Ukraine is one of the few countries in the world where aviation and space technology is developed and produced, and qualified specialists for this branch are trained. National Aerospace University "Kharkov Aviation Institute" is the leading educational institution in the system of state education of Ukraine, which produces specialists of this profile.

Kharkiv Aviation Institute was founded in 1930 and initially had two departments - aircraft and engine building. At the time of foundation in KhAI there were only 12 teachers and 69 students. The development of the Institute was extremely fast. Already in 1932 the first passenger airplane with the chassis of KhAI-1, developed by the teachers and students-graduates of the KhAI, took off in Europe. Aircraft and gliders, created within the walls of the institute, set world records.

In 1935, the teacher of the Institute A.M. Lyul'koy was designed the first domestic turbojet engine.

Since November 1937 in KhAI the reactive group was working, the first rockets were designed. By the beginning of the 40-ies in the institute there were already more than 1000 students, an experimental design bureau was working, scientific research was actively conducted.

The development of the institute was interrupted by the attack of fascist Germany on the USSR. More than 500 teachers and students of the KhAI fought at the front, the bombers developed at the Institute participated in the fighting. In connection with the occupation of Kharkov, the institute was evacuated to Kazan and continued to train specialists for the aviation industry. In those years, senior students were sent to engineering positions of defense enterprises. Many of them were awarded orders and medals for success in organizing the production of military equipment.

In 1944, immediately after the liberation of the city, the institute was returned to Kharkov.

The restoration of the destroyed buildings of KhAI took almost 8 years. Simultaneously, the educational process was improved, new departments were created, the program of scientific research was expanded. In the late 40-ies, the first experiments were conducted on stamping with an explosion. In 1953 in KhAI, work began on the creation of jet burners for drilling hard rocks, an aerodynamic pipe was built. In connection with the development of rocket technology, training was begun for specialists in its design and production, an open radio engineering faculty.

In the 1960s a laboratory was created in KhAI on the use of pulsed energy sources in industry, a laboratory for the study of the long-lasting strength of aviation structures. The student's design bureau, which has created more than thirty models of aircraft, has begun its work. In 1966 the Kharkov Aviation Institute was included in the number of 26 basic higher educational institutions of the USSR.

The Institute's specialization has constantly expanded. By 1980, new faculties were opened - flight control systems and rocket and space technology. At the same time, the development of the material base continued. The construction of a complex of aerodynamic pipes was completed, new educational buildings and dormitories, a sports complex, a recreation center in the Crimea were built. For outstanding achievements in the field of training highly qualified specialists and in scientific research in 1978, the institute was given the name of N.E. Zhukovsky, and in 1980 KhAI was awarded the Order of Lenin. In the 1980s, faculties of advanced training for aviation and aerospace industry employees and faculty of pre-university training were opened.

With the formation of independent Ukraine in 1991, KhAI became the only institute of the country, provides a comprehensive training of specialists for the aerospace industry. In 1992, for the first time in history, KhAI began training foreign citizens, in connection with the requirements of the time, the Economics and Management Department was established. At the same time, the study program included integrated CAD / CAM / CAE software complexes: UNIGRAFICS, ADEM, EUCLID, etc. In August 1998, the Kharkov Aviation Institute established the N.E. Zhukovsky "KhAI".

For the years of its existence the university has trained more than 53 thousand engineers. Among specialists with higher education working in the aerospace industry of Ukraine, 80% are KhAI graduates. The University is proud of the achievements of its scientists in the field of supersonic aerodynamics, the strength of aviation structures, the design of aviation and rocket engines, control systems for aircrafts and many others. The inventions of scientists of the university are patented in more than 20 countries of the world. KhAI is a regular participant of international exhibitions.

The University continues to develop. In 1999, another faculty was established - the humanities department. Currently, more than 7,000 students and 160 graduate students are studying at the university, 700 teachers (including 95 professors and doctors of science, more than 400 associate professors and candidates of sciences) and more than 2,000 employees. Among the university lecturers are 1 laureate of the Lenin Prize of the USSR, 3 laureates of the USSR State Prize, 25 laureates of the State Prize of Ukraine, 11 laureates of the USSR Council of Ministers Prize.

A distinctive feature of KhAI is close ties with production. The university was taught by the general designers and managers of the largest aerospace enterprises: Ya.E. Eisenberg, P.V. Balabuev, V.A. Boguslaev, I.V. Dranovsky, S.M. Konyukhov, F.M. Muravchenko, A.K. Myalitsa.

Now the university occupies a separate territory of the city in a forest park area of about 25 hectares, on which there are 8 educational buildings, 2 scientific research institutes, scientific laboratories, a library with a fund of 920000 volumes, a campus, a sports complex, a dispensary, and canteens.

The University is a co-executor of the International Space Program "Alpha", as well as scientific projects with firms in the US, Japan, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, and China.

September 11, 2000 the university was given the status of National. The new name KhAI - National Aerospace University named after N.E. Zhukovsky "Kharkiv Aviation Institute".

The 21st century is the century of even more rapid development of aviation and cosmonautics. Scientists and teachers of the university are confident and optimistic about the future and are ready to solve any problems that will put time.