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37 years ago, the world’s largest aircraft, the An-225 Mriya, took to the skies for the very first time. ​That historic flight lasted over an hour and set the stage for the aircraft to eventually achieve a total of 240 world records. The maiden flight took off from the Kyiv-Antonov-1 airfield, manned by a crew of test pilots, and concluded with a successful landing in Hostomel. Notably, the name Mriya ("Dream") was painted onto the fuselage only the night before it was rolled out of the hangar. ​Originally built for the Soviet space program, the An-225 was designed to transport the Buran space shuttle and components of the Energia rocket system. Following the collapse of the USSR, it became the property of Ukraine. Though it was mothballed for a period, it was later restored and modified for heavy-lift commercial cargo. ​In the opening days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Mriya was destroyed during the attack on Hostomel. However, Ukraine plans to bring the "Dream" back to life. In 2024, Ukroboronprom announced a reconstruction plan, and Dmytro Antonov—commander of the An-225 and An-124—reported that the construction of a second Mriya is already 70% complete. ​Video: Antonov