The AN-225 at Brize Norton airfield (stock pic)
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There are fears the world's largest transport plane has been destroyed during fighting in Ukraine.
The Antonov AN-225 Mriya - the only one of its type in the world - was based at Hostomel airport around an hour's drive from Kiev.
The airport was attacked by Russian helicopters and paratroopers early this morning, with a fierce battle currently raging after local forces counter-attacked later in the day.
#Ukraine 🇺🇦: massive Russian helicopter assault ongoing on Hostomel and its vital airbase, just 15 km NW of #Kyiv pic.twitter.com/CCBy6yTQqt
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) February 24, 2022
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It has been reported that the hanger housing the AN-225 has been damaged in the fighting, although this is unconfirmed.
The airport was struck by missiles prior to the attack and has reportedly been shelled by Ukrainian forces.
The six-engine Anotov An-225 weighs 314 tonnes and has a wingspan of 88 meters.
— Dan | Dj’s Aviation (@DjsAviation) February 24, 2022Unconfirmed reports the world’s only AN-225 has been destroyed following hostilities at Hostomel airport. The aircraft was situated at the airport at the time of the attack. There are other Antonov aircraft also located there.
Read more: https://t.co/8gi5r5ZK42 pic.twitter.com/2dsf8xmQcY
The aircraft was used to transfer the Soviet Buran spacecraft and has been invaluable in tranporting large amounts of humanitarian aid around the world at short notice during emergencies.
On 11 June 2010, the An-225 carried the world's longest piece of air cargo, two 42.1 m (138 ft) test wind turbine blades from Tianjin, China, to Skrydstrup, Denmark.