Antonov plans construction of new An-225

Ukraine-based Antonov has started the planning and design of a new An-225 “Mriya” cargo aircraft but not the actual construction work, according to a social media post from the company on Monday correcting published reports. Antonov said its assessment indicated that 30% of the components from the original An-225, which was destroyed earlier this year by Russian forces , could potentially be reused in a new An-225. The company went on to say that the estimated cost of the rebuild would be around 500 million euros (US$500.4 million), adding that it was too early for exact estimates and that more information would be released after the Russia-Ukraine war concludes. [caption id="attachment_415062" align="alignright" width="460"] Antonov has begun design for a second An-225. (Photo/Antonov)[/caption] The announcement comes after months of speculation around reconstruction following the destruction of the first — and only — An-225, known as “The Dream,” during the initial days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Russian forces seized Antonov’s headquarters at Hostomel Airport (GML) and destroyed a number of other freighter aircraft during their brief occupation, including at least one Antonov Airlines An-124 . That An-225 (Unit 19530503763) was originally built for the Soviet Union in 1988 to carry the Buran space shuttle. Powered by six Ivchenko Progress D-18T engines, it was the largest aircraft in the world until 2019, when an air-to-orbit aircraft dubbed “Roc” was completed by Scaled Composites for use by Stratolaunch. Construction of a second An-225 was started before the collapse of the Soviet Union. This airframe has remained at an undisclosed location outside Kyiv and had been approximately 70% complete, according to previously published reports. Investors in China expressed an interest in completing the stalled An-225 project in 2016. However, those hopes faded due to difficulties transporting the partially completed aircraft. It is currently unclear if Antonov plans to resume working on this airframe or build an entirely new one. Since the recapture of GML by Ukrainian armed forces, Antonov Airlines has resumed normal operations based primarily out of Leipzig (LEJ) with its remaining An-124 fleet. One (19530502630) was spotted in late October delivering satellites to Cape Canaveral (QQS) for launch aboard a SpaceX rocket. Besides a symbol of national pride for Ukraine, this latest An-225 could tap into growing demand for outsized cargo that recently saw Airbus earn its first commercial third-party mission for its new airline Airbus Beluga Transport.

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