The largest cargo plane in the world might take to the skies again in the future.
Antonov Co., a state-owned Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer, recently declared it had begun reconstructing its ruined Antonov An-225 "Mriya" cargo plane following the destruction of the original in February.
Russian forces destroyed the first plane by shelling when it was hangared at the Hostomel airfield in February, according to a Bloomberg report.
Antonov An-225 "Mriya" Cargo Plane Reconstruction Efforts
Antonov Co. mentioned in its announcement on its official Facebook page that it has begun design work on the second unit of the An-225 "Mriya" cargo plane somewhere in Ukraine.
The company's statement mentioned that the reconstruction is in its design stage and that 30% of the components from the ruined original aircraft can still be used for the second Mriya unit.
Using whatever parts that can be salvaged from the original aircraft's ruins is a wise move on Antonov's part, as the reconstruction costs are estimated to be way above €500 million or $500 million.
However, Antonov said that talking about the overall cost of the Mriya's reconstruction is still too early for an aircraft of its size.
The company added that it would share more detailed information about the aircraft's reconstruction after Ukraine's victory in its conflict against Russia.
Eugene Gavrylov, Antonov Co.'s general director, revealed to the German newspaper Bild that the Mriya's construction is being done in a secret location within Ukraine, per Business Insider.
Although the company's statement didn't mention how it would fund the aircraft's construction efforts, Gavrylov revealed that it plans to sell airplane merchandise to obtain additional funds and attract sponsors.
However, this move doesn't mean it is giving up on acquiring the reparations it needs from Russia once the conflict between the two countries is over.
"Our task is to ensure that [the costs of rebuilding the Mriya] are covered by the Russian Federation, which has caused intentional damage to Ukraine's aviation and air cargo sector," the Ukroboronprom, a Ukrainian state defense company, said in a statement.
Antonov An-225 "Mriya" Cargo Plane History
The Antonov An-225 "Mriya" Cargo Plane is widely considered the largest cargo plane in the world, with the aircraft measuring 84 meters in length and around 18 meters in height, per Antonov Co.'s official website.
The cargo plane's wingspan is also a testament to its record-setting size, with it measuring 88.4 meters and having a wing area of 905 square meters. Additionally, it is powered by six Ivchenko Progress Lotarev D-18T and three shaft turbofan engines.
As a result, the Mriya can fly at a max. speed of 850kph and a cruise speed of 800kph from 4000km to 15,400km, according to Aerospace Technology.
The word "Mriya" means "dream" in Ukrainian.
Ukraine built the An-225 in the late Soviet Era, with it taking its first flight in 1988. It was riginally built to transport the Soviet spacecraft Buran before it was used to charter international cargo flights.
As such, the cargo plane was in service for over 30 years; it even became a silent witness to the fall of the Soviet Union.
