Antonov An 990 Guide

To move such a colossal airframe, the An-990 relies on sheer, brute-force power. While the exact number can vary across versions, the design is based on the principle of adding engines until the aircraft flies. Some community discussions have speculated that it would take , to get the An-990 off the ground. Its cruise speed is estimated to be Mach 0.58.

Rotates at approximately 145+ knots (KIAS) with Flaps 3 or 4.

Specialized for fighting massive wildfires with high-capacity discharge and water-scooping features. X-Plane.Org Forum Operational Constraints antonov an 990

The An-990 is the final and most extreme iteration of a series of fictional "super-heavy" aircraft. It traces its lineage directly back to its immediate predecessor, the An-725, a 4,000-tonne "Monster" designed to fight wildfires, which in turn evolved from an An-700 "Beast". Inspired by the real-world Stratolaunch Roc, YouTuber Swiss001 also popularized the concept with a detailed video review, helping the aircraft gain a following far beyond the usual flight simulation circles. The An-990 took the core concept of the An-700 and An-725—creating a colossal water bomber—and pushed it to its logical, albeit wildly impractical, extreme.

The numbers tell the story: the An-990 is not an evolution of the Mriya; it is a complete departure from reality, a digital fantasy that takes the Mriya's legacy of "bigger is better" and multiplies it by nearly ten. To move such a colossal airframe, the An-990

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.

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. Its cruise speed is estimated to be Mach 0

In its water-bomber configuration, it is programmed to carry thousands of tons of fire retardant, capable of extinguishing entire simulated forest fires in a single pass. Why the An-990 Captured Aviation Imaginations

The true Antonov An-990 exists solely in the digital skies, as a fictional and colossal creation for the flight simulation platform . It is a testament to the dreams of flight simulation enthusiasts, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in a virtual world.