Antonov AN-124 Found Damaged at Hostomel Airport (+VIDEO)

DALLAS - Video footage has surfaced showing an Antonov AN-124-100-150M damaged at Hostomel Airport (GML) amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Antonov AN-124 is registered in Ukraine with tail number UR-82009. It is operated by Antonov Airlines (ADB) and its age is 35 years. The aircraft's weight is 175000 kg and is powered by four 230,0 kN engines. The length of the plane is 69.1 m. The height of the plane is 20.78 m; its wingspan is 73.3 m.

What's left of UR-82009 can be seen in a video published by airlive.net at GML after Russian troops left Hostomel in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Along with the AN-225 Myria, the AN-124 Ruslan (Lion-like) was damaged during the Battle of Antonov Airport, also known as the Battle of Hostomel Airport, which was a military engagement that happened at GML during the Kyiv offensive of the Russian invasion.

UR-82009's last flight departed at 1:55 EET from Burgas, Bulgaria (BOJ) bound for GML on January 25, 2022. The full video showing the damage at GML, including the AN-124 Ruslan and the AN-225 Myria.

The Antonov AN-124

The An-124 Ruslan is the world's 2nd heaviest gross weight production cargo airplane and heaviest operating cargo aircraft, behind the destroyed one-off Antonov An-225 Mriya (an expanded design based on the Ruslan) and the Boeing 747-8.

The AN-124 Ruslan made its first flight on December 26, 1985. It would be unveiled to the West in 1985 at the Paris Air Show.

Since the aircraft entered service in 1986, 55 AN-124s have been built with about half currently in operation. There are several variations of the type, such as the AN-124-100 and the AN-124-100M-150. In May 1987, an An-124 set a world record, covering a distance of 20,151 km (10,881 nmi) without refueling.

Featured image: UR-82009's sibling, the Antonov UR-82008 Antonov An-124-100M-150. Photo: Aidan Pullino/Airways