Aircraft industry of Russia
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.
[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.
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.
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).
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.
The whole manufacturing sector was devastated by imports, while the aerospace and automobile industries barely managed to survive under highly protective tariffs.
For this purpose, President Boris Yeltsin created the VPK-MAPO (Military Industrial Complex – Moscow Aircraft Production Association), which included some key companies such as Mikoyan.
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).
[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] In 1998, the Russian Air Force asked the industry to develop a light multirole frontline aircraft.
[15] The Su-57 performed its maiden flight in 2010, breaking United States's complete monopoly on the development and production of fifth-generation jets.
The aircraft, which will have a passenger capacity of 150–200 and a range of 5,000 km, is being designed by Irkut Corporation, initially in cooperation with foreign partners.
It is targeted at the most popular segment of the domestic airline industry, and is intended to replace older planes such as the Tupolev Tu-154.
[25] One of the most successful companies is Sukhoi,[26] which possesses a wide portfolio of internationally competitive military aircraft, including the Su-27, Su-30 and Su-35 models.
[27] Joint Stock Company Tupolev focuses on the civil aviation market with its Tu-204 and Tu-214 planes, but is also responsible for the long-range bomber Tu-160 and for developing its successors.
Irkut has a portfolio of trainer and amphibious aircraft projects and competes in the onboard electronics and avionics niche.
[9] In the unmanned aerial vehicle segment, ZALA Aero and Vega Radio Engineering Corporation are among the leading companies.
Myasishchev Technoavia On the military segment, in 2009 companies belonging to UAC delivered 84 new aircraft and knockdown kits.
