Development of a four-engined airliner intended for use on routes from 500 to 2000 kilometers (310 to 1,262 miles) began at the end of 1955. Inspired by the Izdeliye N ("Izdeliye" – article or product) passenger version of the Antonov An-8, the Antonov design bureau developed the Izdeliye U ("U" for "Universal"), a four-engined aircraft with a similar layout to the An-8, but with increased dimensions and a circular-section pressurised fuselage. Early in the design process the choice of engines was between the Kuznetsov NK-4 and the Ivchenko AI-20, and despite superior performance the Kuznetsov NK-4 was eliminated and the Ivchenko AI-20 selected, partly due to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine which wanted as much as possible produced in Ukraine, where the Ivchenko factory was.