Antonov State Company

Native name	Державне підприємство "Антонов"
Type	State-owned company
Industry	Aerospace and defence
Founded	31 May 1946; 72 years ago (1946-05-31)
Headquarters	Kiev , Ukraine
Key people	A. D. Donets (president of the enterprise)[1]
Products	Aircraft for various applications Aircraft maintenance Cargo air transport
Number of employees	13,700 (2014)
Parent	Ukroboronprom
Divisions	Antonov Serial Production Plant Antonov Airlines Antonov Airport
Website	www.antonov.com

Antonov State Company (Ukrainian: Державне підприємство "Антонов"), formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named Antonov (Antonov ASTC) (Ukrainian: Авіаційний науково-технічний комплекс імені Антонова, (АНТК ім. Антонова)), and earlier the Antonov Design Bureau, is a Soviet, and later 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 currently operating in the former Soviet Union and in developing countries.^[2]

Antonov StC is a state-owned commercial company. Its headquarters and main industrial grounds were originally located in Novosibirsk, and were later transferred to Kiev.^[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.

History

Soviet era

Antonov An-2, mass-produced Soviet utility aeroplane.

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. It was headed by Oleg Antonov and specialised in turboprop military transport aircraft. The An-2 biplane was a major achievement of this period, with hundreds of these aircraft still operating as of 2013.^[5] 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.

First serial aircraft and expansion

An-12, Cold War-era tactical transport, in flight.

47-year-old An-12 still in operational condition in 2011.

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.

Prominence and Antonov's retirement

Antonov An-24, the Soviet Union's most common regional airliner.

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: Опытно-конструкторское бюро имени О.К. Антонова) while continuing the use of "Kiev Mechanical Plant" alias for some purposes.

Late Soviet-era: superlarge projects and first commercialisation

An-225 is the largest operating aircraft in the world.

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.^{[citation needed]} The Bureau enlarged the "Ruslan" design even more for the Soviet space shuttle programme logistics, creating the An-225 "Mriya" in 1989. "Mriya" is still the world's largest and heaviest aeroplane.

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.

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

Rollout of the first serially-produced An-148 at Antonov's hangar in Kiev, 2009. An An-124 under maintenance seen in the far corner of the hangar.

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 legendary An-2 utility planes still in operation in Azerbaijan, Cuba and Russia to the An-2-100 upgrade version.^[5]

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.^[6] However Ukraine has been slowly recovering the deficit from breaking ties with Russia by entering new markets and expanding its presence in old ones such as India.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]}

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 the military conflict with Russia.^[14]

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 are often assembled by the specialist contract manufacturers.

In 2009, the once-independent "Aviant" aeroplane-assembling plant in Kiev 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 HESA.^[15]

In 2014, the Antonov produced and delivered only two An-158 airplanes.^[16] This trend continued onto 2015, producing one An-148 and one An-158.^[17] In 2016, no aircraft were produced or delivered to clients, though the company has plans to start up production in 2017.^[17]

Antonov/Taqnia An-132 roll out ceremony in Kiev, 20 December 2016

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.^[18]

On 19 July 2017, the Ukrainian government approved the liquidation of Antonov's assets,^[19][20][21] starting with closing down three factories in Kiev and Kharkiv^{[citation needed]}. 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.^[22]

Composition

• 
  Antonov Serial Production Plant (formerly Kiev Aviation Factory "Aviant") – Kiev
  


• 
  Kharkiv Aviation Factory – Kharkiv
  


• Antonov – Kiev


• 
  Civil Aviation Factory 441 – Kiev

Aerodromes

• 
  Sviatoshyn Airfield, Aviant factory in Kiev


• 
  Gostomel Airport, freight airport in Hostomel
  

Products and activities

LT-10 tram

Kiev-12 trolley bus

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 version of the An-225.^[23]


• Operation of the Gostomel airport (Antonov Airport)
  


• 
  Medium-capacity rail transport system RADAN
  


• Construction of LT-10 trams
  


• Construction and manufacturing of Kiev-12 trolley buses (a spin-off, using existing technical expertise).^[24]

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^[15]


• 
  Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (VASO) – Voronezh, Russia

Chief designers

• 
  Oleg Antonov: 1946–1984


• 
  Petro Balabuiev: 1984–2005


• 
  Dmytro Kiva: since 2005

Aircraft

Antonov's aeroplanes (design office prefix An) range from the rugged An-2 biplane (which itself is comparatively large for a 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 with only one currently in service). Whilst less famous, 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).

The Antonov/Taqnia An-132 is a twin-engined turboprop under development as of 2018.

Gliders

Antonov A-15 in Czech markings

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Antonov.

• Antonov company site


• 
  Antonov company site (in Russian)