Aircraft industry of Russia
This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Recent developments not discussed, including in particular the drive to avoid the use of foreign components as a result of sanctions.(November 2023) |
Aircraft manufacturing is an important industrial sector in Russia, employing around 355,300 people. The dissolution of the Soviet Union led to a deep crisis for the industry, especially for the civilian aircraft segment. The situation started improving during the middle of the first decade of the 2000s due to growth in air transportation and increasing demand. A consolidation programme launched in 2005 led to the creation of the United Aircraft Corporation holding company, which includes most of the industry's key companies. After 2022, reviving the passenger aircraft industry in Russia became the main goal.[1][2]
The Russian aircraft industry offers a portfolio of internationally competitive military aircraft such as
History
First World War
Russia had 24 aircraft manufacturers at the outbreak of war, but they did not have the materials or the capacity to replace the aircraft that were lost. In particular, they were dependent on foreign engines. It produced 1893 aircraft and imported 883 from 1914 to 1916, but it only produced 920 engines in this period while importing 2326. Production declined sharply after the February Revolution, and had virtually ceased when Russia left the war in 1918. [3] The most famous aircraft produced during this period was the Sikorsky Ilya Muromets, the first four-engine bomber to equip a dedicated strategic bombing unit.[4] This heavy bomber was unrivalled in the early stages of the war, as the Central Powers had no comparable aircraft until much later.[5] During World War I, Russia lost only one Sikorsky Ilya Muromets to enemy action in more than 400 sorties.
1922-1991 Soviet era: East giant
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2022) |
In the Soviet
The OKBs did not possess the means to mass-produce manufactured aircraft and the manufacturing complexes were unable to design aircraft.
Operational requirements for proposed aircraft were created by the Soviet Air Forces, for which individual OKBs would create a design informed by state research institutes. The state research institutes would then provide the OKSs with information on aerodynamics and available systems. This process led to competing designs being very similar in appearance. These competing designs would be evaluated against each other the winning design would be handed off to the manufacturing complexes for production. Most of these complexes were within the Soviet Union, but some production lines were assigned to allies within the Warsaw Pact. Due in part to political considerations, the assignment of production was widely dispersed, creating supply chains in which the role of state planning was paramount.
When exported, a third tier existed in the state-run export companies due to neither design bureaus nor manufacturing companies being responsible for the marketing of their products overseas. The state-run export companies did not benefit from the sale of their products, with proceeds instead being allocated to design and production units in order to meet centrally determined production targets.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact and Comecon there came a disconnect between end users, export companies, OKBs, assembly plants, and component manufacturers (some of which now existed in newly independent and sometimes hostile nations). Russia also found that entire segments of its aviation requirements now lay in foreign countries. One example of this was the manufacture of jet training aircraft, which was assigned to Czechoslovakia, while Poland got light helicopters and crop-dusting airplanes. Additionally, Romania possessed the manufacture of light helicopters, the majority of Russia's tactical airlift design capability in the form of the Antonov was now in Ukraine, and the main assembly plant for the Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft was in Georgia.
1992-2005 Post-Soviet adjustments: Competition and struggles
Aerospace was a well-developed industry in the Soviet Union. In late 1980s, the Soviet Union accounted for 25% of the worldwide civilian and 40% of the worldwide military aircraft production.[7] The consequences of the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991 were however catastrophic. The whole manufacturing sector was devastated by imports, while the aerospace and automobile industries barely managed to survive under highly protective tariffs.[8] On the positive side, the military aircraft industry managed to benefit from improving export possibilities. It profited from a large stock of components and parts which had been produced during Soviet times. The civilian aircraft industry fared much worse: while in 1990, the country had produced 715 civilian aircraft, by 1998 the number had dropped to 56 and in 2000 only four civilian aircraft were produced.[7]
As the industry structure was deeply fractionalised, the consensus was that consolidation was necessary. For this purpose, President
The aerospace industry's total output in 2000 was $2.7 billion, with a net profit of $600 million. Exports of military aircraft in 2000 amounted to $1.3 billion.[7]
At the turn of the millennium, the civilian aircraft industry was in a massive financial crisis. Only a few aircraft were built and after-sale maintenance was minuscule. Many planes, both new and old, failed to receive international safety and environmental certifications. Two key companies, Aviastar-SP and Voronezh Aircraft Production Association were almost bankrupt. The profits of the civilian aircraft industry totaled just $300 million in 2001. However, in August 2000, the situation started improving considerably. In 2001, the industry finally started receiving new orders from leasing companies. Air transportation grew about 8% a year, and by 2004 domestic demand for new aircraft was soaring. Key companies managed to pay their debts or get them restructured, and production levels were increasing again.[10]
The military aircraft industry survived the 15 years of crisis almost exclusively through exports. Only in 2005 did the industry start to receive substantial financing from the state budget.[11]
2006-2022: Industry consolidation programme and New projects
In 2005, the government under President Vladimir Putin initiated an industry consolidation programme to bring the main aircraft producing companies under a single umbrella organization, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). The aim was optimize production lines and minimise losses. The programme was divided in three parts: reorganization and crisis management (2007–2010), evolution of existing projects (2010–2015) and further progress within the newly created structure (2015–2025).[12]
The UAC, one of the so-called
The deliveries of civilian aircraft increased to 6 in 2005, and in 2009 the industry delivered 15 civilian aircraft, worth 12.5 billion roubles, mostly to domestic customers.[13]
Despite the global financial crisis, Russia's aircraft manufacturing industry as a whole managed to increase production and sales by 19.5% in 2009.[14]
Fifth-generation fighter
In 1998, the
- "while not America's equal militarily, Russia is still a solid second in terms of defense technology, outranking both Western Europe and China and punching well above its economic weight."
Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin announced that government would increase financing of Russian defence industry complex.[citation needed]
Su-57 development could be delayed due to international sanctions on Russia's defence industries following the
Sukhoi Superjet 100
The
Irkut MC-21
Development of the
2022-today: Impact and renovation
In 2022, after
Other projects
Other new aircraft developed in recent times include the
Structure
In 2008, the aircraft industry consisted of 106 enterprises, 18 of which belonged to the
United Aircraft Corporation | Russian Helicopters JSC | Other major producers: | |
|
|
Aviakor |
Scientific institutions
- Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute
- Gromov Flight Research Institute
- Baranov Central Institute of Aviation Motor Development
- All-Russian Institute Of Aviation Materials
- State Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Systems
Production
Civilian aircraft production until 2018
This section needs to be updated.(April 2018) |
Type | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Il-96 family
|
1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||
Tu-154M
|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||
Tu-204 family
|
3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||
Tu-214
|
1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Be-200 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
SSJ-100 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 18 | 19 | 33 | 24 | ||||
Il-76 family | ||||||||||||||
Total | 6 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 27 | |||||
Sources:[29][30][31][32] |
Military aircraft
On the military segment, in 2009 companies belonging to UAC delivered 84 new aircraft and knockdown kits. Over 60 aircraft were modernized or underwent overhaul.[33]
The only fixed wing transport plane in production is the Ilyushin Il-76.
Sukhoi Su-24 production ceased in 1993, Mikoyan MiG-31 ceased in 1994 and Sukhoi Su-25 in 2017
Military aircraft production is carried out at three locations:[34]
- Novosibirsk Aviation Plant (NAZ)
- Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant (KnAAZ)
- Irkutsk Aviation Plant (IAP)
In 2022 the following new military aircraft were delivered:[34]
Fixed wing fighter aircraft losses in 2022 in the Russo-Ukrainian war were:
- Su-24 x 6
- Su-25 x 18
- Su-30 x 9
- Su-34 x 16
- Su-35 x 2
- MiG-31 x 1
Helicopters
Type | 2012 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mi-8 family
|
193 | ||||||
Mi-35 family
|
29 | ||||||
Mi-26
|
7 | ||||||
Mi-28 N
|
18 | ||||||
Ka-31
|
1 | ||||||
Ka-32 А11ВС
|
5 | ||||||
Ka-52
|
21 | ||||||
Ka-226
|
11 | ||||||
Ansat | 5 | ||||||
Total | 290 | ||||||
Sources:[35] |
Production of the Ka-27/Ka-28/Ka-29/Ka-32 was discontinued in 2010
In 2021 a total of 134 helicopters were manufactured by Russian Helicopters. This rose in 2022 to 296.[36]
Revenue
The aircraft industry's revenue from sales in 2008 was 226.6 billion rubles (105.3 billion for UAC), and the export share was 29% (52.5% for UAC).[37]
Economic significance
Russia's aircraft industry is one of the backbone branches of the country's economy. It is one of the most science-intensive hi-tech sectors and employs the largest number of skilled personnel. The production and value of the military aircraft branch far outstrips other
Employment
In 2008, the number of personnel estimated to be working for the aircraft industry was 355,300.[26] The United Aircraft Corporation holding, which encompasses most of the industry's key companies, had 97,500 employees in 2009. Of this amount, 85,500 worked in production at factories, 11,100 worked in the design bureaus and 900 in management and leasing companies. The average age of UAC personnel working in production was 44 years, and 49 for the personnel working in the design bureaus. The ratio of higher education graduates was 34%.[26]
See also
- Glossary of Russian and USSR aviation acronyms
- List of Russian aerospace engineers
- Space industry of Russia
- RS-26 Rubezh
- 3M22 Zircon
References
- ^ "Exclusive: Russia aiming to fly solo without Airbus and Boeing | Reuters". Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Russia has every opportunity to boost domestic aircraft production — PM Mishustin".
- ISBN 1851094202.
- ^ Massenkov et al. 1994, p. 23.
- ^ Mackworth-Praed 1996, p. 202.
- ^ Ruslan, Pukhov (2001). "MiG Design and Production System: Post-Soviet Transformations". Eksport Vooruzheniy (2).
- ^ a b c Kwiatkowski, Alex (7 February 2003). "BUSINESS. Aviation industry locked in a tailspin". The Russia Journal.
- ISBN 0-8223-3522-0.
- ^ a b c "Russia Reconsolidates Military Aerospace Arena". Net Resources International. 27 July 2008.
- ^ Makienko, Konstantin (2007). "The Russian Aviation Industry: From European Option to National Strategy". Moscow Defense Brief (2). Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.
- ^ Makienko, Konstantin (2005). "Evolution of Russia's Defense Industry in 2005". Moscow Defense Brief (1). Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.
- ^ Zvereva, Polina (11 October 2009). "State-sponsored consolidation". Russia & CIS Observer. 3 (26).
- ^ "Annual Report 2009" (PDF). United Aircraft Corporation. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2013.
- ^ UAC Annual Report 2009, p. 19
- ^ Sokut, Sergey (2001). "Russia Seeks Quick Response to JSF". Eksport Vooruzheniy. Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
- ^ "U.S. Treasury Sanctions Russia's Defense-Industrial Base, the Russian Duma and Its Members, and Sberbank CEO". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ a b Pyadushkin, Maxim (20 June 2009). "Celebrating the 100th anniversaryThe Sukhoi Superjet 100 makes its debut at Le Bourget". Russia & CIS Observer. 2 (25).
- ^ "Sevenfold slump for Sukhoi Civil aircraft sales so far this year". Russian Aviation Insider. 24 July 2019.
- ^ Семейство ближне-среднемагистральных пассажирских самолётов МС-21 [MS-21] (in Russian). United Aircraft Corporation. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
- ^ Sinitsky, Alex (1 November 2009). "Drawing the contours". Russia & CIS Observer.
- ^ "Russia to only use domestic engines for its Irkut MC-21 jet". April 2022.
- ^ a b c Ahlgren, Linnea (25 April 2022). "Irkut Removes Pratt & Whitney Engine Option From The MC-21". Simple Flying.
- ^ a b Karnozov, Vladimir. "Russia Ditches MC-21-300 To Focus on Indigenous Version". Aviation International News.
- ^ "Russia could produce domestic aircraft parts in Kazan". 5 April 2022.
- ^ a b c UAC Annual Report 2009, p.45
- ^ Makienko, Konstantin (24 July 2008). "Successful Year for Aerospace Manufacturers". Russia & CIS Observer. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ a b UAC Annual Report 2009, p.96
- ^ Pyadushkin, Maxim (15 February 2010). "Facing Low Demand. Russian Aircraft Manufacturers Increased Deliveries in 2009, But This Year's Sales Remain Uncertain". Russia & CIS Observer.
- ^ "UAC announces preliminary results for 2010". United Aircraft Corporation. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
- ^ "Итоги 2012 года в картинках: гражданская авиация". 31 December 2012.
- ^ "Руската индустрия е построила 36 пътнически самолета за 2013 г." aeropress-bg.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014.
- ^ UAC Annual Report 2009, p.4
- ^ a b "Russian combat aircraft production sustained despite sanctions". 17 February 2023.
- ^ "Производство вертолетов на КВЗ, КумАПП и ААК "Прогресс" в 2012 году - BMPD". Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ "In 2022, Russia produced 162 military helicopters more than in 2021". 8 August 2023.
- ^ UAC Annual Report 2008, p.16
- ^ Manturov, Denis (2009). "Prospects for the Domestic Aircraft Industry". Military Parade (4): 8–9.
External links
- Jens Flottau, Maxim Pyadushkin and Michael Bruno (2 January 2018). "MC-21 Narrowbody Flight Tests Symbolize Russian Sector Ambitions". Aviation Week & Space Technology.