The Antonov An-990 "Graphene" is a fictional, fan-made aircraft designed specifically for the X-Plane 11 flight simulator. It is not a real-world plane produced by the actual Antonov Company.
Designed by community member hangglider, the An-990 is modeled as a "Juggernaut" aerial fire-fighter and heavy transport. It gained significant attention through flight simulation content creators like Swiss001, who showcased its "extreme" scale and capabilities. Fictional Specifications
The aircraft is designed with absurdly large dimensions and weights to test the limits of the flight simulator:
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 6,000 tonnes (13.2 million lbs), which is roughly 10 times the weight of the real-world Antonov An-225 Mriya. Wingspan: 870 feet (265.2 meters). Length: 826.8 feet (252 meters).
Engines: Six custom GE-990-480 turbofans, each providing 480,000 lbf of thrust.
Fire-Fighting Capacity: It can carry 600,000 gallons (2,270 tonnes) of water or fire retardant. Features in X-Plane
The "Graphene" mod includes several unique features for players to experiment with in a simulated environment:
Water-Scooping: Functional "water-scoop" switches for aerial firefighting simulations.
Size Comparison: The plane is so massive that other large aircraft, like a Boeing 747, can be carried on its back or look tiny beside it.
Custom Modding: The file includes specialized FMOD sounds, a VR-Mod for virtual reality pilots, and custom night lighting.
Watch this fictional giant in action as it demonstrates its massive scale and firefighting capabilities in a flight simulator: How HUGE Can Planes Get? - Antonov An 990 YouTube• Jul 10, 2021 AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more How HUGE Can Planes Get? - Antonov An 990
Antonov An-990 , often nicknamed the "Juggernaut" "Graphene,"
is a fictional ultra-heavy transport aircraft created for the
flight simulation community. It is not a real-world production aircraft from the Antonov Company
but rather a digital creation designed to push the boundaries of what is possible in a flight simulator. Key Specifications & Capabilities
Developed by the user "hangglider," the An-990 is celebrated as one of the largest aircraft ever modeled for Massive Scale : It features a wingspan of (265.2 meters), which is roughly three times that of the Antonov An-225 Mriya : At a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 tonnes
(13.2 million lbs), it is approximately 120 times heavier than a standard Boeing 737-100 Powerplant
: It is powered by six custom GE-990-480 turbofan engines, each producing roughly 480,000 lbf of thrust. Water Operations
: Despite its size, all versions are capable of taking off and landing on water. Variants of the "Juggernaut" Series
The aircraft is typically available in four specialized versions designed for different simulation missions: Air-Launcher : Designed to carry and launch other aircraft, such as a Boeing 747-400 , while in flight. Buran-Launcher : Equipped to launch the Buran Space Shuttle like a missile. Fire-Retardant Bomber : A firefighting variant capable of carrying 600,000 gallons of retardant to combat massive wildfires. Water Bomber
: Features a "water-scooping" facility to refill its tanks during low-level flight over water bodies. Flight Simulation Visuals
The following images showcase the colossal scale of the An-990 within flight simulators, often compared against other famous aircraft for size reference.
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 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 antonov an 990
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.
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 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.
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
Title: The Phantom of the Skies: The Story of the Antonov An-990
In the world of aviation, few names command as much respect as Antonov. The Ukrainian design bureau is responsible for some of the largest and most capable aircraft ever to grace the skies, from the massive An-225 Mriya to the versatile An-124 Ruslan. However, buried deep in the archives of Cold War aviation history lies a designation that few have heard, and even fewer have seen: the Antonov An-990.
Often referred to in speculative circles as the "Ghost of the USSR," the An-990 represents one of the great "what-ifs" of aerospace engineering—a project that promised to revolutionize transport before vanishing into the fog of history. The Antonov An-990 "Graphene" is a fictional, fan-made
Introduction: The Space Race for Cargo In the late 20th century, the Antonov Design Bureau (Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR) was the undisputed titan of heavy-lift aviation. With the massive An-124 Ruslan dominating global cargo markets and the pie-in-the-sky An-225 Mriya built for the Soviet space program, Antonov looked toward the future of military and aerospace logistics. The An-990 was a proposed design intended to bridge the gap between existing super-heavy transports and the rapidly evolving requirements of the Soviet military-industrial complex.
While details remain scarce and often shrouded in the secrecy of the Cold War’s twilight years, the An-990 is generally understood to have been a design study for a next-generation, ultra-heavy cargo transport, intended to succeed or supplement the An-124.
Design Philosophy and Configuration The "990" designation suggests a departure from the sequential lineage of Antonov’s production models, hinting at a radical departure in design philosophy. Unlike the high-wing, T-tail configuration that became the signature look of the An-124 and An-225, concept art and historical leaks regarding the An-990 suggest a pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency that bordered on the extreme.
The most distinguishing feature of the An-990 concept was its proposed blended wing body (BWB) or "flying wing" configuration. While most cargo aircraft are essentially flying tubes (fuselages) with wings attached, the An-990 aimed to integrate the cargo hold within a thick, aerodynamically shaped wing structure.
The Strategic Imperative Why build the An-990? The answer lies in the Soviet doctrine of "mutual assured mobility." The Soviet Union required the ability to mobilize entire divisions, including main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers, across the vast Eurasian landmass.
The An-124 was a marvel, but military planners always demanded more. They wanted an aircraft that could take off from shorter, rougher airstrips and carry outsized loads that even the Ruslan struggled with, specifically components for the Energia rocket and the Buran space shuttle program.
The An-990 was envisioned not just as a transport, but as a flying launchpad. There were discussions of the aircraft being capable of air-launching spacecraft or ballistic missiles from its cargo bay, a capability that would have turned the aircraft into a strategic deterrent platform.
The Technical Hurdles Despite the theoretical brilliance of the An-990 design, it faced insurmountable engineering hurdles that kept it grounded on the drawing board:
The Collapse of the Vision The death knell for the An-990 was not engineering, but economics. By the late 1980s, the Soviet economy was stagnating. The dissolution of the USSR in 1991 shattered the unified supply chain required to build such a machine. The Ukrainian government, inheriting Antonov, had no budget for experimental super-heavy lifters.
Furthermore, the cancellation of the Buran space shuttle program removed the primary logistical justification for aircraft of this magnitude. Antonov shifted its focus to upgrading the reliable An-124 and developing the An-70 (a medium transport), projects that offered immediate returns rather than speculative leaps.
Legacy The Antonov An-990 remains a ghost—a silhouette in wind tunnel archives and artist renderings. However, its spirit lives on. Today, modern aerospace companies (like Boeing and Airbus) are revisiting the Blended Wing Body concept for future cargo and passenger jets. The An-990 was arguably ahead of its time, a Soviet attempt to solve a problem—the inefficiency of the tube-and-wing design—that the industry
The Antonov An-990 "Juggernaut" is a colossally-sized fictional aircraft created specifically for the X-Plane 11 flight simulator. Designed by flight-sim developer "hangglider," it is imagined as a "Graphene-constructed" ultra-giant capable of performing tasks that are physically impossible for real-world aircraft. Performance Specifications
The An-990 is designed to dwarf even the largest real-world aircraft, such as the Antonov An-225. Feature Specification Max Takeoff Weight 6,000 Tonnes (13.2 million lbs) Wingspan 870 feet (265.2 meters) Powerplant 6× Custom GE-990-480 Turbofans Engine Thrust 480,000 lbf (2135 kN) per engine Cargo/Liquid Capacity 600,000 Gallons (5 million lbs) Operational Guide for Flight Simulators
Operating the "Juggernaut" requires specialized techniques due to its extreme mass and cockpit height. Take-Off Procedures: Set Flaps to 3 or 4. Rotate at 145+ KIAS (knots indicated airspeed).
The aircraft is capable of taking off from water even at its full 6,000-tonne weight. Landing Procedures:
Runway Requirements: Requires at least 10,000 feet of runway with 500 feet of side clearance due to its massive wingspan.
Approach: Maintain a long approach at 165 KIAS with Flaps 3. Touchdown: Aim for 163 KIAS.
Visual Correction: Pilots must account for the extreme cockpit height above the runway to avoid "landing short".
Stopping: Use a combination of regular brakes, speedbrakes, and thrust reversers to stop within standard large-scale runways. Available Variants
The An-990 series for X-Plane includes four specialized versions:
Air-Launcher (Graphene): Designed to carry and launch other aircraft, such as a Boeing 747, mid-flight.
Buran-Launcher: Specialized for carrying and launching the Soviet Buran space shuttle.
Fire-Retardant Bomber: Equipped with a 600,000-gallon tank for massive aerial firefighting.
Water Bomber: Features water-scooping capabilities to refill its tanks from open water. Aerodynamics: By adopting a flying wing or blended
You can download the An-990 mod and find detailed community discussions on the X-Plane.Org Forums.
Beyond the "An-990": The Mythical Future of the World’s Largest Cargo Planes
Have you seen the stunning videos circulating of the "Antonov An-990" taking off in Microsoft Flight Simulator? The graphics are breathtaking, showing a colossal aircraft dominating the runway. But for aviation enthusiasts, this raises a burning question: Does the Antonov An-990 actually exist?
Let’s clear up the myths, look at the reality of Antonov's legendary fleet in 2026, and discuss the future of heavy airlift. The Truth About the "An-990" As of April 2026, there is no real-world Antonov An-990.
The images and videos you likely saw are hyper-realistic mods for flight simulators. While it’s exciting to imagine a successor to the legendary An-225, the An-990 is a fictional concept designed by passionate creators to simulate the ultimate cargo experience. Remembering the True King: An-225 Mriya While the An-990 is virtual, the Antonov An-225 Mriya
("Dream") was very real. It was the largest and most powerful cargo plane ever built, with a wingspan of 88 meters and six engines.
Sadly, the one-of-a-kind Mriya was destroyed during the initial days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Will a New "Dream" Rise?
The dream of heavy lift is not dead. In late 2022, Antonov confirmed plans to rebuild the An-225, with estimated costs topping $500 million. While its return is a long-term goal, Antonov currently focuses on its fleet of An-124 Ruslan
transport planes, which have played a crucial role in delivering massive cargo worldwide. The Future of Cargo Giants
The fascination with the "An-990" proves the world still needs giant cargo planes. As we move closer to 2030, new designs like the WindRunner are designed to carry massive, clean-energy components.
The spirit of the Mriya lives on in simulators, and perhaps one day, in a new generation of real-world aircraft that will push the boundaries of what can fly.
Enjoyed this article? Let us know in the comments: Would you prefer to see the An-225 rebuilt, or focus entirely on new, futuristic designs?
Antonov An-990 is a fictional, ultra-heavy aircraft created for flight simulation enthusiasts, primarily within the X-Plane 11 platform . While it bears the name of the legendary Antonov Company
, it is not a real-world project but rather a conceptual "Juggernaut" designed to push the boundaries of virtual aviation. The "Graphene Juggernaut": A Digital Titan
The An-990 is often presented as a specialized "water-bomber" designed for global firefighting missions in regions like California, Canada, and Australia. Its specifications are intentionally astronomical, dwarfing any aircraft ever actually built: : It boasts a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 tonnes
(13.2 million lbs), which is 120 times the weight of a standard Boeing 737-100. 265.2 meters
(870 feet), its wingspan is three times larger than that of the real Antonov An-225 Mriya , the largest plane ever built. Propulsion
: It is powered by six custom GE-990-480 turbofan engines, each generating 480,000 lbf of thrust. : It can carry approximately 600,000 gallons
of fire retardant, outperforming 30 Boeing 747 Super-Tankers combined. Bridging Reality and Imagination
Although fictional, the An-990 draws inspiration from the design philosophy of Oleg Antonov , whose real-world aircraft—like the An-124 Ruslan
and the An-225—became symbols of heavy-lift capability. Developers of the An-990 mod utilize advanced materials like
in their lore to justify the physics of such a massive structure, which would be impossible to build with current aerospace technology.
In flight simulators, this aircraft offers a unique challenge: pilots must manage extreme inertia and plan landings meticulously, as only a handful of real-world runways could theoretically accommodate its massive wingspan and weight. It serves as a testament to the creativity of the aviation community, allowing enthusiasts to experience the "what if" of ultra-heavy flight. from flight simulation or dive into the real history of Antonov's heavy lifters?
Following the destruction of the Mriya, China reportedly expressed interest in re-manufacturing the An-225 using leftover blueprints. This aircraft, tentatively called the CH-225, would not be an An-990 but effectively an "An-225M." As of 2025, this project remains in limbo due to engine sanctions.
Designed in the 2040s to answer a world demanding heavier renewable energy infrastructure (monster wind turbine blades, fusion reactor modules) and point-to-point space-launch support. The An-990 exists to carry what cannot be split, driven, or sailed.
Disclaimer: Before diving into the specifications and historical impact of the Antonov An 990, a crucial clarification is required. The Antonov An 990 does not exist as a real aircraft. It is a long-standing myth, a piece of internet folklore, and a hypothetical fantasy that has been confused with its real-world siblings. This article will explore the origins of the "An 990" legend, contrast it with the real Antonov heavy-lifters (the An-124, An-225, and An-22), and explain why aviation enthusiasts continue to search for this "ultimate monster."