Maybe they’ll sail on their own bottom

When push comes to shove, and timelines are tight, America’s Cup teams look to the Ukrainian-built Antonov cargo planes to quickly move their boats around the world. But for the 37th America’s Cup, there is now one less plane to use.

The conflict in Ukraine destroyed the world’s biggest aircraft, the Antonov-225 cargo plane, when Russian forces attacked an airfield in Gostomel near Kyiv. The plane, known as Mriya, was undergoing routine maintenance, and as one of the engines was dismantled for repairs, the plane wasn’t able to take off to avoid damage.

Restoration of the aircraft, known as Mriya, will take more than five years at a cost of over $3 billion following the attack. The six-engine aircraft is 84 meters long and has a wingspan of about 88 meters. It first flew in December 1988 and holds records for transporting the biggest commercial cargo.