Endless Paradigm

Have you ever wondered what the biggest plane in the world to take flight more than once is? It is actually Russian Antonov-225, a strategic airlift transport aircraft made to carry the Buran orbiter, the only fully completed and operational space shuttle from Soviet Union's Buran Program.

Antonov 225 has a wingspan of 290 ft., a height of 89.4 ft., and a length of 276 ft. Another plane has a larger wingspan, the Hughes H-4 Hercules known as "Spruce Goose". But Spruce Goose flew only once, and the Antonov 225 beats it in all other aspects. Antonov 225 has a maximum gross weight of 640 tons, making it the heaviest plane in the world. In 2004, the Guiness Book of Records acknowledged this plane for all its unique attributes.

The aircraft can carry over 275 tons of load. This is what it's made for: carrying load, specifically the Buran orbiter. After being produced in 1988 the Antonov 225 has been used to transport cargo. The US has been using the Antonov 225 quite a lot mainly for transporting military supplies to the Middle East. This is a testament to the quality of the aircraft, no other American-made aircraft compares to it.

Only one aircraft of this model is currently working while another one is still in the making. The US made a long-term contract with the makers of Antonov-225 to make more of these sorts of planes. They are to be used to carry more load for the US military. Here are some pictures of An-225 to admire.

- Source: [Gadgets]

cool, but i sort of heard of this plane years and years ago (on discovery channel)... and then i saw it IRL at Eindhoven Airport about 15 minutes by bike from where i used to live also about a year ago. massive!edit:the an-225 in my hometown :P

seen it before too it is pretty freaking ginormous

yeah nice plane