33 years since the An-225 “Mriya” took to the skies for the first time and has set more than 200 world records. Let us recall the history of the largest aircraft in the world — in 15 photos (from “Babelʼs” archive)

On December 21, 1988, the first flight of a prototype of the worldʼs largest transport aircraft An-225 "Mriya", created by the Kyiv "Antonov" plant, took place. It was initially built for the space industry ― it could transport rockets and serve as a "flying spaceport" for spacecraft. But the USSR soon collapsed, and the "Mriya" was mothballed in a hangar until the end of the 1990s. In the early 2000s, it was reconstructed and modified to carry extra-heavy and oversized cargo, such as locomotives or multi-ton generators. And "Mriya" was often used to deliver humanitarian cargo promptly. Until now, there was only one copy of the An-225. But it has already went down in history by setting about 250 world records for speed, height, and carrying capacity. The Russian invaders destroyed "Mriya" at the Hostomel airport near Kyiv in the first days of a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. But the "Antonov" enterprise has already launched a fundraiser for the restoration of the aircraft. "Babel" recalls the worldʼs largest aircraft history in 15 photos.