspan of 88.4 m. The weight of the empty aeroplane is 175 tonnes, the maximum takeoff reaches 600 tonnes.

Sources: austrianwings.info, Twitter, Security Magazine