AN225

[Mick G]

Some internet rumors suggest the sole AN225 may have been destroyed in fighting. Let's hope not

[JL]

Flightradar24 shows last flight from Billund to Kyiv on Feb 5...no outbound flights.

Youtube video of taxi for departure...hopefully this is not the last footage of this fine aircraft.

https://youtu.be/DDU9ificZIo

[CL-Skadoo!]

There is at least a glimmer of hope from one of her captains.

https://twitter.com/aviationbrk/status/ ... in-ukraine

[Mick G]

It's not looking good. Things have moved very quickly, at this point today (Sunday), most news agencies are reporting it destroyed.

[J31]

Destroyed

https://jalopnik.com/footage-from-ukrai ... 1848616564

[karmutzen]

Damn, that was a cool airplane, we got up into the cockpit when it was at the Abbotsford airshow. Antonov was originally a design bureau based in Siberia. The Russian system was to key on the designer, with production farmed out anywhere - similar to wartime airplane production in the West. Anyhoo, the Antonov design and production consolidated and moved to the Ukraine in 1952.

I wonder if the Ukrainians blew it up so it wouldn't fall to the Russians. It was kind of a white elephant anyway, purpose built to carry the Buran (Russian space shuttle) and when that ship sailed it tramped around doing heavy lift like the 124. No economic reason to build a second one.

I'll hoist a good scotch in its memory.

[linecrew]

There is a partially finished second 225 that has been in storage for many years. Given the usefulness and the profitability of the aircraft type, I'm sure that they will now have a reason to complete it. Hopefully that second airframe won't also be destroyed.