Antonov An-124 roars out of Seattle 🇺🇦

I love those engines. They sound like the coffee grinder from hell. For those wondering why I’ve posted about this thing a few times, and why some of us are interested in this machine, here’s some fun facts:

An-124s were manufactured by the Antonov Design Bureau for the Soviet Union in the 1980s. ADB was based in the Ukrainian SSR, with assembly lines in Kyiv and in Ulyanovsk, Russia.

The first flight of the An-124 was in 1982. It is essentially the Soviet equivalent of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy used by the US Air Force. 57 were built but only about 30 are in operation today, half in commercial service and the rest with the Russian military.

The An-124 is called the Руслан/Ruslan, meaning “Lion.” NATO assigns its own names to planes, with the first letter of the name being associated with its role. The 124’s NATO reporting name is “Condor,” because “C for Cargo.”

Antonov Airlines has seven of them. Four were evacuated from Ukraine when Russia invaded and now operate out of Leipzig, Germany. In July of 2025, Antonov successfully reassembled a fifth complete 124 in secret, and surprised the country when it suddenly emerged and took off from Kyiv, headed to join the other planes in Germany.

A special 124 was built with larger wings, a split tail, and two additional engines, called the An-225 Mriya (meaning Dream) and intended for use as a carrier aircraft for the Soviet Union’s Buran space shuttle. Here is an amazing drone shot of the 225 taking off – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKXLXvLLEDE

The An-225 was the largest plane in the world until it was destroyed in February 2022 at Hostomel Airport on the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops were in the process of seizing the airport, and they had parked multiple vehicles under the 225. Those vehicles and troops were shelled with artillery by the Ukrainian National Guard, with the An-225 suffering as collateral damage. Several higher ups and the CEO of the Antonov company were criminally charged for not allowing Ukrainian National Guard troops access to the airfield to secure it on the eve of the invasion, and allegedly even stood in the way of a plan to evacuate the plane, possibly indicating intent for the plane to be seized by Russia.

A second 225 began construction but was never completed. It is hoped that it will one day be finished, but the cost is astronomical. The fuselage of the second airframe is parked outside the Antonov airport in Kyiv, you can see it on Google Maps.

Another fun fact: one Russian An-124 was in Toronto when the war broke out. Canada refused to grant clearance for the plane to depart, and it has been seized by Canada. It’s been parked in a corner of the Toronto airport since, and will likely be given to Ukraine!

The 124 is pretty rare, globally-speaking, but we are uniquely fortunate to see it way more often than the rest of the world because it is used for urgent cargo hauling by the Boeing Company. It is often seen at the Everett factory, but is making more appearances at King County Airport. For obvious reasons, flight plans and tracking aren’t often available. If the pattern continues, the plane seems to arrive Thursday around noon and departs Fridays around 11. It has repeated this cycle only twice so far.

My first time in Ukraine, back in 2019, I was in touch with Antonov public affairs and had arranged to see the 225. But the employee that was working with me said photos wouldn’t be allowed because the plane was currently having its engines removed. Another situation came up that interfered with plans to go out to see it, and I let go of the goal thinking I would be able to come back and see it again some time. During Covid, the 225 flew supplies from Europe to the US and Canada via Montreal and Anchorage, I almost bought tickets to see it in Anchorage but the complications of covid made me reconsider, figuring I would have another chance to see it one day. On my second trip to Ukraine in April 2025, we drove past Hostomel Airport but the wreckage had mostly been cleaned up and hauled away.

Don’t let go of your dreams and goals. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.