Antonov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Antonov State Enterprise

Native name	Державне підприємство «Антонов»
Type	State-owned company
Industry	Aerospace and defence
Founded	31 May 1946; 79 years ago (1946-05-31)
Founder	Oleg Antonov
Headquarters	Kyiv , Ukraine
Key people	Oleksandr Donets (president of the enterprise)
Products	Aircraft for various applications Aircraft maintenance Cargo air transport
Total assets	₴13.8 bn (2020)
Total equity	₴9.0 bn (2020)
Number of employees	13,700 (2014)
Parent	Ukroboronprom
Divisions	Antonov Serial Production Plant Antonov Airlines Hostomel Airport

Antonov Company is a famous Ukrainian company that designs and builds airplanes. It was once called the Antonov Design Bureau, named after its chief designer, Oleg Antonov. Antonov is especially good at making very large airplanes and planes that can use runways that aren't perfectly smooth.

Antonov has built about 22,000 aircraft in total. Thousands of its planes are still flying today in countries that were once part of the former Soviet Union and in other developing countries.

Antonov Company is owned by the Ukrainian government. It was first started in Novosibirsk, Russia. In 1952, the company moved to Kyiv, which was then part of the Soviet Union. In 2015, it became part of Ukroboronprom, a large Ukrainian defense industry group.

In 2016, Ukraine's main state-owned arms maker, Ukroboronprom, announced a plan to bring all Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing companies together under one new group called the Ukrainian Aircraft Corporation.

History of Antonov Planes

Starting in the Soviet Era

The Antonov An-2, a very popular Soviet utility plane that was made in large numbers.

How it Began and Where it Moved

The Antonov company started in 1946 in Novosibirsk, Russia. It was a top-secret Soviet design office called "Research and Design Bureau No. 153." Oleg Antonov was its leader. The company focused on designing turboprop military transport aircraft.

Their first big project was an agricultural plane called the CX-1, which later became the An-2. Its first flight was on August 31, 1947. The An-2 biplane was a huge success, and hundreds of these planes were still flying in 2013. Besides the An-2, they also built a small number of gliders. In 1952, the company moved to Kyiv, Ukraine. Kyiv was chosen because it had a long history of aviation and aircraft factories that had been rebuilt after World War II.

First Mass-Produced Aircraft and Growth

The An-12, a military transport plane from the Cold War era, flying.

A 47-year-old An-12 still flying in 2011.

In 1957, Antonov introduced the An-10 and An-12 families of medium-range turboprop planes. Thousands of these aircraft were made. They are still used today for both heavy military and civilian jobs around the world. The An-10 and An-12 were notably used in the Vietnam War, the Soviet–Afghan War, and during the cleanup after the Chernobyl disaster.

In 1959, the company started building a special Flight Testing and Improvement Base in Hostomel, a town near Kyiv. This is now known as the Antonov Airport.

In 1965, the Antonov An-22 heavy military transport plane began to be mass-produced. It was designed to help the An-12 with large military and humanitarian airlifts for the Soviet Union. The An-22 was the first Soviet wide-body aircraft. It remains the world's largest turboprop-powered aircraft. Antonov even designed a nuclear-powered version of the An-22, but it was never flown.

In 1966, after growing a lot, the company was renamed "Kyiv Mechanical Plant" for some purposes. Two other aircraft factories in Kyiv also started working under Antonov's engineering guidance during this time.

Becoming Well-Known and Oleg Antonov's Retirement

The Antonov An-24, a very common regional airliner in the Soviet Union.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Antonov became the Soviet Union's main designer of military transport aircraft. They developed and produced many new versions of their planes. After Oleg Antonov passed away in 1984, the company was officially renamed the "Research and Design Bureau named after O.K. Antonov."

Later Soviet Era: Super-Large Projects and First Business Steps

The An-225 was the largest plane in the world that was flying.

In the late 1980s, Antonov became famous worldwide for its extra-large airplanes. The An-124 "Ruslan" (built in 1982) became the Soviet Union's mass-produced strategic airlifter. Under the leadership of Chief Designer Viktor Tolmachev, the company made the "Ruslan" design even bigger for the Soviet space shuttle program. This led to the creation of the An-225 "Mriya" in 1985. The "Mriya" was the world's largest and heaviest airplane.

The end of the Cold War and new economic policies allowed Antonov to start doing business outside the Soviet Union. In 1989, they created Antonov Airlines to handle their own aircraft maintenance and cargo flights.

Independent Ukraine Era

After Ukraine became an independent country in 1991, Antonov Design Bureau remained a state-owned company. It is seen as a very important national asset.

Joining the Free Market

The first An-148 made in Ukraine being shown off at Antonov's hangar in Kyiv in 2009. An An-124 is also seen being worked on.

Since Ukraine became independent, Antonov has updated and sold its planes, both old and new models, to new customers outside the former Soviet countries. New planes that have been mass-produced and delivered include the Antonov An-140, Antonov An-148, and Antonov An-158 regional airliners.

Antonov also received orders to upgrade hundreds of its An-2 utility planes that were still flying in countries like Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Russia. These were upgraded to the An-2-100 version.

In 2014, due to changes in political relations, Ukraine stopped some contracts with Russia. This caused Antonov's income to decrease. However, Ukraine has been slowly finding new customers in places like the Persian Gulf region and expanding its business in older markets like India.

In July 2018, Antonov made a deal with Boeing to get airplane parts that were no longer available from Russia.

Bringing Production Facilities Together

During the Soviet period, Antonov didn't always build all the planes it designed. This was because the Soviet Union wanted to spread out military production to reduce risks during a war. So, Antonov planes were often put together by other specialist factories.

In 2009, the "Aviant" airplane assembly plant in Kyiv, which used to be separate, became part of Antonov. This allowed Antonov to handle the full process of making planes. However, they still work with other factories and partners, both old and new, like Iran's Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company.

In 2014, Antonov produced and delivered only two An-158 airplanes. This trend continued in 2015, with one An-148 and one An-158 produced. Since 2016, no new aircraft have been produced or delivered to customers.

The Antonov/Taqnia An-132 roll out ceremony in Kyiv, on December 20, 2016.

In June 2016, Ukraine's main state-owned arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom announced the creation of the Ukrainian Aircraft Corporation. This group brought together all aircraft manufacturing companies, including Antonov, into one large organization.

On March 31, 2017, the first test plane of a new cargo plane, the An-132D, flew from the Sviatoshyn airfield. The An-132 was being developed as part of a contract with a customer from Saudi Arabia, but the project was later stopped in 2019.

On February 24, 2022, when Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, the Kyiv-Antonov-2 airfield was attacked. This airport was where Antonov tested its planes and where the planes of Antonov Airlines were based. Several planes, including the An-26 and An-74, were destroyed. The famous Аn-225 Mriya plane, along with others like the Аn-12, Аn-22, Аn-28, Аn-132D, and Аn-124-100-150, were severely damaged or destroyed. The hangars and other buildings were also badly hit.

An investigation was started to understand why the Mriya plane was not moved to safety before the invasion.

What Antonov Does

Antonov has several parts:

• Antonov Serial Production Plant (also known as "Aviant") in Kyiv
• Kharkiv Aviation Factory in Kharkiv
• Antonov (the main design office) in Kyiv
• Civil Aviation Factory 441 in Kyiv

Airports They Use

• Sviatoshyn Airfield, which is part of the Aviant factory in Kyiv
• Hostomel Airport, a cargo airport in Hostomel

Products and Activities

An LT-10 tram.

A Kyiv-12 trolley bus.

Antonov does many different things, including:

• Designing and building aircraft.
• Flying cargo around the world with Antonov Airlines.
• Maintaining, testing, certifying, and upgrading aircraft.
• Doing research and engineering related to aerospace.
  • They even worked on a project called "Aerial Launch" to launch spacecraft from a modified An-225 plane.
• Running the Hostomel airport.
• Developing a rail transport system called RADAN.
• Building LT-10A trams (which have an aluminum body).
• Building and making Kiev-12 trolley buses, using their existing technical skills.

Main Partners

Factories They Work With

• Tashkent Aviation Production Association in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
• Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) in Shahin Shahr, Iran
• Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (VASO) in Voronezh, Russia

Chief Designers of Antonov

• Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov: 1946–1984
• Petro Balabuiev: 1984–2005
• Dmytro Kiva: since 2005

Antonov Aircraft

Antonov is mostly known for developing large military transport aircraft. These planes are mainly used by the Russian Federation and the countries that came before it.

Antonov has also made airliners. They have created many different versions of their transport and airliner planes for various jobs, from carrying air freight to military reconnaissance (spying) and command operations.

They also designed smaller general aviation planes. The company actually started by making gliders.

Transport Planes, Airliners, and Their Versions

Antonov's planes (which have the design code An) range from the tough An-2 biplane to the An-28 reconnaissance plane. They also made the huge An-124 Ruslan and An-225 Mriya strategic airlifters. The An-225 was the world's heaviest aircraft, and only one was ever put into service. It was destroyed during the Battle of Antonov Airport in February 2022.

The An-24, An-26, An-30, and An-32 family of twin turboprop planes are important for domestic and short-haul flights. They are especially common in parts of the world that were once led by communist governments. The An-72/An-74 series of small jetliners is slowly replacing these older planes. A larger cargo plane, the An-70, is also being certified.

The An-148 is a newer regional airliner with two turbofan engines. More than 150 of these planes have been ordered since 2007. A longer version, the An-158, is also being developed to carry more passengers.

Gliders Antonov Made

An Antonov A-15 glider with Czech markings.

See Also

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