Antonov An-225

An-225 transport aircraft was designed by Antonov Aeronautical Science and Technology Consortium in the spring of 1985 in response to the transportation needs of the space shuttle Blizzard and other rocket equipment. It was originally planned to manufacture two. Because of the short development time, most of the concepts of An-225 are Laian-124 transport aircraft. On November 30, 1988, the first Ann-225 was completed and released from the factory. Its registration number is CCCP-82060. The first test flight was conducted in Kiev on December 21, and the first shoulder flight of Snowstorm was completed on May 12, 1989.

In the late 1980s, because the Soviet Union's economy had deteriorated to insufficient support for expensive space exploration programs, the snowstorm program had to be suspended after one successful launch. The An-225 designed and built specifically for the space program naturally lost its significance. The second An-225 was only partially completed and sealed up. There is only one Ann-225 transporter that is truly manufactured and capable of flight.