The Antonov An-225 Mriya was a strategic airlift cargo aircraft designed and produced by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Soviet Union.
Antonov An-225 Mriya
The An-225 carrying Buran (1.01) in 1989
Antonov An-225 with Buran at Le Bourget, 1989, Manteufel
The An-225 at Farnborough in 1990
A cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft that is designed or converted for the carriage of cargo rather than passengers. Such aircraft generally feature one or more large doors for loading cargo. Passenger amenities are removed or not installed, although there are usually basic comfort facilities for the crew such as a galley, lavatory, and bunks in larger planes. Freighters may be operated by civil passenger or cargo airlines, by private individuals, or by government agencies of individual countries such as the armed forces.
A Volga-Dnepr Airlines An-124 prepares for loading in 2008
The Vickers Vernon, introduced in 1921, was the first cargo plane for military troops
The Arado Ar 232, the first purpose built cargo aircraft
A U.S. Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules, the archetypal military transport aircraft, over the Atlantic Ocean in 2014