Antonov 225 reportedly Destroyed

Board Walker

Not sure how true this is.....

https://www.austrianwings.info/2022/02/antonov-an-225-angeblich-zerstoert-russischer-helikopterangriff-auf-flughafen-hostomel/

As per this story the rumour is it caught fire in a Hangar after a helicopter gun fight broke out over the airport in which it was in, another story is that it crash landed with 16 Crew on board....

Airlive.net are confirming AN225 is on the ground in Hostomel Kyiv but apparently FR24 are reporting it flew to Penang in Malaysia this morning. FR24 is currently using a waiting room with a wait time of 32 minutes.

Noxegon

Unfortunately the plane that flew to Penang was an AN124.

UR-82060 (the AN225) is on the ground in GML since its last flight from BLL on February 5.

maconof

A real shame if true, going by the sheer amount of reports of it happening it seems most likely.

Saw it last year at SNN, always a fantastic one to watch fly in.

HeidiHeidi

Ah no..... it was fairly high up my bucket list to see that IRL some time :(

Noxegon

Dmitry Antonov says the aircraft is intact – for the moment anyway.

https://www.facebook.com/antonovd124/posts/10216499468877903

Condor24

Yeah, it's only a material loss on the scheme of things but it was a fantastic site for aviation geeks, and that wing wave leaving Shannon a couple of years ago. I hope the crew are safe wherever they are. They'll not make one again.

GM228

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118686718#Comment_118686718

He says it's "whole", but that does not mean it's not damaged or indeed will be lost in due course, there has been some intense fighting at Hostomel Airport in the last few hours since Dmitry posted that message with Ukraine forces apparently taking back control, the area was/is likely subject to fierce attack from air and ground and if Ukraine is back in control I can see Russia repeatedly attacking the airport:-

https://twitter.com/NeilPHauer/status/1496964939034120195?s=20&t=8pYdwi9oS0m3gW3GUhWJUg

Bombing raids are likely to be less forgiving then the targeted helicopter attacks on the airport of last night. The faith of Mriya really won't be clear until all this ends, how long that will be nobody knows.

All that aside even if she survives the conflict there would be every possibility she may never fly again, apparently the maintenance hangers and equipment have been heavily damaged/destroyed and it's possible she may be damaged beyond economical repair or parts required for her are hard to get, take Antaeus for example, apparently she has been sidelined for months due to awaiting simple parts for the rotors which can only be got from Russia, which at the best of times before all this were near impossible to get.

That asides there's also the possibility that Antonov itself may not survive the conflict, some of their A124s were in the air and managed to divert to other locations, but what about the rest of their fleet?

Anyone know what was on the ground other than the 22, 225 and their 74?

GM228

If some Tweets, reports and videos coming through this morning are accurate it looks as though the Russians are going for the airport again this morning and throwing plenty at it (potentially worse than yesterday), I would be very surprised if she makes it out of all of this (or indeed any of the rest of the Antonov fleet stranded there), but, at the end of the day as majestic as she is she is only a plane, my true concern is for the people of Ukraine 🇺🇦

Board Walker

A good air strike to the runway would send the Russians off to another air field.

Sexual Chocolate

This photo is doing the rounds on Facebook at the moment.

Condor24

They say that's the hangar it was in, therefore destroyed. Would have been surprised if it survived this much longer anyway. Material loss as they say but I hope they build a new one in peacetime.

Noxegon

Sad to see, but as others have noted, a small thing given what's going on.

When all this strive is over I imagine the Ukrainians will have better things to do than build planes – but I have to admit I like the idea of an An-225 NEO.

Sexual Chocolate

Ukrainiani Minister for Foreign affairs has announced that the 225 was destroyed.

https://twitter.com/DmytroKuleba/status/1497947370008547332?s=20&t=I1aKiZ2GSnt2X4R3D8O6Yg

GM228

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118703314#Comment_118703314

Antonov themselves just said:-

https://twitter.com/AntonovCompany/status/1497967836337041409?t=BRXwjcOc3MSDZARpaOv0RA&s=19

RocketRaccoon

Antonov saying they don't know, the official Ukraine twitter saying it is destroyed.

If I was a betting man, I'd say its gone.

Psychlops

Why the hell wasnt she flown out before all this!

Sexual Chocolate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118705079#Comment_118705079

From my understanding it was under maintenance but as well as that the Ukrainians didn't take the warnings of the west as serious as they should of in regards to the invasion.

crushproof

Does anyone know the status of the Ukrainian International airlines fleet? I wonder if they flew them out of the country in time.

munchkin_utd

Theres 2 Ukranian Antonov 124s in Leipzig at the mo, plus 3 Russian Volga/Dnepr 124s which wont be going anywhere quick - so it would be an interesting visit to that airport at the moment.

Of the rest, 2 seem to be in Kiev but the others are abroad. https://www.radarbox.com/data/airlines/adb?tab=photos

Ironically, the Russian ones are in Leipzig for servicing so its a wonder the Ukranians didn't think of doing that with the 225 (although.... maybe getting a hangar big enough would be an issue for the worlds biggest plane!).

Kat1170

Seen it a little over a month ago in Rzeszow.

GM228

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118709651#Comment_118709651

I believe they only had 1 124 in Gostomel along with the 225, 22 and 74, possibly all lost.

The other 124 in Kiev is actually at Sviatoshyn for the last year (receiving upgrades I believe), that is the location of the Antonov plant (and the location of the second unfinished 225), there has been no mention if that was one of the many airports targeted.

Antonov are still operating (obviously not from Gostomel, possibly from Sviatoshyna) and I believe Amtes Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Service in Leipzig is the only company outside of Ukraine and Russia who have the expertise and parts to keep Antonov aircraft going, so they can still run a limited service, but, I'm sure the parts will only last so long and supply lines from the Ukraine and Russia will be limited if non existent.

Also worth remembering their pilots and crews, just like their aircraft are also currently displaced and no sign in sight of them getting back to base.

Gaoth Laidir

"99% sure that it's destroyed". Straight from the horse's mouth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY7qtAmv7Ak

GM228

He also confirms the AN26, AN28 and AN74 destroyed, no mention of the AN22 or AN124.

GM228

Only spotting it now, but Ukroboronprom (the parent company of Antonov) confirmed in a press release on Sunday that she has indeed been destroyed, but, they also said they will rebuild her:-

https://ukroboronprom.com.ua/en/news/rosiyani-znishhili-an-225-mriya-vona-bude-vidnovlena-za-kosti-okupanta

"And after the victory, we will definitely finish our new "Mriya", which has been waiting for this in a safe place for many years"

Obviously talking of using the second unfinished AN225, and probably more of a statement of defiance, weather that happens or not only time will tell, certainly can't see them getting $3bn off Russia to do it.

RocketRaccoon

Footage online in the last hour or so showing it burning inside the hangar. Just the nose cone and one engine visible.

sjb25

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118725319#Comment_118725319

https://youtu.be/Rg7wecErGKY

Sexual Chocolate

https://youtu.be/vkIB1LRt2Tw

Suvarnabhumi

Such a shame from an aviation point of view. Obviously, there's worse things happening in Ukraine at the moment.

Hopefully it gets rebuilt sometime in the future.

goingnowhere

There is the second AN225 which was never completed ?

Sexual Chocolate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118727201#Comment_118727201

Id assume once things are over and the Ukrainians are back on their feet (fingers crossed) there will be a push to have the second one completed.

GBX

Where's the 2nd one held up ?

GM228

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118727767#Comment_118727767

Sviatoshyna at the Antonov plant.

Ten of Swords

New footage from Gostomel airport released today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg7wecErGKY

Noxegon

There's more here. Safe to say that Mriya is no more.

https://twitter.com/aldin_ww/status/1499640900020051969

GM228

https://twitter.com/EmilyOfficial5/status/1499682370248753153?t=hJJJu6vGX5md5hjAXiR59w&s=19

RIP

Nibs05

I believe it’s here somewhere

ANTONOV Company

+380 44 454 3233

https://goo.gl/maps/YddJ1prjjEkZMbzJ6

GM228

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118737145#Comment_118737145

Yes, that's Sviatoshyna, she is inside one of the large hangers.

If you look at Google maps towards the sheds at the North of the site you will see the shell of an un-finished AN-124, the second AN-225 is in the shed beside that.

Nibs05

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118738380#Comment_118738380

https://ibb.co/0rV3C5m

Is that the AN-124 shell or the AN-225 shell ?

GM228

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118738685#Comment_118738685

That's the shell of CCCP-680210, long term stored AN-124 shell (since 1982), the second AN-225 is inside the shed next to it.

GM228

If true it could put the Antonov plant near Sviatoshyna at risk?

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1500522271944884228?s=20&t=pyjnbh9fsfizWcl14B-www

fryup

so a spiteful jealous Putin had the world's plane vandalised on purpose?

GM228

Fitting call sign for the last flight of Mriya (or rather her transponder) earlier today!

https://twitter.com/gebenus/status/1502208030817103872?t=aEOiPKLbOUV_eEZ6Vs5Exw&s=19

Likely salvaged or another transponder modified, brilliant.

A Dub in Glasgo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEf1WTDDIYk

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118742261#Comment_118742261

Was there some other reason to target it?

Sexual Chocolate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118742261#Comment_118742261

Possibly. As much of a marvel of Soviet engineering it was its an even bigger symbol of Ukrainian achievement. The fact that there was only one really sticks the knife in as well.

Flinty997

They should really ask Putin does this mean the Russian Shuttle is definitely off then.

Ger Roe

As far as the Russian authorities were concerned, it ended up on the wrong side of the border when Ukraine achieved independence. I think they resented the fact that the dedicated Ukrainian flight and maintenance team kept it going and made a viable business out of it.. the fact that it flew in Ukrainian national colours and was revered in aviation circles all over the world, must also have been an annoyance.

I know there are far more important human tragedies to be concerned about in this war, but the world has certainly lost a unique aero-engineering achievement.

GM228

As I feared earlier Russia has attacked the Antonov Plant in Sviatoshyna, reports of massive damage to the plant:-

https://twitter.com/space_osint/status/1503268495454310400?t=lsjF2K4KPiNqu_uus2sbqA&s=19

The second AN225 shell is inside the larger (middle) building here at the plant:-

https://ibb.co/0rV3C5m

GM228

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118780899#Comment_118780899

The Ukrainian airplane and defence industry has always been a thorn in Russia's side since the break up of the USSR, Antonov rose well above the remaining prominent Russian based former USSR aircraft companies Tupolev, Ilyushin, and Yakovlev for example.

Initially they just could not compete with Antonov and is the very reason why the UAC was created. Russia merged ALL their design bureaus and plants in order to take on Antonov, and that seems to have worked with the Sukhoi Superjet 100 bringing the UAC well above Antonov.

Myria was considered the greatest soviet aviation success story, or indeed the greatest air freighter story in the world (not that that was her original purpose) and Russia are p****d that it is considered a Ukrainian success story rather than a Russian one. Myria was the star of the recent Ukrainian independence celebrations.

Perhaps the biggest annoyance to Russia is that Antonov was actually a Russian company (and not Ukrainian) having been founded in Novosibirsk in 1946 as the Research and Design Bureau No. 153, it moved it's HQ to the Ukraine in the 50s and when the USSR broke up severed it's ties to Russia, ever wonder why Antonov Airlines has not flown into Russia itself for many years?

GM228

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118781817#Comment_118781817

The hanger with the second AN225 wasn't hit, though one of the main production halls was:-

https://twitter.com/RekReck/status/1503800648256700420?t=lBR4sHVlCR01yHJNrfK1Pw&s=19

Board Walker

I dont think its in a hangar. i saw a documentary lately and it seems the second AN225 shell was outside the airport grounds in a warehouse off the airfield but of course within the vicinity.