[1][2] The T-2M was developed by the Antonov Design Bureau at the end of the Cold War when it became necessary to explore civil markets for aircraft, including microlights for club flying.
Aside from production for recreational purposes, the T-2M was also designed for use by the Russian Special Forces for use on infiltration missions, and as such incorporated a sophisticated wing folding mechanism at their request.
Its 163 sq ft (15.1 m2) area wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame control bar.
The standard engine supplied was the 64 hp (48 kW) Rotax 582 twin-cylinder, two-stroke, liquid-cooled powerplant.
It has side-by-side seating, which offers advantages in flight training and also has a large single piece leaf spring main landing gear, which is simple, light, low drag and eliminates many of the large number of parts that other designs use.