This Russian A380 Rival Could’ve Changed Aviation - But It Didn’t

The greatest airliner that never was? Two passenger decks. 860 passengers. Folding wingtips. Air stairs. This was the Sukhoi KR-860.

In the 1990s, as the Soviet Union crumbled, Russian engineers quietly designed what could’ve been the largest passenger aircraft in history: a superjumbo so bold, it might’ve changed the course of global aviation. But it never flew. Not once.

In this deep dive, we explore the forgotten story of the KR-860: how it came to be, why it vanished, and what it tells us about the clash between ambition and reality in the world of aviation.

Was this the greatest airliner that never was?

#sukhoi #kr860 #a380 #airbus #russia