Ukraine says it's going to rebuild the world's biggest cargo plane, months after Russia destroyed the original model in Kyiv

Ukraine says it's going to rebuild the world's biggest cargo plane, months after Russia destroyed the original model in Kyiv
  • The manufacturer of the world's largest cargo plane has announced plans to rebuild the aircraft.

  • The Antonov An-225 was destroyed by Russian forces in February.

  • The plane, which is also known as "Mriya," is said to cost over half a billion dollars to rebuild.

The manufacturer of the largest cargo plane in the world announced plans on November 7 to rebuild the massive aircraft.

Antonov Co., the state-owned Ukrainian manufacturer of the An-225 cargo plane, said in a statement posted on Facebook that design work has begun on a second unit of the aircraft. The An-225, also known as "Mriya," was destroyed by Russian forces in an airfield near Kyiv in February. The rebuild is currently in the design stage, the company wrote on Facebook.

"According to available expert estimates, currently there are about 30% of components that can be used for the second model of the aircraft," the company said, adding that the exact details of reconstruction will only be released "after Ukraine wins this war."

The An-225, which was in service for over 30 years before its destruction, was built in the Soviet era. The aircraft first took flight in 1988. It was built to transport the Soviet spacecraft Buran before being used to charter international cargo flights.

The reconstruction costs of the 330-tonne An-225 are estimated to exceed 500 million euros, or $500 million, according to Antonov's statement. It's the heaviest aircraft ever built.

The destroyed Ukrainian Antonov An-225 "Mriya" cargo aircraft, which was the largest plane in the world, among the wreckage of Russian military vehicles at the Hostomel airfield on April 8, 2022 in Hostomel, Ukraine.
The destroyed Ukrainian Antonov An-225 "Mriya" cargo aircraft, which was the largest plane in the world, among the wreckage of Russian military vehicles at the Hostomel airfield on April 8, 2022 in Hostomel, Ukraine.Alexey Furman/Getty Images

"The work on the machine is ongoing in a secret location," Eugene Gavrylov, Antonov's general director, told German newspaper Bild.

Construction of the original An-225 started in Kyiv, but the maintenance and manufacturing of its parts was eventually moved to China.

Ukrainian state defense company Ukroboronprom initially estimated the reconstruction of the aircraft to cost more than $3 billion and said it would take at least five years, according to a company statement on February 27.

Antonov Co. did not explain how the aircraft's reconstruction would be financed. Gavrylov said the company plans to sell airplane merchandise to obtain additional funds and attract sponsors, per Bild.

Back in February, Ukroboronprom said it expected Russia to finance the rebuild.

"Our task is to ensure that these costs are covered by the Russian Federation, which has caused intentional damage to Ukraine's aviation and air cargo sector," it said in a February 27 statement.

Antonov Co. did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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