Manufacturer catalog

Antonov Design Bureau

Antonov Design Bureau is Ukraine's long-running aircraft design and production enterprise, known for transport, cargo, and special-purpose aircraft. In this catalog it supplies the industrial context for the An-2 lineage and Antonov's broader AN family.

10 weapons

Antonov was founded on May 31, 1946, under aircraft designer Oleg Antonov. The company's own history pages describe it as a full-cycle aircraft enterprise covering research, design, testing, certification, serial production, and after-sale maintenance.

For this catalog, Antonov provides the builder context for the An-2 family and for the wider AN transport-aircraft line that includes the An-124 Ruslan and AN-225 Mriya. The profile keeps those aircraft tied to the company that designed and produced them rather than treating the airframes as isolated catalog cards.

aircraft designtransport aircraftcargo aircraftspecial-purpose aircraftaircraft productionflight testing

Notable Systems

An-2 unmanned decoy / converted UCAV, Converted unmanned decoy aircraft / improvised UCAV, Aircraft & UAVs

An-2 family

Converted unmanned decoy aircraft / improvised UCAV

Antonov's history page calls the An-2 the first aircraft of the design bureau and documents its serial production and many derivatives.

Sources: AN-2 history
An-12, Four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft, Support Equipment

An-124 Ruslan

Four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft

The O.K. Antonov biography page describes the AN-124 as the world's largest production military transport airplane developed under Antonov's guidance.

Sources: O.K. Antonov biography
An-22, Heavy turboprop military transport aircraft, Support Equipment

AN-225 Mriya

Heavy turboprop military transport aircraft

Antonov company news pages describe the AN-225 as part of the company's airlift subdivision and show it handling outsized humanitarian and cargo missions.

Sources: AN-225 cargo mission

Manufacturer History

  1. Antonov bureau founded

    Antonov's company history says the enterprise was founded on May 31, 1946, under Oleg Antonov.

    Sources: Company information

  2. Design bureau moved to Kyiv

    The O.K. Antonov biography says Antonov and his design bureau team moved to Kyiv in 1952 and re-established the office and production facility there.

    Sources: O.K. Antonov biography

  3. AN-124 Ruslan milestone

    Antonov's biography identifies the AN-124 Ruslan as the last aircraft developed under Oleg Antonov's guidance and dates it to 1982.

    Sources: O.K. Antonov biography

Website links
Company informationO.K. Antonov biographyAN-2 history

Antonov's English-language branding varies across current and historical sources, so this profile normalizes Antonov Design Bureau, Antonov Company, and O.K. Antonov Design Bureau under one builder facet. The profile intentionally avoids harder-to-source corporate structure claims beyond the state-owned-enterprise context documented on Antonov's own pages.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Company informationPublisher: Antonov | Note: Supports the company's founding on May 31, 1946, its full-cycle aircraft work, and the design-bureau, production, testing, and maintenance structure. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • O.K. Antonov biographyPublisher: Antonov | Note: Supports the 1952 move to Kyiv, the Antonov design-bureau lineage, and the AN-124 milestone in the company's history. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • AN-2 historyPublisher: Antonov | Note: Supports the An-2 family as the first Antonov design-bureau aircraft and the company's serial-production background for that family. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • AN-225 cargo missionPublisher: Antonov | Note: Supports the AN-225 as part of Antonov Airlines' airlift subdivision and its outsized humanitarian cargo mission context. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Wikimedia Commons ANTONOV logoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the builder image and its provenance; Commons marks the logo as a public-domain text logo derived from Antonov's own SVG mark. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

2/2
An-2 unmanned decoy / converted UCAV, Converted unmanned decoy aircraft / improvised UCAV, Aircraft & UAVs2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ConflictAn-2 unmanned decoy / converted UCAVConverted unmanned decoy aircraft / improvised UCAVBuilt in: Soviet Union / Ukraine, Poland, China (base airframe production); Azerbaijan (reported conversion/operator context)The An-2 unmanned decoy / converted UCAV was Azerbaijan's improvised adaptation of the Soviet Antonov An-2 utility biplane for the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Azerbaijani forces used converted An-2s as expendable unmanned aircraft to enter Armenian air-defense engagement zones, draw fire, and reveal radar or launcher positions for TB2s, Harop loitering munitions, air strikes, or artillery, while separate reporting described some conversions carrying explosive payloads or FAB-250 bombs.

Category

Support Equipment

Transport, logistics, recovery, command, engineering, and other enabling equipment.

8/8
An-74, Cold-weather STOL jet transport aircraft, Support Equipment2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 2023 Sudan WarAn-74Cold-weather STOL jet transport aircraftBuilt in: Soviet Union / UkraineThe An-74 is an Antonov cold-weather modification of the An-72 family, adapted for ice patrol, polar research support, and cargo or personnel transport from austere airstrips. Antonov records Kharkiv production from 1985 to 2004, while conflict evidence documents An-74 losses at Hostomel during Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and at Khartoum International Airport during the 2023 Sudan War.
An-72, Short takeoff and landing jet transport aircraft, Support Equipment2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 2023 Sudan WarAn-72Short takeoff and landing jet transport aircraftBuilt in: Soviet Union / UkraineThe An-72 is an Antonov-designed short takeoff and landing jet transport built for austere airstrips, with over-wing D-36 engines using blown flaps and the Coanda effect for lift augmentation. Antonov records Kharkiv production from 1984 to 1992, while conflict evidence includes An-72-family aircraft destroyed on the ground in occupied Crimea in 2026 and at Khartoum International Airport during the 2023 Sudan War.
An-30, Twin-engine aerial survey and reconnaissance aircraft, Support Equipment2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 1979 Soviet-Afghan WarAn-30Twin-engine aerial survey and reconnaissance aircraftBuilt in: Soviet UnionThe An-30 is an Antonov An-24-derived aerial survey aircraft built around a glazed navigator's nose, raised cockpit, and camera hatches for mapping and reconnaissance. Antonov records Kyiv production in the 1970s, while direct conflict evidence places An-30B aircraft in Ukrainian reconnaissance flights over Donbas in 2014 and Soviet reconnaissance missions in Afghanistan in 1985.
An-26, Twin-engine tactical transport aircraft, Support Equipment2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 2011 Syrian Civil War +2 moreAn-26Twin-engine tactical transport aircraftBuilt in: Soviet Union / UkraineThe An-26 is an Antonov-designed twin-turboprop tactical transport built around a rear cargo door and pressure ramp for rapid loading, parachute drops, and military cargo movement. Antonov records Kyiv production from 1969 to 1986, while conflict evidence places the type in Ukrainian, Syrian, Russian, Sudanese, and Libyan transport, resupply, improvised-bomber, and aircraft-loss contexts.
An-32, Twin-engine tactical transport aircraft, Support Equipment2014 War Against the Islamic State, 2014 Russia-Ukraine WarAn-32Twin-engine tactical transport aircraftBuilt in: Soviet Union / UkraineThe An-32 is an Antonov twin-turboprop transport derived from the An-26 for hot-and-high operations, with stronger AI-20-series engines, high-lift changes, and Kyiv production for export and Soviet-aligned users. Its catalog record spans normal airlift, emergency-service transport, and an unusual Iraqi bomber-conversion role documented during the anti-ISIS air campaign.
An-24, Twin-engine turboprop regional transport aircraft, Support Equipment2003 War in Darfur, 2011 South Kordofan and Blue Nile ConflictAn-24Twin-engine turboprop regional transport aircraftBuilt in: Soviet Union / UkraineThe An-24 is an Antonov-designed twin-turboprop transport built for short- and medium-haul routes from rough or unpaved airfields. Although it began as a regional passenger aircraft, military operators used An-24 variants for staff, cargo, and transport work, with direct conflict evidence in this catalog centered on Sudanese Air Force losses in Darfur and South Kordofan rather than a dedicated strike role.