Antonov An-990 | Deluxe & Proven

Where the An-225 had one fuselage, the . Two pressurized cargo holds ran parallel to a central passenger/crew module, all joined by a delta wing so vast its trailing edge was measured in hectares, not meters. To lift a projected payload of 990 metric tons (nearly triple the An-225's capacity), Antonov engineers reportedly opted for 14 engines —a mix of Progress D-18T turbofans on the wings and four reinforced Kuznetsov NK-32 afterburning turbofans (from the Tu-160 bomber) mounted on a revised tail fin for "assisted climb-out."

Today, with the real An-225 destroyed in the 2022 conflict, the ghost of the An-990 serves as a poignant, almost tragic symbol. It reminds us that sometimes the most incredible aircraft are not the ones that fly, but the ones that exist just on the other side of reason, waiting in the blueprint—a beautiful, impossible answer to a question no one should have asked. antonov an-990

The project was buried. The prototype, according to the tale, was disassembled and its parts absorbed into the construction of the second (never-completed) An-225. No aerodynamicist believes the An-990 could have flown economically—or safely. The torsional stress on the wing joints would have been catastrophic. The fuel consumption would have bankrupted a small nation. The engine-out scenario (losing one of 14) would require a flight computer more advanced than anything in the 1990s. Where the An-225 had one fuselage, the

The taxi test was a disaster. The weight of the central fuselage caused the asphalt of the taxiway to liquefy. The first and only "hop"—a 20-foot rise off the runway at 180 knots—reportedly shattered every window in the control tower and stripped the roof off a nearby maintenance shed due to the exhaust wake of the 14 engines. The aircraft landed immediately, its rear triple-fuselage joint cracked. It reminds us that sometimes the most incredible

The solution was a grotesque masterpiece of radial symmetry.