According to Donets, the company had fulfilled an initial contract with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) for a demonstrator aircraft and had been approved to undertake construction of an assembly facility in Taif in conjunction with Taqnia Aeronautics. However, a change in programme partner took place in Saudi Arabia, leading to the suspension of the programme.
Donets added that a military customer had also changed the requirements for the aircraft, thereby leading to the preference of another platform to fulfil the acquisition. The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) had previously committed to six aircraft - four in a search-and-rescue configuration and two for electronic warfare - with Antonov hoping for further orders for configurations such as military transport and gunship.
