In the pantheon of aviation legends, few names command as much respect as Antonov. The Ukrainian (formerly Soviet) design bureau is synonymous with giants: the An-2 "Colt," the An-124 "Ruslan," and the one-of-a-kind An-225 "Mriya." For decades, aviation enthusiasts have scoured the internet, forums, and speculative design studies looking for the "next big thing."
The reality is that Antonov built exactly one An-225, the greatest aircraft to ever fly. It did so not with ten engines, but with six. It did so not with a 130-meter wingspan, but with 88.4 meters of pure Ukrainian titanium genius. antonov an 990
By: Aviation Historical Review
The "900" series, however, is a gray zone. The highest confirmed Antonov number for a production aircraft is the (originally designated An-224 for the Soviet space program, later revised to An-225). After the collapse of the USSR, Antonov explored numbers for conceptual projects: The An-318 (a regional jet), the An-325 (an air-launch system), and the An-700 (a helicopter concept). In the pantheon of aviation legends, few names