At the end of February this year, the world's largest transport aircraft An-225 suffered a devastating blow in the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Military fans around the world lamented this, thinking that they would never have a chance to see the An-225 transport aircraft . Honorable appearance. According to photos circulated on social media, the An-225 transport aircraft was severely damaged. The nose and fuselage have been separated, and the possibility of repair is extremely slim. In May of this year, the Ukrainian military towed away the wreckage of the An-225 transport aircraft from the Gostomeli Airport near Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
Not long ago, Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that he wanted to repair the damaged An-225 transport aircraft and build a brand new An-225 transport aircraft. Zelenskiy said that in a sense, repairing the damaged An-225 transport aircraft is not only its resurrection, but also a kind of repair of Ukraine’s national image and the sacrifice of those killed in the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict. Memorial to the Ukrainian soldiers. However, Zelensky also admitted that repairing the An-225 transport aircraft would require at least US$800 million, which Ukraine cannot afford now.
Just when Zelensky fell into despair, Branson, the president of the British Virgin Group, recently expressed his willingness to fund the repair of the An-225 transport aircraft. Ukrainian media said that if it can really get funding from this billionaire, the An-225 transport aircraft is expected to be "reborn." According to reports, this commitment was made by Branson after visiting Antonov Airport and the wreckage of the An-225 transport aircraft on June 30, local time.
Public information shows that Branson is one of the most successful businessmen in the UK. According to data published by Forbes magazine, Branson’s personal wealth exceeds US$4 billion. The Virgin Group it operates is the largest private enterprise in the UK. Its main business involves tourism, aviation and entertainment, with annual revenue exceeding 10 billion US dollars. Judging from Branson's financial resources, he is fully capable of affording the cost of repairing the An-225 transport aircraft.
However, the repair cost of more than 800 million US dollars is really a huge expense. Even if Branson verbally promises to help Ukraine repair the An-225 transport aircraft, if he is really asked to pay, I am afraid he has to think carefully. Some people believe that the Ukrainian military can lease the use rights of the An-225 transport aircraft to Branson or the Virgin Group. After the repair is completed, the An-225 transport aircraft can undertake some commercial transportation orders, which allows Branson to recover part of the repair expenses. .
However, according to aviation experts, repairing the An-225 transport aircraft requires not only sufficient funds, but also technology. As the world's largest transport aircraft, the process of the An-225 transport aircraft is extremely complex. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Antonov Design Bureau responsible for the research and development of the An-225 transport aircraft suffered a serious loss of talent and technology. I don't know if it is still capable of undertaking the responsibility for the An-225 transport aircraft. The important task of repairing the -225 transport aircraft. Therefore, even with Branson's funding, it is still too early to say that the An-225 transport aircraft will be reborn.
