Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 23 hours ago
The Antonov An-225 Mriya was the largest and heaviest aircraft ever built—a six-engine monster that could lift 1.4 million pounds and carry cargo that wouldn't fit inside anything else on Earth. It once flew with a space shuttle strapped to its back.
In this video, we break down exactly how the An-225 worked. We explain how six turbofan engines producing 309,600 pounds of combined thrust got impossible weights airborne. We walk through the 142-foot cargo hold and show how the nose hinges open like a clamshell, how thousands of steel balls in the floor let crews slide 50-ton loads by hand, and why weight distribution can mean the difference between a successful flight and a fatal one.
We cover the 32-wheel landing gear designed to spread weight across runways that would crack under concentrated loads, the kneeling system that tilts the aircraft for loading, and the twin-tail configuration that made carrying external cargo possible. Then we take you through the 1989 Buran shuttle flight—from brake release to rotation at 196 miles per hour.
Only one An-225 was ever completed. On February 27, 2022, it was destroyed. This is how it worked, and why nothing can replace it.
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#airplane
#inside
#beyondfacts
Credit:
sites.google.com/ytmgltd.com/beyondfactsinside-the-worlds/home
The Antonov An-225 Mriya was the largest and heaviest aircraft ever built—a six-engine monster that could lift 1.4 million pounds and carry cargo that wouldn't fit inside anything else on Earth. It once flew with a space shuttle strapped to its back.
In this video, we break down exactly how the An-225 worked. We explain how six turbofan engines producing 309,600 pounds of combined thrust got impossible weights airborne. We walk through the 142-foot cargo hold and show how the nose hinges open like a clamshell, how thousands of steel balls in the floor let crews slide 50-ton loads by hand, and why weight distribution can mean the difference between a successful flight and a fatal one.
We cover the 32-wheel landing gear designed to spread weight across runways that would crack under concentrated loads, the kneeling system that tilts the aircraft for loading, and the twin-tail configuration that made carrying external cargo possible. Then we take you through the 1989 Buran shuttle flight—from brake release to rotation at 196 miles per hour.
Only one An-225 was ever completed. On February 27, 2022, it was destroyed. This is how it worked, and why nothing can replace it.
Join this 'Paper Pilot Club' to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCzgWZmqmKpmsr4oPWITusKA/join
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/beyondFactsSUB
#airplane
#inside
#beyondfacts
Credit:
sites.google.com/ytmgltd.com/beyondfactsinside-the-worlds/home
