The An-225 Mriya is a strategic airlift transport aircraft, which was built by the Antonov Design Bureau, and is the largest flying airplane ever built. Capable of transporting oversized objects externally, the An-225 was designed mainly to transport the Russian space shuttle “Buran” and its components from a service area to a launch site, although the Antonov bureau is looking for possible commercial applications for the enormous aircraft. With a maximum gross weight of 640 tonnes (1,411,000 lb), the An-225 is the world’s heaviest and largest aircraft.
