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Antonov (
d/b/a A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...
Antonov Company, formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named after Antonov or Antonov ASTC, and earlier the Antonov Design Bureau, for its chief designer, Oleg Antonov) is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company. Antonov's particular expertise is in the fields of very large aeroplanes and aeroplanes using unprepared
runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...
s. 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 The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...
and in
developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed Secondary sector of the economy, industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. ...
. Antonov Company is a state-owned commercial company originally established in
Novosibirsk Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...
, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR). In 1952, the company relocated to Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, then part of the Soviet Union. 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 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 JSC Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association Plant named after V.P. Chkalov (NAPO) is one of the largest aerospace manufacturers in Russia. The company produces, repairs and upgrades Su-34 fighter-bombers. It is also involved in the Sukhoi ...
as the top-secret Soviet Research and Design Bureau No. 153 (OKB-153). It was headed by Oleg Antonov and specialised in
turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
military transport aircraft A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military aircraft, military-owned transport aircraft used to support military operations by airlifting troops and military equipment. Transport aircraft are crucial to m ...
. The task was to create an
agricultural aircraft An agricultural aircraft is an aircraft that has been built or converted for agricultural use – usually aerial application of pesticides (crop dusting) or fertilizer (aerial topdressing); in these roles, they are referred to as "crop duste ...
CX-1 (An-2), the first flight of which occurred on 31 August 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 is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...
. In 1952, the Bureau was relocated to Kyiv, a city with a rich
aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...
history and an aircraft-manufacturing infrastructure restored after the destruction caused by
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


First serial aircraft and expansion

The 1957 introduction of the An-10/
An-12 The Antonov An-12 (Russian language, Russian: Антонов Ан-12; NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop Cargo aircraft, transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has ...
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 language, Russian: Антонов Ан-12; NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop Cargo aircraft, transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has ...
were used most notably in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, the
Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...
and the Chernobyl disaster relief megaoperation. In 1959, the bureau began construction of the separate Flight Testing and Improvement Base in suburban
Hostomel Hostomel (, ) is a Rural settlement#Ukraine, rural settlement in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. It is located northwest of the capital Kyiv. It hosts the administration of Hostomel settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Populatio ...
(now the Antonov Airport). 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 Materiel, supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material lo ...
s by the Soviet Union. The model became the first Soviet
wide-body aircraft A wide-body aircraft, also known as a twin-aisle aircraft and in the largest cases as a jumbo jet, is an airliner with a fuselage wide enough to accommodate two passenger aisles with seven or more seats abreast. The typical fuselage diameter is ...
, and it remains the world's largest turboprop-powered aircraft. Antonov designed and presented a
nuclear-powered Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
version of the An-22. It was never flight tested. In 1966, after the major expansion in the Sviatoshyn neighbourhood of the city, the company was renamed to another disguise name: "Kiev Mechanical Plant". Two independent aircraft production and repair facilities, under engineering supervision of the Antonov Bureau, also appeared in Kiev 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 () while continuing the use of "Kiev 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 under the leadership of Chief Designer Viktor Tolmachev. 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 was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
and
perestroika ''Perestroika'' ( ; rus, перестройка, r=perestrojka, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg, links=no) was a political reform movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s, widely associ ...
allowed the Antonov company's first step to commercialisation and foreign expansion. In 1989, the
Antonov Airlines Antonov Airlines is a Ukraine, Ukrainian cargo airline, a division of the Antonov, Antonov aviation company. It operates international charter services in the oversized-cargo market. Its main base is Hostomel Airport near Kyiv. In the aftermath ...
subsidiary was created for its own aircraft maintenance and
cargo In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...
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. 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 and
Antonov An-158 The Antonov An-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 certification programme on ...
regional airliner A regional airliner, commuter airliner or feeder liner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically ...
s. Among several modernisation projects, Antonov received orders for upgrading "hundreds" of its An-2 utility planes still in operation in
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
,
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
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 Persian Gulf region and expanding its presence in old ones such as India. In July 2018, Antonov was able to secure a deal with Boeing to procure airplane parts which were no longer available due to breakdown of relations with Russia.


Production facilities' consolidation

During the
Soviet period The history of the Soviet Union (USSR) (1922–91) began with the ideals of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution and ended in dissolution amidst economic collapse and political disintegration. Established in 1922 following the Russian Civil War, ...
, not all Antonov-designed
aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...
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 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
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 Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
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 Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
's Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company. In 2014, Antonov produced and delivered only two An-158 airplanes. This trend continued into 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 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. On 31 March 2017, the first prototype of a new multifunctional cargo plane An-132 – a demonstration plane An-132D – took to the air from the runway of Sviatoshyn airfield. The An-132 development program had been implemented in the framework of a contract with a customer from Saudi Arabia. On 24 February 2022, at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, the first attacks were launched at Kyiv-Antonov-2 airfield, the site of Antonov's test flights and home base of the planes of ''
Antonov Airlines Antonov Airlines is a Ukraine, Ukrainian cargo airline, a division of the Antonov, Antonov aviation company. It operates international charter services in the oversized-cargo market. Its main base is Hostomel Airport near Kyiv. In the aftermath ...
''. The planes Аn-225 ''Mriya'',
An-26 The Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name: Curl) is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.Gordon, Yefim. Komissarov, Dmitry & Sergey. "Antonov's Turboprop Twins ...
, An-74 and administrative premises were destroyed. The planes Аn-12, Аn-22, Аn-28, Аn-132D and Аn-124-100-150, the hangars and other infrastructure were severely damaged. The Security Service of Ukraine established that the former director general of Antonov Company Serhiy Bychkov had not provided access to the site for the National Guard in January and February 2022 and thus obstructed preparations for defence. The investigators consider that Bychkov's negligence is the direct cause of the loss of ''Mriya'', because the plane could have been sent to Germany long before February 24. In March 2023, Serhiy Bychkov was arrested, in April he faced formal suspicion in connection with the loss of An-225 ''Mriya'' and damages to Antonov amounting to ₴8.4 million.


Composition

* Antonov Serial Production Plant (formerly Kyiv Aviation Factory "Aviant") –
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
* Kharkiv Aviation Factory
Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.
* Civil Aviation Factory 441 – Kyiv


Airfields

* Sviatoshyn Airfield, Aviant factory in Kyiv * Hostomel Airport, freight airport in
Hostomel Hostomel (, ) is a Rural settlement#Ukraine, rural settlement in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. It is located northwest of the capital Kyiv. It hosts the administration of Hostomel settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Populatio ...


Products and activities

Fields of commercial activity of Antonov ASTC include: * Aircraft design and manufacturing * Cargo air transport (
Antonov Airlines Antonov Airlines is a Ukraine, Ukrainian cargo airline, a division of the Antonov, Antonov aviation company. It operates international charter services in the oversized-cargo market. Its main base is Hostomel Airport near Kyiv. In the aftermath ...
) * Aircraft maintenance, testing, certification and upgrading * Aerospace-related research and engineering ** "Aerial Launch": a joint Russian-Ukrainian project of midair
spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle that is designed spaceflight, to fly and operate in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including Telecommunications, communications, Earth observation satellite, Earth observation, Weather s ...
space launch Space launch is the earliest part of a flight that reaches space. Space launch involves liftoff, when a rocket or other space launch vehicle leaves the ground, floating ship or midair aircraft at the start of a flight. Liftoff is of two main ...
from aboard a modified version of the
An-225 The Antonov An-225 Mriya (; NATO reporting name: Cossack) was a large strategic airlift cargo aircraft designed and produced by the Antonov, Antonov Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was originally developed during the 1980s as an enlarged ...
. * 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 trains are usually 1 to 4 cars. Most medi ...
RADAN * Construction of LT-10A
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
s (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 Tashkent Mechanical Plant (TMZ) (), formerly Tashkent Aviation Production Association named after Valery Chkalov, V. P. Chkalov (TAPO or TAPOiCh) () is a leading high-technology company of Uzbekistan, which was originally moved from Russia to ...
(formerly Tashkent State Aviation Plant) –
Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...
, Uzbekistan * Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) – Shahin Shahr, Iran * Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (VASO) –
Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...
, Russia


Chief designers

* Oleg Antonov: 1946–1984 * Petro Balabuiev: 1984–2005 * Dmytro Kiva: 2005–2024


Aircraft

Antonov's primary activity has generally been in developing large military
transport aircraft Transport aircraft is a broad category of aircraft that includes: * Airliners, aircraft, usually large and most often operated by airlines, intended for carrying multiple passengers or cargo in commercial service * Cargo aircraft or freighters, fix ...
, including the world's largest airplanes, chiefly for the
Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and its predecessor nations.Guttman, Robert
"Antonov’s Heavy Hauler for Hire,"
July 27, 2018, ''
HistoryNet World History Group is a magazine publishing company headquartered in Leesburg, Virginia. It was founded in 2006 as Weider History Group by Eric Weider, the son of fitness entrepreneur Ben Weider (and nephew of Joe Weider Josef Weider (; Nov ...
,'' retrieved February 24, 2022
Borys, Christian
"The world’s biggest plane may have a new mission,"
May 4, 2017, '' BBC Future,'' retrieved February 24, 2022
Additionally, Antonov has produced
airliner An airliner is a type of airplane for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. The modern and most common variant of the airliner is a long, tube shaped, and jet powered aircraft. The largest ...
s. It has also produced numerous variants of both transports and airliners, for operations ranging from
air freight Air cargo is any property carried or to be carried in an aircraft. Air cargo comprises air freight, air express and airmail. Aircraft types Different cargo can be transported by passenger, cargo or combi aircraft: * Passenger aircraft use th ...
hauling to military
reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
, command and control operations. It has also developed various
general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...
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
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). Sometimes defunct and sometimes normal, the An-24,
An-26 The Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name: Curl) is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.Gordon, Yefim. Komissarov, Dmitry & Sergey. "Antonov's Turboprop Twins ...
, An-30 and An-32 family of twin
turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
, 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 freighter is under certification. The Antonov An-148 is a new
regional airliner A regional airliner, commuter airliner or feeder liner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically ...
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 This list of the military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) includes experimental, prototypes, and operational types regardless of era. It also includes both native Soviet designs, Soviet-produced copies ...


Notes


References


Further reading

* MacFarquhar, Neil.
Aviation Giant Is Nearly Grounded in Ukraine
" ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. 12 October 2014. Corrected on 12 October 2014.


External links

*
Antonov company history
{{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 Aerospace companies of Europe