Ukrainian aircraft maker Antonov revealed on Monday that it is building a new An-225 Mriya at a secret location.
According to Yevhen Havrylov, the company’s general director, the assembly of the six-engine aircraft has already reached 30% of the planned work.
The executive revealed that the new An-225 will be assembled with parts from a second, unfinished airframe, as well as parts from the first plane and other new components.
“Work on the new aircraft continues at a secret facility. The second AN-225, which was never completed, will be supplemented with parts from the bombed-out aircraft in addition to new parts,” Havrylov told the German newspaper Bild.
The An-225 Mriya is the largest aircraft ever built, measuring 84 meters in length, 88 meters in wingspan and a maximum take-off weight of 640 tons.
Developed from the An-124 during the Soviet Union, the An-225’s mission was to transport Buran, the country’s space shuttle. After the end of communism, Antonov began using the Mriya on special cargo flights, taking advantage of its unusual capability.
However, in February, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the only completed An-225 was destroyed during an attack on Gostomel Airport, near the capital Kiev.
The aircraft had its frontal part completely destroyed while it remained on a temporary hangar. The six-engine jet was undergoing maintenance and could not be flown out of the country despite the looming Russian threat.
Since then, Antonov has been appealing for donations to rebuild the An-225. According to the company’s general director, the project should cost around 500 million euros.
