The Antonov state aircraft manufacturing enterprise will not transfer the intellectual property rights to the An-225 Mria, the world's biggest transport plane with a carrying capacity of 250 tons, to China. The agreement that the two sides signed does not provide for such an option. Antonov announced this in a statement.
"The agreement that the Antonov state aircraft manufacturing enterprise signed with Aerospace Industry Corporation of China (AICC) on cooperation under the An-225 program is a sort of ‘road map’ that confirms their mutual interest in cooperation with the aim of further developing the An-225 program," the press service of the Ukrainian company said.
The press service added that agreement involved preparation of proposals on the drafting of a contract for completion and modernization of the second the An-225 Mria aircraft, which is in the Antonov plant. The order for this aircraft was placed by AICC.
"The ownership rights to the certificate for … the An-225 Mria, including the intellectual property rights to the An-225, which are owned by the Antonov state aircraft manufacturing enterprise, will not be transferred to the Chinese side," Antonov stressed in the statement. According to the Ukrainian company, it is performing one of its main tasks – construction and delivery of the aircraft – by cooperating state cooperating with AICC.
As reported, only one An-225 plane exists. It was built in the period of 1984-1988.
The Antonov state aircraft manufacturing enterprise and AICC signed a cooperation agreement for the AN-225 program in Beijing on 30 August. Details of the agreement were not disclosed, as a result of which the mass media reported that Ukraine might transfer the intellectual property rights to the aircraft to Chinese.
As reported, it was reported in 2013 that Ukraine had proposed to complete the second An-225 Mria jointly with Japan.
