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Antonov State Enterprise ( uk, Державне підприємство «Антонов»), formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named after Antonov (Antonov ASTC) ( uk, Авіаційний науково-технічний комплекс імені Антонова, НТК ім. Антонова}), and earlier the Antonov Design Bureau, for its chief designer, Oleg Antonov, is a
Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...
aircraft manufacturing and services company. Antonov's particular expertise is in the fields of very large aeroplanes and aeroplanes using unprepared runways. Antonov (model prefix "An-") has built a total of approximately 22,000 aircraft, and thousands of its planes are operating in the former Soviet Union and in developing countries. Antonov StC is a state-owned commercial company. Its headquarters and main industrial grounds were originally located in
Novosibirsk Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the Russian Census ...
, and in 1952 were transferred to Kyiv. On 12 May 2015 it was transferred from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to the Ukroboronprom (Ukrainian Defense Industry). In June 2016, Ukraine's major state-owned arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom announced the creation of the
Ukrainian Aircraft Corporation Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * Som ...
within its structure, to combine all aircraft manufacturing enterprises in Ukraine.


History


Soviet era


Foundation and relocation

The company was established in 1946 at the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association as the top-secret Soviet Research and Design Bureau No. 153 (OKB-153). It was headed by Oleg Antonov and specialised in turboprop military transport aircraft. The task was to create an agricultural aircraft CX-1 (An-2), the first flight of which occurred on August 31, 1947. The An-2 biplane was a major achievement of this period, with hundreds of these aircraft still operating as of 2013. In addition to this biplane and its modifications, a small series of gliders A-9 and A-10 were created and built in the pilot production in
Novosibirsk Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the Russian Census ...
. In 1952, the Bureau was relocated to Kyiv, a city with a rich aviation history and an aircraft-manufacturing infrastructure restored after the destruction caused by World War II.


First serial aircraft and expansion

The 1957 introduction of the An-10/
An-12 The Antonov An-12 (Russian: Антонов Ан-12; NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has many variants. For more than thr ...
family of mid-range turboprop aeroplanes began the successful production of thousands of these aircraft. Their use for both heavy combat and civilian purposes around the globe continues to the present; the An-10/
An-12 The Antonov An-12 (Russian: Антонов Ан-12; NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has many variants. For more than thr ...
were used most notably in the Vietnam War, the Soviet–Afghan War and the Chernobyl disaster relief megaoperation. In 1959, the bureau began construction of the separate Flight Testing and Improvement Base in suburban Hostomel (now the
Antonov Airport Antonov Airport ( uk, аеропорт «Антонов» ), also known as Hostomel (or Gostomel) Airport ( uk, аеропорт «Гостомель»), is an international cargo airport and testing facility in Ukraine, located near Hostomel, wh ...
). In 1965, the Antonov An-22 heavy military transport entered serial production to supplement the An-12 in major military and humanitarian
airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distanc ...
s by the Soviet Union. The model became the first Soviet wide-body aircraft, and it remains the world's largest turboprop-powered aircraft. Antonov designed and presented a nuclear-powered version of the An-22. It was never flight tested. In 1966, after the major expansion in the
Sviatoshyn Sviatoshyn ( uk, Свято́шин, Svjatóshin, ; also or ) is a historical neighborhood and a suburb of Ukraine's capital Kyiv that is located on the western edge of the city area, in an eponymous municipality. Previously it was a dacha vi ...
neighbourhood of the city, the company was renamed to another disguise name: "Kyiv Mechanical Plant". Two independent aircraft production and repair facilities, under engineering-supervision of the Antonov Bureau, also appeared in Kyiv during this period.


Prominence and Antonov's retirement

In the 1970s and early 1980s, the company established itself as the Soviet Union's main designer of military transport aircraft with dozens of new modifications in development and production. After Oleg Antonov's death in 1984, the company was officially renamed as the Research and Design Bureau named after O.K. Antonov (russian: link=no, Опытно-конструкторское бюро имени О.К. Антонова) while continuing the use of "Kyiv Mechanical Plant" alias for some purposes.


Late Soviet-era: superlarge projects and first commercialisation

In the late 1980s, the Antonov Bureau achieved global prominence after the introduction of its extra large aeroplanes. The An-124 "Ruslan" (1982) became the Soviet Union's mass-produced
strategic airlifter An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distance ...
under the leadership of Chief Designer
Viktor Tolmachev Viktor Tolmachev (11 August 1934 – 7 June 2018) was a Russian engineer. He was a member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and chief designer of the Antonov An-124 Ruslan and An-225 Mriya transport aircraft. Biography Tolmachev was b ...
. The Bureau enlarged the "Ruslan" design even more for the Soviet spaceplane programme logistics, creating the An-225 "Mriya" in 1985. "Mriya" was the world's largest and heaviest aeroplane. The end of the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
and
perestroika ''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...
allowed the Antonov company's first step to commercialisation and foreign expansion. In 1989, the Antonov Airlines subsidiary was created for its own aircraft maintenance and cargo projects.


Independent Ukraine

Antonov Design Bureau remained a state-owned company after Ukraine achieved its independence in 1991 and is since regarded as a strategic national asset.


Expansion to free market

Since independence, Antonov has certified and marketed both Soviet-era and newly developed models for sale in new markets outside of the former soviet-sphere of influence. New models introduced to serial production and delivered to customers include the Antonov An-140,
Antonov An-148 The Antonov An-148 ( ua, Антонов Ан-148) is a regional jet designed and built by Antonov of Ukraine. Development of the aircraft was started in the 1990s, and its maiden flight took place on 17 December 2004. The aircraft completed its ...
and
Antonov An-158 The Antonov An-148 ( ua, Антонов Ан-148) is a regional jet designed and built by Antonov of Ukraine. Development of the aircraft was started in the 1990s, and its maiden flight took place on 17 December 2004. The aircraft completed its ...
regional airliners. Among several modernisation projects, Antonov received orders for upgrading "hundreds" of its legendary
An-2 The Antonov An-2 ("kukuruznik"—corn crop duster; USAF/DoD reporting name Type 22, NATO reporting name Colt) is a Soviet mass-produced single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bureau ...
utility planes still in operation in Azerbaijan, Cuba and Russia to the An-2-100 upgrade version. In 2014, following the annexation of the Crimea by Russia, Ukraine cancelled contracts with Russia, leading to a significant income reduction in Ukraine's defense and aviation industries. However Ukraine has been slowly recovering the deficit from breaking ties with Russia by entering new markets such as the Arab gulf states and expanding its presence in old ones such as India. In July 2018, Antonov was able to secure a deal with Boeing in order to procure airplane parts which were no longer available due to breakdown of relations with Russia.


Production facilities' consolidation

During the Soviet period, not all Antonov-designed aircraft were manufactured by the company itself. This was a result of Soviet industrial strategy that split military production between different regions of the Soviet Union to minimise potential war loss risks. As a result, Antonov aeroplanes were often assembled by the specialist contract manufacturers. In 2009, the once-independent " Aviant" aeroplane-assembling plant in Kyiv became part of Antonov, facilitating a full serial manufacturing cycle of the company. However, the old tradition of co-manufacturing with contractors is continued, both with Soviet-time partners and with new licensees like Iran's Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company. In 2014, the Antonov produced and delivered only two An-158 airplanes. This trend continued onto 2015, producing one An-148 and one An-158. Since 2016, no aircraft have been produced or delivered to clients. In June 2016, Ukraine's major state-owned arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom announced the creation of the
Ukrainian Aircraft Corporation Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * Som ...
within its structure, thereby combining all aircraft manufacturing enterprises, including the assets of Antonov into a single cluster, according to Ukroboronprom's press service. On 19 July 2017, the Ukrainian government approved the liquidation of Antonov's assets. The State Concern "Antonov" (a business group, created in 2005 from the merger of several legally independent companies into a single economic entity under unified management) will be liquidated as a residual corporate entity. Antonov State Company, Kharkiv State Aviation Manufacturing Enterprise and Plant No.410 of Civil Aviation were transferred under the management of another state-owned concern Ukroboronprom in 2015. Antonov State Company continues to function as an enterprise.


Composition

* Antonov Serial Production Plant (formerly Kyiv Aviation Factory "Aviant") – Kyiv *
Kharkiv Aviation Factory Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.
Kharkiv *Antonov – Kyiv * Civil Aviation Factory 441 – Kyiv


Airfields

* Sviatoshyn Airfield, Aviant factory in Kyiv * Hostomel Airport, freight airport in Hostomel


Products and activities

Fields of commercial activity of Antonov ASTC include: * Aircraft design and manufacturing * Cargo air transport ( Antonov Airlines) * Aircraft maintenance, testing, certification and upgrading * Aerospace-related research and engineering ** "Aerial Launch": a joint Russian-Ukrainian project of midair spacecraft space launch from aboard a
modified Modified may refer to: * ''Modified'' (album), the second full-length album by Save Ferris * Modified racing, or "Modifieds", an American automobile racing genre See also * Modification (disambiguation) * Modifier (disambiguation) Modifier may ...
version of the An-225. * Operation of the Hostomel airport (Antonov Airport) *
Medium-capacity rail transport system A medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. MCS’s trains are usually 1-4 cars, or 1 ligh ...
RADAN * Construction of LT-10A trams (with aluminium body) * Construction and manufacturing of Kiev-12 trolley buses (a spin-off, using existing technical expertise).


Major contractors and partners


Contract and licensee manufacturers

* Tashkent Aviation Production Association (formerly Tashkent State Aviation Plant) – Tashkent, Uzbekistan * Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) – Shahin Shahr, Iran * Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (VASO) – Voronezh, Russia


Chief designers

* Oleg Antonov: 1946–1984 * Petro Balabuiev: 1984–2005 *
Dmytro Kiva Dmytro ( uk, Дмитро́, Dmytró, ) is a Ukrainian name, derived from the Greek Demetrios. Nicknames of the name Dmytro include: Dima, Dimochka, Dimula, Dimusha, Dimusya, Metro (particularly in Canada), Mitya, Mitenka, Mityai, Mityaychik, Mityu ...
: since 2005


Aircraft

Antonov's primary activity has generally been in developing large military transport aircraft, including the world's largest airplanes, chiefly for the Russian Federation and its predecessor nations.Guttman, Robert
"Antonov’s Heavy Hauler for Hire,"
July 27, 2018, '' HistoryNet,'' retrieved February 24, 2022
Borys, Christian
"The world’s biggest plane may have a new mission,"
May 4, 2017, ''
BBC Future BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
,'' retrieved February 24, 2022
Additionally, Antonov has produced
airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...
s. It has also produced numerous variants of both transports and airliners, for operations ranging from air freight hauling to military reconnaissance, command and control operations. It has also developed various general aviation light aircraft, having originated as a producer of gliders.


Transports, airliners and derivatives

Antonov's aeroplanes (design office prefix ''An'') range from the rugged
An-2 The Antonov An-2 ("kukuruznik"—corn crop duster; USAF/DoD reporting name Type 22, NATO reporting name Colt) is a Soviet mass-produced single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bureau ...
biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
through the An-28 reconnaissance aircraft to the massive An-124 Ruslan and An-225 Mriya strategic airlifters (the latter being the world's heaviest aircraft and was the only one in service). Whilst less famous, the An-24, An-26, An-30 and
An-32 The Antonov An-32 (NATO reporting name: Cline) is a turboprop twin-engined military transport aircraft. Design and development The An-32 is essentially a re-engined An-26. It is designed to withstand adverse weather conditions better than the s ...
family of twin turboprop, high-winged, passenger-cargo-troop transport aircraft are important for domestic/short-haul air services particularly in parts of the world once led by communist governments. The An-72/An-74 series of small jetliners is slowly replacing that fleet, and a larger
An-70 The Antonov An-70 ( uk, link=no, Антонов Ан-70) is a four-engine medium-range transport aircraft, and the first aircraft to take flight powered only by propfan engines. It was developed in the late 1980s by the Antonov Design Bureau ...
freighter is under certification. The
Antonov An-148 The Antonov An-148 ( ua, Антонов Ан-148) is a regional jet designed and built by Antonov of Ukraine. Development of the aircraft was started in the 1990s, and its maiden flight took place on 17 December 2004. The aircraft completed its ...
is a new regional airliner of twin-turbofan configuration. Over 150 aircraft have been ordered since 2007. A stretched version is in development, the An-158 (from 60–70 to 90–100 passengers).


Gliders


See also

* List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS


References


Further reading

* MacFarquhar, Neil.
Aviation Giant Is Nearly Grounded in Ukraine
" '' The New York Times''. 12 October 2014. Corrected on 12 October 2014.


External links


Antonov company site

Antonov company history

Antonov company site
{{Antonov aircraft Defence companies of Ukraine Manufacturing companies based in Kyiv Aircraft manufacturers of the Soviet Union Aircraft manufacturers of Ukraine Ukrainian brands 1946 establishments in Ukraine Technology companies established in 1946 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1946 Ukrainian companies established in 1946 Bus manufacturers of Ukraine Design bureaus