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Watch These Eight Ukrainian Men Pull the World's Heaviest Aircraft, a 364-Ton Metal Beast

On August 26th, a new record was set at the Antonov airport, Ukraine. Eight of the country's strongest men successfully moved the world's heaviest cargo plane, an Antonov An-225 Mriya weighing 364 tons (330 tonnes).
Ukrainian athletes pull the world's heaviest airplane 6 photos
Photo: WSF Strongman
Eight Ukrainian men successfully pull a 364-ton aircraftEight Ukrainian men successfully pull a 364-ton aircraftEight Ukrainian men successfully pull a 364-ton aircraftEight Ukrainian men successfully pull a 364-ton aircraftEight Ukrainian men successfully pull a 364-ton aircraft
The men who took part in the challenge are already well-known athletes in Ukraine, part of the World Strongmen Federation (WSF). During the recent WSF World Strongman Championship, the teams, made of groups of four, got ready to tackle the An-225 with pure muscle force.

In case the name of this metal mammoth doesn't ring a bell, here are some things to consider: powered by six turbofan engines and designed by Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s, the strategic airlift cargo plane can take off with a maximum weight of 705 tons (640 tonnes). If that figure is not impressive enough, the An-225 also has the largest wingspan of any operational aircraft.

Moreover, the airplane holds the world record for an airlifted single-item payload of 418,830 lbs (189,980 kg) and an airlifted total payload of 559,580 lbs (253,820 kg). Normally, the empty aircraft tips the scale at 314 tons, which is around 285 tonnes. While the event's organizers didn't provide any information about an additional cargo, they have confirmed that the athletes had to pull a 364-ton (330 tonnes) An-225 during the competition.

The eight men managed to move the aircraft for 14 ft (4.3 meters) in just one minute and 13 seconds, setting a new record. Currently, Canadian Kevin Fast holds the record for heaviest aircraft pulled by one man. He moved a CC-177 Globemaster III, weighing 416,299 lbs (188.83 tonnes) on a distance of 28 ft 10.46 in (8.8 meters) in 2009. Last year, a team consisting of 46 men and 46 women from British Airways had successfully pulled a 403 lbs (182) aircraft for over 328 ft (100 meters).

This new record set by Ukraine seems like it will land soon in the Guinness World Records as well. You can see the team in action and how the massive An-225 is being slowly dragged on the runway in the video down below.

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About the author: Florina Spînu
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Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
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