#flashbackfriday to the Antonov AN225 The Antonov An-225 Mriya was a one-of-a-kind Ukrainian heavy-lift cargo aircraft and the largest airplane ever built, designed by Antonov in the 1980s to transport the Soviet Buran space shuttle and oversized payloads that no other aircraft could carry. Powered by six massive turbofan engines and featuring a wingspan of 88.4 meters—the widest of any aircraft—it could haul up to 250 tons, setting numerous world records for payload, length, and lift capacity.