Antonov Antheus (UR-82060)

I believe this is the Mriya, not an Antheus.

Have never seen an aircraft with dual front landing gear. Amazing. Thanks for posting.

I've seen the same aircraft above my neighborhood making the low, slow turn to final into Houston's Intercontinental (IAH). It is indeed amazing.

Never seen an aircraft like this before. Thanks for posting.

Fantastic shot of a fantastic beast..and yes Keith, this is AN225 Mirya..the Antheus was another fantastic Antonov beast, AN22

Супер,тяжело представить как этот "монстр" поднимается в небо... :) !

I can never get enough Antonov's. Such cool planes!

Note the aftmost pair of main's! Their axles are higher up. My guess is - to support the aircraft if it over-rotates on rotation - preventing the after under-fuselage from scraping on the runway. This has been a problem with many aircraft designs. Sometimes it is deliberately done during the flight test program of a new model. Some aircraft have a 'rub strip' installed to protect the fuselage. I've even seen a retractable tail wheel installed - to prevent a 'tail dragger'!