The Antonov An-225 was designed to airlift the Energia rocket's boosters and the "Buran"-class orbiters for the Soviet space program. It was developed as a replacement for the Myasishchev VM-T. The An-225's original mission and objectives are almost identical to that of the United States' Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The lead designer of the An-225 (and the An-124) was Viktor Tolmachev.