Antonov Serial Production Plant

Antonov Serial Production Plant is a Kyiv-based aircraft manufacturing enterprise historically associated with the Antonov design bureau and its successor organizations. Its premises and offices are located at Sviatoshyn Airfield, in the western part of Kyiv. The facility’s principal role was serial manufacture, final assembly, overhaul, and production support for aircraft designed by Antonov and other Soviet aviation organizations; it was not primarily an independent aircraft-design brand. The enterprise originated in 1920, when the War Industry Council established State Aircraft Plant 12. During its early years, the plant consisted of small workshops and overhauled foreign aircraft used by the military. It was renamed Remvozdukh-6 in 1922 and Plant 43 in 1931. In the 1920s and 1930s it also supported domestic aircraft development and production, including the K-1, developed under the direction of Konstyantyn Kalinin, the 4-EA gyroplane, the KHAI-1 high-speed passenger aircraft, and the OKO-1. The plant’s history was disrupted by the Second World War. It began assembling MiG aircraft before the German invasion of the Soviet Union. After being bombed in June 1941, the enterprise was evacuated to Novosibirsk, where it manufactured Yakovlev-designed aircraft, including the Yak-3, Yak-6, and Yak-9. Following the liberation of Kyiv, it returned to the city and undertook aircraft overhaul and assembly work. In 1944 it was designated Plant 473, also known as Organization Mailbox 11. After the war, the facility moved to the Sviatoshyn location that it had begun developing before the evacuation. Its long-term identity was established through Antonov aircraft production. In 1948 it began manufacturing the An-2, producing numerous versions for passenger, transport, agricultural, firefighting, scientific, rescue, and other specialized roles. The plant is reported to have built 3,320 An-2 aircraft. It later manufactured major Antonov transport families, including the An-8, An-24, An-26, An-30, An-32, An-72, An-124 Ruslan, and components for the An-225 Mriya. These programs made the facility an important production center within the Soviet and later Ukrainian aircraft-industrial system. The enterprise changed names and organizational designations repeatedly. It became Kyiv Aircraft Plant in 1967, Kyiv Aviation Production Association in 1974, National Enterprise Kyiv Aviation Plant in 1992, and Kyiv Aviation Plant Aviant in 1995. In 2010 it adopted the present name, Antonov Serial Production Plant. The plant was severely damaged by Russian military action on 14 March 2022. Publicly available reference material does not establish its complete post-attack legal status, operating condition, ownership structure, or current production activity, so those matters remain unresolved in this entry.

The plant was established on 9 September 1920 by decision of the Soviet War Industry Council as State Aircraft Plant 12, or GAZ-12. Initially it comprised small, loosely coordinated workshops on Garmatna Street in Kyiv. Its early work centered on overhauling foreign aircraft used by the military. Because it did not initially possess its own airfield, aircraft testing took place at Post-Volynsky airfield, now associated with Kyiv International Airport at Zhuliany. In 1922 the enterprise became Remvozdukh-6. Under the direction of aircraft designer Konstyantyn Kalinin, it designed and built the K-1, whose first flight took place on 26 July 1925. The plant was renamed Plant 43 in 1931. In 1932 it produced the 4-EA gyroplane and began production of the KHAI-1, a six-seat high-speed aircraft with retractable landing gear. The KHAI-1 made its first flight on 8 October 1932, and 43 examples were manufactured. The works also produced the OKO-1 in 1937. Between 1939 and 1941, the facility began assembling MiG aircraft. Bombing on 25 June 1941 led to its evacuation to Novosibirsk, where it operated at the V. P. Chkalov facilities and produced Yak-3, Yak-6, and Yak-9 aircraft designed by Alexander Yakovlev. After Kyiv was liberated, the plant returned to the city. Until the end of the war it overhauled Po-2 aircraft and assembled Yak-3 and Yak-9 fighters from parts made elsewhere. In 1944 it was designated Plant 473, also known as Organization Mailbox 11. After the war it moved to its present Sviatoshyn site, whose development had begun before the war. In 1947–1948 the plant built a pilot batch of five Mi-1 helicopters designed by Mikhail Mil, although series production was transferred to another enterprise. In 1948 it began manufacturing the An-2, designed by Oleg Antonov. The plant produced 18 An-2 modifications, covering transport, passenger, agricultural, firefighting, fisheries, scientific, and Arctic rescue applications. A reported 3,320 An-2 aircraft were manufactured there. The facility subsequently became a major producer of Antonov transports. It built prototypes or pilot batches of the An-8 and An-72, and manufactured 1,028 An-24 aircraft between 1959 and 1978, 1,402 An-26 aircraft between 1969 and 1985, and 123 An-30 aerial-survey aircraft in the stated production period. It produced 361 An-32 aircraft by 1 May 2004 and 19 An-124 Ruslan aircraft between 1979 and 2004. It also participated in the production of An-225 Mriya components between 1985 and 1988; the suspension of the associated Soviet space program meant that only one An-225 was completed. The plant’s institutional identity changed repeatedly. It was renamed Kyiv Aircraft Plant, or Organization Mailbox M-5249, in 1967; Kyiv Aviation Production Association in 1974; National Enterprise Kyiv Aviation Plant in 1992; and Kyiv Aviation Plant Aviant in 1995. In 2010 it received its current name, Antonov Serial Production Plant. The enterprise received Soviet and international awards during the twentieth century, including the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1970 and the Gold Mercury international prize in 1980. It was severely damaged by Russian military action on 14 March 2022. The available sources do not provide enough information to determine its current legal, ownership, or operational position.

1. 2022Severely damaged during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

   The plant was severely damaged by Russian military action on 14 March.

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2. 2010Adopts present name

   The enterprise became known as Antonov Serial Production Plant.

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3. 1995Renamed Kyiv Aviation Plant Aviant

   The plant adopted the Aviant name on 27 August.

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4. 1992Renamed National Enterprise Kyiv Aviation Plant

   The facility adopted a new post-Soviet enterprise designation on 5 August.

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5. 1979An-124 and An-32 production programs begin

   The plant was assigned production of the An-124 Ruslan and began manufacturing the An-32.

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6. 1974Renamed Kyiv Aviation Production Association

   The enterprise changed its organizational name on 30 April.

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7. 1970Awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour

   The plant received the award on 8 September for achievements in aviation-equipment production.

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8. 1967Renamed Kyiv Aircraft Plant

   The enterprise adopted the Kyiv Aircraft Plant designation, also using the Organization Mailbox M-5249 designation.

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9. 1948An-2 production begins

   The plant began serial production of the An-2, establishing its enduring association with Antonov aircraft.

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10. 1941Wartime evacuation to Novosibirsk

    After the Kyiv facility was bombed on 25 June, production moved to Novosibirsk, where the enterprise built Yakovlev aircraft.

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11. 1932KHAI-1 production begins

    The plant began producing the KHAI-1, an advanced six-seat aircraft with retractable landing gear; 43 were reportedly built.

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12. 1925K-1 enters the plant’s early design and production history

    The K-1, developed under Konstyantyn Kalinin’s direction, made its first flight on 26 July 1925.

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13. 1920State Aircraft Plant 12 established

    The War Industry Council established the Kyiv facility on 9 September as State Aircraft Plant 12, also known as GAZ-12.

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Serial aircraft production, final assembly, overhaul, and manufacturing support within the Antonov aviation-industrial system.

• An-2Utility and transport aircraft1948

  The An-2 was the plant’s foundational Antonov production program. Beginning in 1948, the facility manufactured 18 versions for passenger transport, freight, agriculture, forest-fire suppression, fisheries work, scientific missions, and Arctic rescue. The plant reportedly produced 3,320 examples, making the An-2 one of its most important and enduring programs.

• An-24Regional turboprop transport aircraft1959

  The plant manufactured the twin-turboprop An-24 between 1959 and 1978. The aircraft formed part of the Soviet regional transport fleet and represented the facility’s expansion into large-scale production of modern Antonov passenger and utility aircraft. The cited reference reports 1,028 aircraft produced at the plant.

• An-26Military and cargo transport aircraft1969

  The An-26 was a rear-loading transport aircraft manufactured at the Kyiv plant from 1969 to 1985. Its production continued the Antonov emphasis on rugged, high-wing transports suitable for military logistics and utility operations. The plant reportedly built 1,402 examples during the stated production period.

• An-30Aerial photography and survey aircraft1973

  The An-30 was a specialized aerial-photography and survey derivative of the Antonov transport family. The facility produced the aircraft in the 1970s, with the cited reference recording 123 examples. The program illustrates the plant’s role in adapting Antonov airframes for scientific, mapping, and observation missions.

• An-32Medium transport aircraft1979

  The An-32 was a strengthened transport aircraft derived from the Antonov family and suited to demanding operating conditions. Production at the plant began in 1979, and the cited reference states that 361 aircraft had been manufactured by 1 May 2004. The type extended the facility’s experience in military, cargo, and utility aircraft production.

• An-124 RuslanHeavy strategic airlift aircraft1979

  The plant was assigned production of the An-124 Ruslan, one of the world’s largest aircraft, after the An-72 pilot batch was transferred to Kharkiv for series manufacture. Between 1979 and 2004 the Kyiv facility reportedly produced 19 An-124 aircraft. The program required the plant to master the manufacture and assembly of an exceptionally large heavy-lift airframe.

• An-225 Mriya componentsSuper-heavy transport aircraft production components1985

  From 1985 to 1988 the plant participated in manufacturing components for the An-225 Mriya, an aircraft developed in connection with the Soviet Buran space-shuttle program. The suspension of that space program limited the production run, and only one An-225 was completed according to the cited reference.

• 2010Adoption of the Antonov Serial Production Plant nameStrategy

  The Kyiv facility had operated under several Soviet and Ukrainian names, including Aviant. In 2010 it adopted a name emphasizing its role as the serial-production arm of the Antonov aviation system.

  What changed. The enterprise was renamed Antonov Serial Production Plant.

  Aftermath. The new designation aligned the plant more explicitly with the Antonov manufacturing organization, although the available reference does not document its later legal or operational consequences.

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• 1995Adoption of the Kyiv Aviation Plant Aviant nameStrategy

  Following the end of the Soviet period and its 1992 renaming as National Enterprise Kyiv Aviation Plant, the facility adopted a further Ukrainian enterprise identity.

  What changed. On 27 August 1995 it was renamed Kyiv Aviation Plant Aviant.

  Aftermath. The Aviant designation remained an important former name before the plant adopted its current name in 2010.

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• 2022Antonov Serial Production Plant severely damaged during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

  The plant at Sviatoshyn Airfield was reported to have suffered severe damage from Russian military action on 14 March 2022. Available reference material does not establish the full extent of the damage or the enterprise’s subsequent operating status.

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1. Antonov Serial Production Plant