The Antonov state-owned is working on the creation of the new world's largest Mriia An-225 aircraft, it will be lighter than its predecessor, and therefore will take on board even more cargo and cover an even greater distance.
Vladyslav Vlasyk, the director of Antonov, announced this on the air of the national telethon, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
According to him, the dismantling of the fuselage of the destroyed Mriia, as well as the search for surviving parts of the aircraft, is currently underway.
The new plane will be created on the basis of the unfinished "twin brother" of the Mriia.
Vlasyk noted that outwardly the new Mriia will be no different from the aircraft that was destroyed by the invaders at the Hostomel airfield in the early days of the full-scale war, but inside it will be a completely new aircraft.
The new aircraft will be even more powerful, lighter than the previous Mriia by at least 10 tons, which means that the ship will take on board even more cargo and fly even longer and even further.
"Now the design stage is underway, the preliminary technical appearance of the updated aircraft has already been formed. We understand that the An-225 aircraft should be upgraded, that is, to restore it in the state in which it was, it is impractical and inappropriate," said Vlasyk.
He admitted that the construction of the plane needs huge money, but the funds for the construction of the second Mriia are ready to be provided by international donors.
An-225 Mriia is an ultra-high-capacity transport jet, the largest aircraft in the world.
It was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau and built in the late 1980s.
Also in the 1980s, a second An-225 aircraft was under construction, but it was not completed.
According to some reports, this plane was ready for 60-70%.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on February 27, 2022, the Ukroboronprom state concern reported that as a result of hostilities at the airport of Hostomel, the Mriia An-225 plane was destroyed.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.