Antonov An 990 -
The An-990 does not roar — it pressurizes the air. Witnesses describe the sound not as loud but as deep — a felt vibration in the ribs long before the shadow arrives. When the last one flies, historians will say: The 225 was the dream. The 990 was the job.
The Antonov An-990 (often referred to as the "Juggernaut") is not a real-world aircraft produced by the Ukrainian manufacturer Antonov. Instead, it is a fictional, fan-made creation popularized within the flight simulation community, specifically for Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane.
The following blog post explores the "legend" of this virtual giant and how it compares to the actual titans of the sky.
The Antonov An-990: Exploring the "Juggernaut" of the Virtual Skies
In the world of aviation, the name Antonov is synonymous with "unbelievably big." From the legendary An-124 Ruslan to the late, great An-225 Mriya, these Ukrainian-designed giants have defined heavy lifting for decades. But if you’ve spent any time on flight sim forums or YouTube lately, you might have seen a new name popping up: the Antonov An-990.
Is it a secret new project? A successor to the Mriya? Not exactly. Let’s dive into what the An-990 actually is. What is the Antonov An-990?
The An-990 is a fictional aircraft mod created for flight simulators. It represents a "what-if" scenario: what would happen if you took the design philosophy of the An-225 and scaled it up to impossible proportions?
In simulation videos, such as those featured on YouTube, the An-990 is often nicknamed the "Juggernaut". It is portrayed as a 6,000-ton behemoth—thousands of tons heavier than any real aircraft ever built. Real Titans vs. The Sim Legend
To understand just how massive the fictional An-990 is, we have to look at the real-world record holders:
The An-225 Mriya: The actual "King of the Skies" until its tragic destruction in 2022. It had a maximum takeoff weight of about 640 tons. antonov an 990
The An-124 Ruslan: The Mriya’s "smaller" brother, which remains one of the largest cargo planes in service today, capable of carrying 150 tonnes of payload.
The An-990 "Juggernaut": In the simulation world, this plane dwarfs both. It is often depicted as having a wingspan so wide it barely fits on a standard commercial runway. Why the Fascination?
The An-990 exists because aviation enthusiasts love to push the boundaries of physics. In games like Microsoft Flight Simulator, users can download these "super-heavy" mods to see if they can even get such a mass off the ground. It’s a testament to the legacy of the Antonov Design Bureau, whose real-world engineering was already so impressive that people naturally want to imagine what "the next level" looks like. Will there ever be a real "Next Antonov"?
While the An-990 is a digital dream, there is real-world hope for a new giant. Antonov has expressed plans to eventually rebuild the An-225 Mriya using components from a second, unfinished airframe. While it won't be a 6,000-ton Juggernaut, its return would be a monumental moment for aviation history.
Are you a flight sim fan? Tell us your favorite "impossible" aircraft to fly in the comments! How HUGE Can Planes Get? - Antonov An 990
The Antonov design bureau’s numbering typically follows the An-2, An-24, An-124, An-225 sequence. The largest operational Antonov is the An-225 Mriya (only one unit, destroyed in 2022). The next in line, the An-124 Ruslan, remains in service. There is no credible project or prototype labeled An-990.
If this was a hypothetical or satirical request, here is a mock review of a “Antonov An-990” as an imagined ultra-heavy transport:
To understand why the An-990 is likely impossible, we must consider physics. Suppose, for the sake of argument, the An-990 was designed to be 50% larger than the An-225.
The An-225 Mriya (baseline):
The Hypothetical An-990 (fan specifications):
The Insurmountable Problems:
The Anglo-French Concorde and the Boeing 747 pushed the limits of 1960s technology. The An-225 pushed the limits of 1980s Soviet titanium welding. An An-990 would require 22nd-century materials science. This is why Antonov never built it.
Short, evocative, and practical: the Antonov An-990 lives as an emblem of ambition in heavy-lift aviation—bold in idea, constrained by cost and infrastructure in reality.
The Antonov An-990 is not a real-world aircraft; it is a fictional, colossal "super-plane" created as a mod for the flight simulator
Designed by a community creator often known as "hangglider," it is depicted as a "Graphene" air tanker and "Buran-Launcher" with physics-defying specifications intended to push the limits of the simulation. X-Plane.Org Forum Fictional Specifications & Features
In the simulation, the An-990 is presented as the largest aircraft ever "built," dwarfing the real-world Antonov An-225 Mriya
6,000 tonnes (13.2 million lbs), which is roughly 120 times the weight of a Boeing 737-100.
870 feet (265.2 meters)—roughly three times the wingspan of the real An-225. The An-990 does not roar — it pressurizes the air
Primarily a "Juggernaut" water bomber designed to fight massive wildfires, capable of carrying 600,000 gallons of fire retardant. Capabilities:
It features a "BURAN-Launcher" version to launch the Buran space shuttle as a missile and includes water-scooping features for firefighting. X-Plane.Org Forum Flight Simulation Context The An-990 is a popular custom design in the X-Plane forum
for users who enjoy flying experimental or "impossible" aircraft. X-Plane.Org Forum Performance:
Despite its size, it is designed to operate out of regular 10,000-foot runways like KBFI (Boeing Field), though it requires massive side clearances of 500 feet. VR Support: Recent versions of the mod include FMOD sound and VR compatibility download links for this mod, or would you like to know more about the real-world Antonov aircraft it was inspired by?
The An-990 myth often simply doubles the An-225’s stats, claiming a 1,200-ton MTOW. But physics prevents this: runways would crumble, tires would burst, and no engine exists that could lift such a mass.
To understand what the An-990 would have been, one must study the real aircraft it is confused with.
The "Antonov An 990" likely originated from:
Search volume for "Antonov An 990" spikes after major aviation events (like the destruction of the real An-225 in 2022), as fans search for a hypothetical replacement.
The story of the An-990 begins in the late 1970s. While the West was developing the C-5 Galaxy and conceptualizing the C-17 Globemaster, the Soviet military demanded a quantum leap in transport capability. The requirement was ambitious: a heavy-lift cargo aircraft capable of operating from unpaved runways, carrying main battle tanks, and crucially, possessing a speed profile that dwarfed existing turboprops. To understand why the An-990 is likely impossible,
Intelligence reports at the time suggested that the United States was exploring next-generation propulsion for transport aircraft. Not wanting to be left behind, the Soviet government initiated a black project designated "Izdeliye 990" (Item 990).