Kyiv Aviation Plant AVIANT
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Kyiv “Aviant” State Aircraft Plant was established by decision of the War Industry Council on September 9, 1920 under the name of "State Aircraft Plant 12" (GAZ-12). It consisted of small uncoordinated workshops and until the war was located in Garmatnaya.
The plant performed overhaul of foreign aircraft models used by the military. It had no aerodrome of its own, and aircraft were tested at Post-Volynsky aerodrome (Zhuliany). In 1922 the plant was renamed “Remvozdukh-6”. In 1925 the first domestic aircraft, the K-1, was designed and built under guidance of the designer Konstantin Kalinin. The maiden flight was July 26, 1925. In 1931 the plant was renamed “Plant 43”. In 1932 the facilities produced the first domestic gyroplane “4-EA” TSAGI. That same year, production of the first domestic high-speed 6-seater aircraft began, the KHAI-1. It had a speed of 324 kph, a ceiling of 7000 m and a range of over 1000 km with a payload of up to 1000 kg. It was the first in European airplane with retractable landing gear. The maiden flight was on October 8th, 1932 . A total of 43 KHAI-1 were manufactured. In 1937 the works manufactured the OKO-1. In 1939-1941 the facilities began assembly of MiG aircraft. When the plant was bombed on June 25, 1941, the works were evacuated to Novosibirsk , to V.P. Chkalov Facilities where it produced the fighters Yak-3, Yak-6 and Yak-9 designed by Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev.
After Kiev was liberated from the Germans, the plant was returned there, where until the end of the war it overhauled PO-2 aircraft and assembled Yak-3 and Yak-9 fighters from parts manufactured elsewhere. In 1944 the plant was renamed "Plant 473", or "Organization Mailbox 11". After the end of the war the plant was moved to the present location in Sviatoshin, which it had started to develop before 1941.
In 1947-1948 the plant manufactured a pilot batch of five helicopters Mi-1 designed by Mikhail Mil, but the series production was transferred to another enterprise.
In 1948 the works started production of the An-2, the ancestor of the great Antonov family, designed by Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov. The plant produced 18 modifications of the An-2: transport, passenger, agricultural, water bomber for fighting forest fires, a version for fish shoals exploration, a version for scientific and rescue operations in arctic conditions, etc. The “Aviant” plant manufactured 3,320 An-2s.
Between 1954 and 1956 the Aviant produced the prototype of the military transport aircraft An-8, a twin-engine turboprop. It was the first of a long line of Antonov aircraft with high wings and rear loading cargo ramps. Between 1959 and 1978 the plant manufactured the An-24 (1,028 airplanes produced). It is in 1967 that the plant was renamed “Kyiv Aircraft plant”, or “Organization Mailbox M-5249”.
From 1969 to 1985 the plant manufactured the transport An-26 (1,402 airplanes produced). In 1973 a aerial photography aircraft was produced, the An-30 (123 airplanes produced). On April 30, 1974 the plant was renamed once again to be baptised “Kyiv Aviation Production Association”. Between 1976 and 1979 the plant manufactured a pilot batch of the An-72 (5 airplanes produced). Series production of the An-72 was transferred to Kharkov facilities, and “Aviant” was charged with mastering production of the unique An-124 "Ruslan", the world's biggest aircraft. Between 1979 and 2004 the plant produced 19 An-124s. Since 1979 the plant has been manufacturing the An-32 (as of May 1, 2004, 361 had been produced. From 1985 to 1988 the plant participated in the manufacture of parts for the An-225 "Mriya", designed to carry the shuttle Buran. Yet, as the space program was suspended, only one An-225 "Mriya" was produced. On August 5, 1992 the plant was yet again renamed “National Enterprise Kyiv Aviation Plant”before being renamed one more time, on August 27, 1995, to its present name, “ Kyiv Aviation Plant Aviant”.
