| Antonov State Enterprise | |
| Native Name: | Державне підприємство «Антонов» |
| Type: | State-owned company |
| Industry: | Aerospace and defence |
| Key People: | Oleksandr Donets (president of the enterprise)[1] |
| Assets: | ₴13.8 bn |
| Assets Year: | 2020 |
| Equity: | ₴9.0 bn |
| Equity Year: | 2020 |
| Num Employees: | 13,700 (2014) |
| Parent: | Ukroboronprom |
| Founder: | Oleg Antonov |
| Location City: | Kyiv |
| Location Country: | Ukraine |
Antonov Company, formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named after Antonov (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 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.[2]
Antonov Company is a state-owned commercial company originally established in Novosibirsk, Russia. In 1952, the company relocated to Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, then part of the Soviet Union.[3] On 12 May 2015, it was transferred from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to the Ukroboronprom (Ukrainian Defense Industry).[4]
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.
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 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. In 1952, the Bureau was relocated to Kiev, a city with a rich aviation history and an aircraft-manufacturing infrastructure restored after the destruction caused by World War II.
The 1957 introduction of the An-10/An-12 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 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).
In 1965, the Antonov An-22 heavy military transport entered serial production to supplement the An-12 in major military and humanitarian airlifts 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 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.
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 "Kiev Mechanical Plant" alias for some purposes.
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.[5]
The end of the Cold War and perestroika 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.
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 regional airliners.
Among several modernisation projects, Antonov received orders for upgrading "hundreds" of its An-2 utility planes still in operation in Azerbaijan, Cuba and Russia to the An-2-100 upgrade version.[6]
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.[7] However Ukraine has been slowly recovering the deficit from breaking ties with Russia by entering new markets such as the Persian Gulf region[8] [9] and expanding its presence in old ones such as India.[10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
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.[15]
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.[16]
In 2014, the Antonov produced and delivered only two An-158 airplanes.[17] This trend continued onto 2015, producing one An-148 and one An-158.[18] Since 2016, no aircraft have been produced or delivered to clients.[19]
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.[20]
On 19 July 2017, the Ukrainian government approved the liquidation of Antonov's assets.[21] [22] 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.[23]
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. The planes Аn-225 Mriya[24], An-26, 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.[25]
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.[26] [27] [28]
Fields of commercial activity of Antonov ASTC include:
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.[31] [32]
Additionally, Antonov has produced airliners. 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.
Antonov's aeroplanes (design office prefix An) range from the rugged An-2 biplane 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, An-30 and An-32 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 freighter is under certification.
The Antonov An-148 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).
| Aircraft | Name | Maiden flight | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| An-2 | Kukuruznik | 31 August 1947 | multi-purpose, biplane, single-engine utility transport. |
| An-2-100 | Kukuruznik | 10 July 2013 | An-2 upgrade version refitted with Motor Sich kerosene-fueled engine (instead of original avgas). |
| An-3 | 13 May 1980 | turboprop conversion of An-2 | |
| An-4 | 31 July 1951 | float-equipped An-2 | |
| An-6 | Meteo | 21 March 1948 | weather reconnaissance aircraft based on An-2 |
| An-8 | 11 February 1956 | medium military transport | |
| An-10 | Ukraina | 7 March 1957 | medium turboprop-powered airliner |
| An-11 | 1961 | motorised variant of the A-11 glider | |
| An-12 | 16 December 1957 | military turboprop-powered transport, developed from An-10 | |
| An-13 | 1962 | light aircraft developed from the A-13M motor glider | |
| An-14 | Pchelka | 14 March 1958 | light twin-engine transport |
| An-16 | Cancelled | projected stretched variant of An-10 | |
| An-20 | Cancelled | projected large turboprop transport; cancelled in favor of An-22 | |
| An-20 | Cancelled | trainer; competitor to the Yak-30 and L-29 | |
| An-22 | Antei | 27 February 1965 | extremely large turboprop transport |
| An-24 | 20 October 1959 | twin-turboprop airliner | |
| An-25 | Cancelled | anti-balloon aircraft | |
| An-26 | 21 May 1969 | twin-turboprop transport, derived from An-24 | |
| An-28 | 1 September 1974 | twin-turboprop light transport, developed from An-14 | |
| An-30 | Cancelled | development of An-14A | |
| An-30 | 21 August 1967 | An-24 adapted for aerial photography and mapping | |
| An-32 | 9 July 1976 | twin-turboprop hot-and-high transport, up-engine An-26 airframe | |
| An-34 | 4 September 1961 | initial designation of An-24T | |
| An-38 | 23 June 1994 | twin-turboprop light transport, stretched An-28 | |
| An-40 | Cancelled | military transport developed from An-12 | |
| An-42 | Cancelled | version of An-40 with boundary layer control | |
| An-44 | Cancelled | cargo aircraft project developed from An-24 | |
| An-50 | Cancelled | airliner project, developed from An-24V | |
| An-51 | Cancelled | civil piston utility aircraft | |
| An-52 | Cancelled | light twin-piston aircraft | |
| Cancelled | projected STOL military transport, utilizing the Coandă effect; later became the An-72/An-74 | ||
| An-70 | 16 December 1994 | large military transport, powered by four propfan engines, to replace An-12 | |
| An-71 | 12 July 1985 | prototype naval AWACS development of An-72 | |
| An-72 | Cheburashka | 31 August 1977 | STOL transport, utilizing the Coandă effect |
| An-74 | Cheburashka | 29 November 1983 | civil version of An-72; version with engines below wings is called An-74TK-300[33] |
| An-77 | proposed modernized version of An-70 with Western avionics and engines | ||
| Cancelled | projected airliner version of An-72/An-74 | ||
| An-91 | Cancelled | twin-engine cabin monoplane development of Cessna 310 | |
| An-102 | Cancelled | light agricultural aircraft | |
| An-122 | Cancelled | further development of An-22 | |
| An-124 | Ruslan | 26 December 1982 | strategic airlifter; largest aircraft ever mass-produced |
| An-126 | Cancelled | heavy transport aircraft project | |
| An-132 | 31 March 2017 | transport aircraft based on An-32; cancelled in 2019 | |
| An-140 | 17 September 1997 | short-range turboprop airliner, to replace An-24 | |
| An-148 | 17 December 2004 | regional jet for 68–85 passengers | |
| An-158 | 28 April 2010 | stretched version of An-148 for 99 passengers | |
| An-168 | 28 April 2010 | business variant of An-148; now called An-148-300 | |
| An-170 | proposed stretched An-70 | ||
| An-171 | proposed maritime patrol version of An-170 | ||
| An-174 | Cancelled | enlarged An-74 with engines below wings | |
| An-178 | 7 May 2015 | military transport based on the An-158 | |
| An-180 | Cancelled | medium propfan airliner, around 175 passengers | |
| An-181 | Handiwork | Cancelled | experimental aircraft |
| An-188 | proposed transport aircraft project based on An-70 | ||
| An-218 | Cancelled | propfan- or turbofan-powered widebody airliner | |
| An-224 | Cancelled | Original proposal of An-225 with rear cargo door. | |
| An-225 | Mriya | 21 December 1988 | An-124 derived strategic airlifter. The largest aircraft ever built; only one put into service. Destroyed in the Battle of Antonov Airport in February 2022.[34] |
| Cancelled | projected airliner version of An-225, to compete with the Airbus A380 | ||
| Cancelled | A planned trijet to compete with the DC-10 and L-1011 TriStar[35] | ||
| An-325 | Cancelled | planned enlarged, eight-engine version of An-225, intended for launching rockets | |
| Cancelled | a planned airliner version of the An-124 that could compete with the Airbus A380[36] | ||
| An-714 | 20 October 1970 | modification of An-14 with air cushion landing gear | |
| Cancelled | projected small trijet airliner to replace the Li-2, Il-12 and Il-14, developed in cooperation with Beriev. Cancelled in favor of the Yakovlev Yak-40, which was also in development at the time. | ||
| Gorlitsa | 8 November 2017 | planned multipurpose UAV | |
| DT-5/8 | Cancelled | projected large twin-engine transport | |
| E-153 | Cancelled | flying testbed for aircraft 'M' | |
| GPS | Cancelled | small twin-engine utility transport | |
| OKA-38 | Aist | 1939 | Copy of Fieseler Fi 156 |
| Li-2V | 1940 | high-altitude research aircraft, converted from a Lisunov Li-2 | |
| M | Masha | Cancelled | projected jet fighter |
| N | Cancelled | projected twin turboprop airliner based on the An-8 | |
| P | Cancelled | projected twin jet engine transport based on the An-8 | |
| R | Cancelled | projected twin turboprop airliner based on the An-8 | |
| SKV | Partizanskii | Cancelled | Basis for An-14 |
| T-2M | Maverick | 1 January 1990 | ultralight trike for recreational club use and special forces requirements |
| VP | Utka | Cancelled | experimental air trailer (tow glider) |
| Yu | Cancelled | projected large turboprop transport | |
| Aircraft | Name | Maiden flight | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-1 | 1930 | single-seat training glider | ||
| A-2 | 1936 | two-seat training glider derived from the A-1 | ||
| A-3 | Molodv | |||
| A-6 | ||||
| A-7 | 1942 | military glider | ||
| A-9 | 1948 | single-seat sailplane developed from the RF-7 | ||
| A-10 | 1952 | two-seat sailplane developed from the A-9 | ||
| A-11 | 1958 | |||
| A-13 | 1958 | |||
| A-15 | 1960 | |||
| BS-3 | 1934 | training glider | ||
| BS-4 | 1935 | training glider | ||
| BS-5 (OKA-31) | 1936 | training glider | ||
| DIP (OKA-14) | Dognat i peregna | 1932 | record glider developed from OKA-6 | |
| IP | ||||
| LEM-2 (OKA-37) | 1937 | motor glider | ||
| M-1 | 1933 | |||
| M-2 | ||||
| M-3 (OKA-24) | 1934 | |||
| M-4 (OKA-29) | ||||
| M-5 (OKA-30) | 1936 | |||
| OKA-1 | Golub | 1924 | ||
| OKA-2 | 1925 | |||
| OKA-3 | 1928 | |||
| OKA-5 | Standard-2 | 1930 | ||
| OKA-6 | Gorod Lenina | 1930 | ||
| OKA-7 | Bubik | 1930 | ||
| OKA-13 | Chest Uslovii Stalina | 1932 | ||
| OKA-21 | 1933 | training glider based on DIP | ||
| PS-1 (OKA-11) | training glider | |||
| PS-2 (OKA-12) | training glider | |||
| RF-1 (OKA-17) | 1933 | |||
| RF-2 (OKA-18) | 1933 | |||
| RF-3 (OKA-19) | 1933 | |||
| RF-4 (OKA-20) | 1933 | |||
| RF-5 (OKA-23) | 1934 | |||
| RF-6 (OKA-28) | ||||
| RF-7 | 1937 | sports glider | ||
| RF-8 | 1941 | troop glider, enlarged RF-7; redesignated A-7 | ||
| US-1 | 1931 | training glider | ||
| US-2 | 1931 | training glider | ||
| US-3 | 1932 | training glider, first mass-produced Soviet glider | ||
| US-4 | training glider, redesignated A-1 | |||
| US-5 (OKA-32) | 1936 | training glider | ||
| US-6 | training glider, redesignated A-2 |