The Antonov An-990 is a concept for a large, long-range, high-capacity transport aircraft that never reached production but occupies an evocative corner of aviation imagination. Below is a compact, vivid portrait to help you picture its scale, purpose, and why it matters to aircraft enthusiasts and transport planners.
If any Antonov deserved a "9" prefix, it was the An-22. But the bureau never used triple digits.
While the An-990 is a myth, Antonov did study aircraft that would have carried a "900-series" logic. After the success of the An-225, the OKB (Experimental Design Bureau) drafted two major upgrades:
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.
Only two were ever fully assembled (Kyiv, 2044, and a partially completed second airframe finished in China under license in 2049). The first saw its heaviest single lift: a damaged polar fusion reactor core, 265 tons, flown 3,200 km from Svalbard to Norway’s mainland at 90 m altitude over the sea.
Today, the Antonov An-990 exists in a strange limbo. It is not recognized in official aviation registries, yet it persists in the memories of a handful of engineers and in the shadows of Cold War speculation.
For aviation enthusiasts, the An-990 serves as a tantalizing reminder of the technological arms race. It was a machine ahead of its time—a ghost ship built to haul tanks at the speed of sound, silenced before it ever truly took flight. Whether it was a genuine prototype or a masterful piece of disinformation intended to spook NATO analysts remains one of the enduring mysteries of the Antonov Design Bureau.
Editor's Note: The Antonov An-990 is a work of fiction created for this article. In reality, Antonov designations skipped from the An-70 series to various specialized projects, and no such aircraft as the An-990 exists in historical records.
The Antonov An-990 is not a real-world aircraft, but a prominent fictional "ultra-heavy" aircraft design popularized within flight simulation communities, specifically X-Plane 11. antonov an 990
In these simulations, it is depicted as a "Juggernaut" that far exceeds the capabilities of any existing aircraft, designed primarily for extreme missions like global wildfire suppression and air-launching space shuttles. Overview of the Fictional An-990
Created as a custom design for enthusiasts, the An-990 represents the absolute limit of theoretical aeronautics. It is often described as part of a series of massive concepts including the An-725 "Monster" and An-900 "Ultra-Heavy Giant".
Design Intent: In simulation lore, the An-990 "Graphene" is primarily a high-capacity Air Tanker meant to fight massive wildfires in California, Canada, and Australia.
Mission Variants: The design typically includes four versions:
Air-Launcher: Capable of carrying and launching other aircraft in-flight, such as a Boeing 747.
Buran-Launcher: Designed to launch the Soviet Buran space shuttle as a missile.
Fire-Retardant Bomber: Equipped to drop massive amounts of fire retardant.
Water Bomber: Features "water-scooping" capabilities to refill its tanks while skimming across lakes or oceans. Theoretical Specifications Antonov An-990 — Vivid Overview The Antonov An-990
The An-990's simulated stats are designed to be "earth-shattering," making it several times larger than the real-world Antonov An-225 Mriya. Simulated Specification Real-World Comparison (An-225) Max Takeoff Weight 6,000 tonnes (13.2 million lbs) 640 tonnes Wingspan 870 feet (265.2 metres) Powerplant 6x custom GE-990-480 engines 6x Progress D-18T turbofans Payload Capacity 600,000 gallons of retardant ~60,000 gallons equivalent Comparison with Real Aircraft
While the An-990 is a "dream" aircraft for sim pilots, the Antonov An-225 Mriya remains the heaviest aircraft ever actually built and flown. The An-225 was uniquely capable of carrying 250 tonnes of cargo and was famously used to transport the Buran space shuttle. Tragically, the world's only completed An-225 was destroyed during the Battle of Antonov Airport in 2022.
The name "990" is sometimes confused with the Convair 990 Coronado, a real-world American jet airliner from the early 1960s known for its high speed but limited commercial success.
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. If any Antonov deserved a "9" prefix, it was the An-22
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.
You can download the An-990 mod and find detailed community discussions on the X-Plane.Org Forums.