In February, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the only completed An-225 was destroyed during an attack on Gostomel Airport, near the Ukranian capital Kiev.
Nine months later, the Ukrainian aircraft maker Antonov revealed on Tuesday that it is building a new An-225 Mriya. Design work to complete the second An-225 “Dream” has already begun.
“According to available expert estimates, there are currently about 30 percent of the components that can be used for the second model of the aircraft. The cost of building the aircraft is estimated at at least 500 million euros. However, it is too early to talk about the precise amount.”
This confirmation followed a statement in Bild, a German Newspaper, by Antonov CEO Eugene Gavrilov at the Ukrainian manufacturer’s new base at Leipzig Airport in Germany. “Work on the new aircraft is underway in a secret location,” he said, explaining that some components recovered from the wreckage of the first An-225 will be reused.
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.
The location of the shell of the second aircraft, also damaged during the bombing, is also kept secret. It should have taken off in 2008 according to the initial plans of Antonov, who then gave up for lack of funding.
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.
Built in 1988 as a derivative of the An-124, during the Soviet Union, the An-225’s mission was to transport Buran, the country’s space shuttle.
At full load, the An-225 requires a runway of 3500 meters to take off, safety margin included, against 3200 meters for the largest passenger aircraft the Airbus A380.
