Overview of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, the Antonov Aircraft Design Bureau, and the Kiev Aircraft Factory

This intelligence assessment, dated January 10, 1990, provides a detailed overview of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, the Antonov Aircraft Design Bureau, and the Kiev Aircraft Factory as of September 1989. The Ukrainian Academy of Sciences is described as a massive institution with 84 experimental institutes, 85 laboratories, and 90,000 employees. Its research is categorized into three main areas: studies on board spaceships (including bioprocesses and future flying machines), astronomical observations (such as the VEGA and PHOBOS missions), and the study of near-earth space and the magnetosphere. The document notes that the Academy has the authority to engage in cooperative research with the United States, with particular interest in math, theoretical physics, and astronomy. Notably, the text mentions that when asked about U.S. research in the area of unidentified flying objects, it was stated that the Academy has several organizations that follow the subject and that some scientists consider it a serious problem. The document further details the Antonov Aircraft Design Bureau, which employs 12,000 people and designed the AN-225 aircraft used for the Buran space shuttle. The Kiev Aircraft Factory is described as working in close cooperation with the Antonov bureau, producing aircraft such as the AN-24, AN-26, AN-30, and AN-124. By late 1989, the factory was undergoing a transition to produce consumer goods, including washing machines, baby carriages, and medical products, while retraining its 16,000 employees and implementing robotics and computer-aided design.