Early Estimations Indicate AN-225 Mriya Rebuild Will Cost 500 Million EUR

Early estimations released by ANTONOV state that the cost of the AN-225 Mriya rebuild will cost around 500 million EUR.⁹

This was during an announcement over Bild making an article based on the building of a second Mriya, in which an inaccuracy was admitted.

Via Twitter, the Ukrainian company said the following:

“In the presentation of information with reference to the acting of the General Director of the “ANTONOV” State Enterprise regarding the construction of the new “Mriya”, published by the “Bild” publication and some Ukrainian mass media, an inaccuracy was admitted. Currently, design work in this direction has begun.”

“According to the available expert assessment, currently, there is about 30 percent of components that can be used for the second sample.”

“The cost of building the plane is estimated to be at least 500 million euros. However, it is too early to talk about a specific amount. More information will be after the victory”.

A Promising Sign?

Back in April, Antonov laid out their plans for getting the Mriya rebuilt.

This new mammoth program looks to have been split up into two sections being:

• Using crowdfunding monies for the destroyed Mriya rebuild.
• The state to fund the new Mriya freighter.

The Destroyed Mriya Rebuild?

The upper half of the Mriya was destroyed in the aftermath of the invasion by Russian paratroopers back in March, which has caused condemnation within the industry.

Antonov placed a crowdfunding campaign across their social media as a result, with the company now confirming that the funds accrued from this fundraiser will be exclusively used for that Mriya.

According to aerotelegraph.com, there will be transparent reporting on how the money is being spent on the program, thus keeping donators in the loop for this incredible rebuild project.

“The destruction of the legendary, unique An-225 by the racists was a heavy blow not only to the Antonov company but to the entire world community”, the company said on Facebook.

The Second Mriya?

When the first Mriya was destroyed, Antonov promised that the second unbuilt Mriya would be completed.

This second frame has been preserved since the decision was made to stop production of the second, amid high costs at the time.

Antonov look like they are heading in the direction of making the second Mriya far more modern than the first one, which is unsurprising.

The first Mriya was using Soviet-era technology, which required multiple crew members to operate the aircraft. This includes meeting advanced airworthiness standards moving forward.

On top of this, the original timeline and cost from Ukroboronprom look to be uncertain now.

Initially, the company stated that it would cost around $3bn for the redevelopment program and would take three to five years.

But with Ukraine’s economy in tatters as a result of the conflict, and with Ukroboronprom’s funding decided by the state, it’s becoming more clear that this could take longer.

Whilst it is a tiny update, it’s the most we will probably get from Antonov for a few months yet, especially as the conflict in Ukraine continues.

As soon as the conflict comes to an end, then we will, of course, no more in terms of what is going on with the project.

There is, of course, much excitement about the redevelopment of the program, as well as a second Mriya potentially entering the skies in the near future.