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Designed to carry rockets and impossible payloads, the Antonov An-225 Mriya is the most powerful aircraft in aviation history and also one of the most fuel-hungry: around 15 liters per second. With its six engines and maximum weight of 640 tons, this aircraft is a true flying powerhouse — and its legacy will still be making an impact in 2025.
The plane that used 15 liters per second: In the 1980s, in the middle of the Cold War, the Soviet Union needed a solution to transport its Buran space shuttle, as well as gigantic rocket components and military equipment. The answer was to create a plane that would surpass any technical limit of the time. The result was the Antonov An-225 Mriya, designed by Antonov Design Bureau, in Kiev, present-day Ukraine. Based on the Antonov An-124, but even larger and more robust, the An-225 was designed to:
- Carry up to 250 tons of payload, either internally or on the back of the fuselage;
- Safely operate runways longer than 3.000 meters, with non-standard loads;
- Be reusable in multiple civil and military special transport missions.
Officially launched in 1988, the Antonov An-225 made its first successful flight and, since then, has accumulated records that no other aircraft has managed to surpass.
Birth during the Cold War
The Antonov An-225 was designed in the 1980s by Antonov Design Bureau, in the then Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, part of the USSR. The aircraft was based on the earlier Antonov An-124 model, but needed to be even more robust. Its main purpose was to transport the Buran, the Soviet space shuttle — a direct response to the American Space Shuttle program.
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To achieve this, the An-225 was extended by almost 15 meters compared to its predecessor, received a reinforced fuselage, landing gear with 32 wheels and two additional engines. In total, six Progress D-18T turbofans were installed, each capable of generating about 229 kN of thrust, allowing the transport of absurdly large loads at cruising altitude.
The An-225 made its first flight on December 21, 1988. Within a few months, it had already broken several world records, including the largest payload carried by an aircraft — 250 tons in a single flight — and the longest total length (84 meters). Its wingspan reached 88,4 meters, the equivalent of one and a half football fields.
Technical data: why it is the most powerful plane in history
The Antonov An-225 was, until its destruction, the largest cargo plane on the planet, both in dimensions and in take-off capacity and internal volume.
Main technical specifications:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Official name | Antonov An-225 Mriya |
| Length | 84 meters |
| Wingspan | 88,4 meters |
| High jump | 18,1 meters |
| Maximum take-off weight | 640.000 kg (640 tons) |
| Engines | 6 x Progress D-18T turbofans |
| Total thrust | 1.377 kN (approximately 140.000 kgf) |
| cruise speed | 850 km/h |
| Autonomy (with load) | ~ 4.000 km |
| Maximum payload | 250 tons |
| Operating altitude | up to 11.000 meters |
The set of six aircraft engines The Progress D-18T was essential to provide the thrust needed by the world's heaviest aircraft. No other civilian or military aircraft had ever received this factory configuration.
Unrealistic consumption: 15 liters per second in full operation
One of the most impressive factors of the An-225 was its fuel consumption, which surpassed 15 liters per second during critical phases of flight such as takeoff with maximum load or initial climb.
Detailed estimates:
- Light cruising consumption: ~12.000 L/h
- Average consumption on a mission with load: ~45.000 to 54.000 L/h
- Takeoff consumption: can surpass 60.000 liters per hour, depending on the initial weight and altitude
This level of consumption placed him among the most fuel-intensive aircraft in the world, even surpassing supersonic strategic bombers in conventional flight.
Flying the An-225 required more than just technical skill: it required industrial-scale fuel consumption. During its fully loaded flights, the plane consumed approximately 15 liters of fuel per second — which translates to 900 liters per minute or more than 50 liters per hour.
This consumption is not only a reflection of the aircraft's total weight, but also of the enormous power generated by its six engines. The Progress D-18T, although efficient for its time, is not comparable to modern turbines in terms of consumption per ton transported. Still, it was necessary: the An-225 needed brute force to take off with loads that, in many cases, would require the work of two or more conventional freighters.
The Mriya's cruising speed was 850 km/h, with a range of up to 4.000 km loaded. On empty missions, it could reach 15 kilometers, but the operating cost was always high. The kerosene supply could exceed 300 thousand reais per international flight — this was in pre-war values.
Comparison: How it stands out among the giants of the air
To understand how special the An-225 was, it is worth comparing it with other aviation monsters:
| Avia | Engines | Maximum load | Average consumption (L/h) | Wingspan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonov An-225 Mriya | 6 | 250 t | ~ 54.000 | 88,4 m |
| Boeing 747-8F | 4 | 140 t | ~ 16.700 | 68,4 m |
| Airbus A380 | 4 | 150 t | ~ 13.000 | 79,8 m |
| Lockheed C-5M Galaxy | 4 | 129 t | ~ 24.000 | 67,9 m |
| Tu-160 Blackjack (military) | 4 | 40 t (weapons) | ~ 30.000 | 55,7 m |
The An-225 not only surpassed its competitors in size and capacity, but also required special supply logistics, with adapted tanks and runways.
The destruction of the An-225 and the impact on aviation
In February 2022, the world was shocked by images of the destroyed hangar at Hostomel airport, near Kiev, Ukraine. In the midst of the conflict that began with the Russian invasion, the only operational example of the An-225 was bombed and rendered completely unusable.
The news caused worldwide commotion. The ONU mourned the destruction, and thousands of pilots, engineers and enthusiasts expressed their condolences on social media. The An-225 was not just a piece of engineering: it was a symbol of cooperation, technical overcoming and peace through science.
However, hope did not die. In 2022, Antonov announced that there was a secondary fuselage, partially built in the 1990s and never completed. The structure corresponds to about 70% of the second An-225, and since then, campaigns have been started to make its completion viable.
2025: Mriya revival is being prepared
Three years after the plane's destruction, Antonov, now with the support of European governments and international institutions, has officially begun the second phase of planning for the reconstruction of the An-225. The project is being called Mriya-2, and should incorporate modern technologies, such as digital avionics, composite materials and new generation engines with reduced consumption.
In April 2025, the German government announced a €40 million investment to support the project, followed by a technical agreement with Airbus to share engineering tools. The new An-225 is expected to be ready between 2027 and 2028, and may even be renamed.
If this happens, the new aircraft will be able to keep the title of most powerful plane in the world, but now with more efficient engines and less environmental impact — something unthinkable in the 1980s.
What makes the An-225 unique, even among the military
Even elite military aircraft, such as the American B-1B Lancer strategic bomber or the Russian Tupolev Tu-160 supersonic bomber, do not come close to the An-225's power and payload combination. These planes, while faster, are designed to operate with weapons, not tons of metal structures or industrial generators.
The Antonov An-225 was the only aircraft to combine scale, payload and performance with proven safety. It operated for over 30 years without serious incidents, which proves its reliability despite its complexity.
Its six engines, when operating together, generated more than 1.370 kN of thrust — a number that put it ahead of any civilian aircraft and many military ones. Not to mention its landing system with 32 wheels, capable of rotating individually to facilitate maneuvers on the ground.
Absurd consumption, but with a clear purpose
The figure of 15 liters of kerosene per second may seem unrealistic — and it is. But to transport a 250-ton load directly between continents, the energy cost was justified. In many cases, using the An-225 avoided the need to dismantle and reship parts by ship, which could take weeks.
The aircraft's speed and logistical capacity offset the operating costs. Even with such high consumption, it was economically viable, since its flights were highly specialized and charged at rates exceeding US$500 per leg, depending on the route and cargo.
An engineering icon that can fly again
As reconstruction efforts continue, the Antonov An-225 remains a technical and emotional landmark. Its legacy goes beyond performance: it represents an era when the impossible was overcome with calculation, welding and engines.
In a world that is looking to decarbonize aviation and make it more efficient, the Mriya continues to inspire engineers to dream big. We may never see such a huge and daring plane again, but its memory lives on — and, who knows, maybe soon, crossing the skies again with more power and less impact.
The article is good, but it wouldn't have cost anything to have used photos of the plane with its six engines. There are photos everywhere. I think it's disrespectful to the reader to talk about a certain plane and show photos of another.
The plane in the photo is not the AN 225,0, but the AN 124, which is a quadrijet and there are several in operation.
This plane in the photo has 4 engines and not 6.
This is a lack of competence in posting real photos of the plane.