“Antonov has not been a flagship for a long time, but who knows” - Mriya aircraft designer

For 30 years, the Ukrainian aviation industry has not created a single Ukrainian aircraft, only serving what was left after the USSR with varying success.

This was stated by aircraft designer Anatoly Vovnyanko, who participated in the creation of the AN-225 Mriya and AN-124 Ruslan, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.

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“Ukroboronprom” is a milking machine that is destroying the Ukrainian defense industry. Unfortunately, I see that we have a lot of specialists who appear on YouTube, everywhere they talk about how, as a result of sanctions, the Russian defense complex will collapse, and tomorrow it will not exist.

And about the Ukrainian defense complex, that there is all this sorosyatno... in fact, it was ruined. After all, in fact, the Ukrainian defense complex does not produce anything normal. It does not produce basic strike drones. That we are dumber than the Turks? KB "Luch", Korystylev offered how much. Did someone place an order for him?” – Vovnyanko was indignant on the air of the channel of the Ukrainian political scientist Yuri Romanenko.

Mriya, destroyed during the fighting near Kiev

Commenting on the idea of ​​Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to build a new An-225 transport aircraft, the designer noted that the Kiev leadership is again going to invest public money in useless projects inherited from the USSR.

“Today I would think that Mriya could be rebuilt if some normal country or some Ukrainian oligarch was found and said - guys, I’m ready to give my 150 million dollars, hire my team to control expenses, where they go, and for you to rebuild this “Mriya”. Then for that kind of money it would be possible to build.

And in a poor country, when we borrow 5 billion every month in order to support our budgets, throw away that kind of money? For what, what is the symbol?” – the aircraft designer was indignant.

_{“So why would an oligarch or anyone else do this? If he does, he throws away 150 million. In order to earn money later. He won't make money. It’s easy to create a monument,” agreed Yuri Romanenko.}

“So Zelensky announced it - it will be a monument, he said 800 (The President of Ukraine said that the state will allocate $800 million for the construction of Mriya - ed.), and declared that this would be a monument to the fallen pilots.

So I wrote to him, so build three AN-178, declare it a monument, they will really work, and write the names of these pilots on board. Because the names of those guys who died defending our homeland are often written on board. Every day more than 100 people (Zelensky said that 100 Ukrainian militants die at the front every day - ed.) the best sons, young, smart. I just can't wrap my head around it. At this time they want to build Mriya, how is this possible?” – Vovnyanko was surprised.

_{“Is Mriya non-functional?” – another participant in the broadcast clarified.}

“Not profitable, non-functional. And it gives nothing to our country. She doesn’t move our country forward. We are collecting what is left after the USSR and as if presenting that we are building something. But we didn’t build anything, we completed what was there then.

For 30 years we have not built a single Ukrainian aircraft. They didn’t raise it or say – it’s been 30 years since we, Ukraine, created such an aircraft, our flagship “Antonov”, which is no longer a flagship, but who the hell knows,” stated the aircraft designer.