The Antonov 225 is no more

[vultee43]

Possibly take parts of the Myra and turn them into memorabilia keepsakes and artworks to raise money for the rebuilding of Ukraine when the Russians leave. It has been a popular use for historic non usable aircraft parts and certainly a poignant reminder of the folly of war. I don't think to many avgeeks would turn that offer down.

[McFly]

They're removing parts of the damaged Myra..

[vultee43]

President Zelensky has stated he wants the other An225 finished when the war is over at the cost of €800 million as a symbol of national pride. Big job.

[ZacYates]

One point folks - Mriya

It's amazing how an aeroplane can become a national symbol. Bravo President Zelenskyy. And yes, I would rather like a copy of the Revell 1/144 kit!!

[nuuumannn]

May 31, 2022 22:24:28 GMT 12 vultee43 said:

President Zelensky has stated he wants the other An225 finished when the war is over at the cost of €800 million as a symbol of national pride. Big job.

There are two issues affecting the use of the existing airframe. It wasn't built as a flyable aircraft, but as a static test frame, so might not strictly be built to an airworthy state. The next issue is that Hostomel was badly damaged during the fighting and although the static frame is inside a hangar, no one has yet reported on its condition.

It might ultimately be cheaper to start from scratch than use a static test frame that no one can verify the condition of at this point. We shall wait and see. A few years ago a Chinese company wanted to examine constructing an An-225 under licence, but nothing has been since heard of this rather lofty idea.

[McFly]

Jun 4, 2022 16:03:31 GMT 12 nuuumannn said:

May 31, 2022 22:24:28 GMT 12 vultee43 said:

President Zelensky has stated he wants the other An225 finished when the war is over at the cost of €800 million as a symbol of national pride. Big job.

There are two issues affecting the use of the existing airframe. It wasn't built as a flyable aircraft, but as a static test frame, so might not strictly be built to an airworthy state. The next issue is that Hostomel was badly damaged during the fighting and although the static frame is inside a hangar, no one has yet reported on its condition.

This (link) suggests the second (unfinished) An-225 is actually at Sviatoshyn Airfield (link) rather than Hostomel, and although its condition has not been reported on there is some further chatter suggestiing it is undamaged.

"Following Russia's withdrawal from northern Ukraine, the second unfinished aircraft airframe was reported to be intact, despite Russian artillery strikes on the hangar housing it at the Antonov factory at Sviatoshyn airfield."

[nuuumannn]

Jun 4, 2022 17:04:05 GMT 12 McFly said:

Jun 4, 2022 16:03:31 GMT 12 nuuumannn said:

There are two issues affecting the use of the existing airframe. It wasn't built as a flyable aircraft, but as a static test frame, so might not strictly be built to an airworthy state. The next issue is that Hostomel was badly damaged during the fighting and although the static frame is inside a hangar, no one has yet reported on its condition.

This (link) suggests the second (unfinished) An-225 is actually at Sviatoshyn Airfield (link) rather than Hostomel, and although its condition has not been reported on there is some further chatter suggestiing it is undamaged.

"Following Russia's withdrawal from northern Ukraine, the second unfinished aircraft airframe was reported to be intact, despite Russian artillery strikes on the hangar housing it at the Antonov factory at Sviatoshyn airfield."

Ah, that's useful to know that it's not at Hostomel, but the link (wikipedia page) states that the frame is likely to be canabalised rather than rebuilt, according to the following:

"Investigations into rebuilding the An-225 are being undertaken, including the possibilities of cannibalising the second, incomplete An-225, or salvaging the remnants of the first plane to finish the second. However, there are several obstacles to rebuilding. Many of the aircraft's Soviet-made components were from the 1980s and are no longer made. Engineers quote a price of US$350–500 million, although there is uncertainty regarding whether or not it would be commercially viable and worth the cost.[79] However, Andrii Sovenko, a former An-225 pilot and aviation author, said:[79]

It's impossible to talk about the repair or restoration of this aircraft -- we can only talk about the construction of another Mriya, using individual components that can be salvaged from the wreckage and combining them with those that were, back in the 1980s, intended for the construction of a second aircraft."

[McFly]

Sir Richard Branson could help rebuild wrecked Ukrainian airport

Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson has urged business leaders to unite on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Sir Richard Branson on Wednesday (Thursday NZT) visited a bombed airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine to talk about rebuilding the site, which once hosted the world’s largest cargo plane. Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, was pictured walking around the Antonov terminal at Hostomel, a city that experienced heavy fighting and was briefly occupied by Russian troops.

Taras Dumenko, the mayor of Hostomel wrote on Facebook that he had given a tour to the British billionaire. “Richard Branson has been steadfast in his support of Ukraine, its sovereignty, territorial integrity, advocating for the toughest sanctions against Russia, its leaders and economy,” he said.

Branson spoke to local officials and Ukraine’s state-owned weapons manufacturer about rebuilding the airport, according to Dumeenko. The airfield hosted Mriya, the world’s largest cargo plane, which was destroyed in the fighting. Authorities said Mriya, which means “dream” in Ukrainian, was beyond repair but Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, has since called it a “matter of ambition” to build a replacement.

Branson is a vocal supporter of Ukraine, and in an article on the day of the invasion in February lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin for an “unilateral, unprovoked act of aggression,” and expressing solidarity with Russians opposed to the war. He also called for “crippling sanctions” against Russia to defeat a rise of totalitarianism in Europe.

www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/300626045/sir-richard-branson-could-help-rebuild-wrecked-ukrainian-airport

[McFly]

She flies again...!! (Article link)

[FlyingKiwi]

They're also donating all of the proceeds from that addon to the effort to either rebuild or at least memorialise in some way the aircraft.