On May 31, 1946 the Resolution of ЦК ВКП(б) and Council of Ministers of the USSR approved the decree of the board on foundation of a Design Bureau (ОКБ-153) at Novosibirsk aviation plant and appointment Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov Chief Designer of this Design Bureau (DB). (foto) The same decree set a problem to the DB to develop a CX-1 (AN-2) agriculture aircraft. The airplane made its maiden flight on August 31, 1947. (foto) Besides this aircraft and its modifications, the A-9 and A-10 gliders were designed and built in a small lot at experimental production facilities.

     In summer 1952, the DB moved to Kiev. There O.K. Antonov had to form a collective of the DB anew. Late 1953, the enterprise got a complicated task to design and build a military transport aircraft powered with two turboprop engines. It was lacking of specialists, rooms and shop facilities to fulfil the task like this.(foto) Early 1954, the collective gave an employment to the first group of graduates from Kharkov aviation institute and aviation specialists from Kiev, Moscow, Leningrad and other cities. The task had been completed and an AN-8 aircraft made its maiden flight on February 11, 1956.

     The DB started developing an AN-10 and AN-12 aircraft in 1955. The AN-10 airplane flight tests were begun on March 7, 1957. On December 16, the same year, the AN-12 transport performed its maiden flight at Irkutsk aviation plant. In 1962 the creators of the AN-12 airplane were awarded with the Lenin Prize and O.K. Antonov was given the rank of General Designer. Simultaneously with the AN-8, AN-10 and AN-12 aircraft creation, the DB developed a series of A-11, A-13 and A-15 full-metal gliders and a item A-13M motorised glider. (foto) In 1956, according to the task set by the Government of the USSR, the collective started designing an AN-14 aircraft gently named as Pchelca later on. The aircraft performed its maiden flight on March 14, 1958. This airplane was serially produced by Arsenyev aviation plant.

     Building of a Flight and Test base was started in Gostomel village near Kiev in 1959. For 30-year period the ASTC's specialists had created a complex of facilities comparable with the leading Flight Centres of the European countries as far as equipment and capabilities are concerned.

     An AN-24 passenger aircraft had been developed within 1957-1959 period. The airplane made its maiden flight on October 20, 1959. The airplane had been performing up to 30% of passenger carries in the Soviet Union within the following decades. This exceptionally successful aircraft became the basis for such derivatives as an AN-26 freighter, AN-30 aerial photography airplane, AN-32 high-mountain aircraft, etc. Late 1960, the DB started developing an AN-22 Antei airplane - world first wide-body aircraft predestined a new stage in the aircraft-building industry. As for its dimensions the AN-22 aircraft exceeded everything made by the aircraft industry before, and required a huge volume of experimental work to be performed and a number of design and technological problems to be solved. The Antei made its maiden flight on February 27, 1965. The aircraft was in series production at Tashkent aviation plant.(foto)

     Early 1970s, developing the ideas used while creating the AN-14 airplane, the collective of ANTONOV ASTC designed and built an AN-28 multipurpose aircraft which accommodated 17 passengers. The airplane performed its maiden flight on January 29, 1973. The AN-28 aircraft was serially produced in Meletsc (Poland).(foto)

     In 1970s, the DB' staff changed the direction of its activity and started creating transport aircraft powered with two turbofan engines designed by a DB named after V.A. Lotarev. An AN-72 transport became the first aircraft powered with turbofan engines. The AN-72 aircraft performed its maiden flight on August 31, 1977. (foto) On its basis the Antonov's specialists developed an AN-74 aircraft to be operated under the Extreme North conditions. The airplane made its maiden flight on September 29, 1983. Series production is set at Kharkov State Aircraft Manufacturing Company (KSAMC). In its turn the AN-74 aircraft became the basis for the whole aircraft family of various purposes including convertible, executive, ambulance and passenger ones.

     In 1976, specially for hot-and-high operations the Antonov's specialists developed an AN-32 transport as a new modification of the serially produced AN-26 airplane. The AN-32 airplanes gained a popularity among operators especially in India, Latin American and African countries. The DB's specialists began to develop an AN-124 Ruslan heavy long-range transport in 1971. In 1982 this airplane performed its maiden flight. Kiev, Tashkent and Ulyanovsk aviation plants took part in the AN-124 prototypes manufacture. On the AN-124 aircraft basis the Antonov's specialists developed and certified its civil version - an AN-124-100 aircraft intended for commercial cargo carriages.

     On April 4, 1984 Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov died. On November 19, the DB was named after O.K. Antonov.

     On May 15, 1984 Pyotr Vasilyevich Balabuyev was appointed General Designer. The enterprise started designing an AN-225 Mriya multipurpose superheavy transport intended to carry oversized assembled goods of up to 250 tonnes total weight including orbital spaceship of the Energia-Buran space-rocket system. The AN-225 aircraft had been designed and built within 3-year period. In December 1988, the airplane made its maiden flight. In May 1989, the AN-225 aircraft performed flights with Buran aboard at Baykonur base. In June, the aircraft with Buran aboard participated in Air Show in La Bourget. At present, the aircraft performs commercial transportations within an ANTONOV ASTC's air transport division.

     This division was founded in 1989 after the enterprise had been authorised by the Government of the USSR to perform international commercial cargo deliveries by means of the AN-124 transport. Today, the transport division known as Antonov Airlines has been awarded with a legal status of National Cargo Operator of Ukraine. Antonov Airlines's crews and aircraft flight to the continents all over the world.

     Having created the AN-225 aircraft the Antonov collective started designing an AN-70 medium short takeoff and landing transport aircraft. Its transport capabilities allow deliveries of almost the whole range of materiel and armament, as well as oversized civil engineering total of up to 47 tonnes to the short unequipped unpaved strips.

     For the first time in the world, specially for this aircraft Ivchenko Progress Design Bureau designed a Д-27 propfan engine and Aerosila Joint Stock Company developed a CB-27 multi-blade contrarotating propfan ensuring 30% less fuel consumption in comparison with current turbofan engines. The AN-70 aircraft comprises the best features of the transports created by the Antonov's staff for the 50-year activity. The aircraft performed its maiden flight on December 16, 1994. Today, preparation for the aircraft serial production is being proceeded at manufacture facilities of Kiev plant AVIANT and Omsk PA Polyot in cooperation with other aviation plants of the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

     An AN-38 light multipurpose aircraft was designed and built in 1990s. It is intended to transport 27 passengers, mail and cargoes total of up to 2,500 kg over regional air routes. The aircraft is powered with TPE 331-14GR-801E engines produced by Allied Signal company (USA), with propellers made by Hartzell company (USA). The airplane made its maiden flight on June 23, 1994 at Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association named after V.P. Chkalov. The AN-38 aircraft's versions, an AN-38-100 and AN-38-200 (a version powered with Russia made ТВД-20 engines), are serially produced at the same Production Association. The airplanes are delivered to operators of the Russian Federation and other countries.

     By now, the Antonov's staff has completed designing and building an AN-140 regional passenger turboprop aircraft. The airplane was developed to replace the AN-24 aircraft-veteran at air routes. Having close to the AN-24 passenger capacity (52 seats), the AN-140 airplane essentially surpasses the predecessor as for both passenger comfort level and performance: flight range is longer by 75%, flight speed is higher by 20% and fuel efficiency is almost twice higher. Besides, in comparison with the AN-24 aircraft the AN-140 one needs 30% shorter runway length required. The airplane made its maiden flight on September 17, 1997. It is serially produced at Kharkov State Aviation Manufacturing Company (KSAMC), Samara AVIACOR Joint Stock Company and HESA plant (Isfahan, Iran). The first serial aircraft manufactured at HESA performed its maiden flight on February 7, 2001. The AN-140 started regular passenger carries in March 2002.

     At present, the Antonov company is engaged in designing and building an AN-148 new regional passenger aircraft powered with two turbofans. The aircraft is intended for 70-80 passengers deliveries over a distance of 2,800 to 4,000 km at both regional and long-haul routes.

     The advantages of the Antonov aircraft include structural reliability, flexibility of transport operations, ability to use unpaved airfields and ease of maintenance. Due to the these qualities over a thosand and a half Antonov aircraft have been exported to over 50 countries world-wide. A total of more than 22,000 Antonov airplanes have been built.

     Last years, ANTONOV ASTC is engaged in solving the problems of not only air but also land passenger transportations. Having used the aeronautical technologies, aluminium alloyes and composite materials the Antonov's staff has already developed the only in CIS and Eastern European countries low-floor tram, a family of comfortable and reliable trolleybuses. The Antonov's specialists designed bicycles that have rushed the sportsmen of the combined team of Ukraine to the Gold Medals of the Olimpic Games-2000 in Sidney (Australia).

     Since removal to Kiev, the enterprise has been creating engineering and manufacture buildings and laboratories, developing production base and social structures. ANTONOV ASTC constructs housing, kindergartens, recreation departments, camps, health centres, sport bases, policlinic, subsidiary farm by own strength. The company renders assistance to pensioners and diseased veterans.

     Today ANTONOV ASTC has a highly experienced collective, Design Bureau, wide complex of test laboratories, experimental plant and the Flight and Test base which make it possible to solve any task on aircraft development including its certification, as well as co-operation in field of manufacture, operational support and follow-on of all the Antonov aircraft types.

     The Antonov company, headed by Dmytro S.Kiva, General Designer , is engaged in designing and building new prototype aircraft and modifications of earlier designs, providing their operational support and follow-on, engineering work on the aircraft service life extension. It offers basic and conversion training of flight and maintenance crews, sends high-skilled specialists to render assistance in mastering the aircraft and training local personnel, provides international air transportation of cargoes including oversized ones on charter basis, participates in the international co-operation in the field of aircraft and equipment design and manufacture, develops land transit vehicles.