An unusual design feature of the An-72 is the use of the Coandă effect to improve STOL performance, utilizing engine exhaust gases blown over the wing's upper surface to boost lift. The first flight was made on 31 August 1977, but it was only in the 1980s that production started. The powerplant used is the Lotarev D-36 turbofan engine. The An-72 bears some resemblance to the unsuccessful Boeing YC-14, a prototype design from the early 1970s (design submitted to the Air Force in February 1972) which had also used overwing engines and the Coandă effect.