Microsoft Flight Simulator adds destroyed Ukrainian monster-plane

Destruction during Russian invasion nears its first anniversary

The Antonov An-225 Mriya in Microsoft Flight Simulator / Antonov

During the first hours of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Hostomel Airport in Kyiv became one of the most critical battlegrounds of the young war: Russian paratroopers and Ukrainian forces fought for control over the important airport, with the location changing hands a few times. While the Russians were able to drive the defenders away at the end, the Ukrainians had held on long enough to deny the invaders a crucial staging ground.

For airplane enthusiasts, the battle was thrilling for another reason: Hostomel Airport was the home of Mriya, the largest airplane ever built by humankind.

When the Soviet Union planned on building up its own space shuttle program, it required a large cargo plane to carry the shuttles – that was the origin for Antonov’s An-225 class, of which only Mriya ever saw the light of day due to the USSR’s collapse.

While Mriya never fulfilled her original purpose, she saw plenty of action carrying goods around the world. Before the invasion, she transported Covid test kits from China to Europe, returning to her base shortly before the attack on her home.

When pictures of the fighting at Hostomel Airport became public, it got clear pretty quickly that the hangar Mriya was housed in got hit, though the extent of the damage was still unknown. It’s only later that airplane enthusiasts’ worst fears were confirmed, when new images showed that the front third of Mriya’s structure had been torn off from the rest of the body.

This is how Mriya was found after the Russians were routed from Kyiv / Kyiv City Council

While Mriya will never fly again in real-life, Microsoft Flight Simulator will bring her back in virtual form: Antonov, the company that built and operated the plane, announced that it has worked with Microsoft and a group of modders to include her in the game.

ДП «АНТОНОВ» та корпорація @Microsoft уклали ліцензійний договір на право використання марки #Ан225 «Мрія» в новій версії продукту @MSFSofficial - Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Детальніше - https://t.co/rO2PXokzgM pic.twitter.com/Fptwr09TQi

— ANTONOV Company 🇺🇦 (@AntonovCompany) February 2, 2023

This 84 meters long and around 190 tonnes heavy piece of DLC will cost $20, all proceeds will go towards Antonov and Ukraine, reports Kotaku. It's likely the package will be available on February 27, 2023, the one-year anniversary of Mriya's destruction.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed plans to build a new An-225 once it’s safe to do so. Costs for this are estimated at around $500 million, so airplane fans should buy a lot of Flight Sim DLC to get the project off the ground.