The head of Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, told TASS in an interview about the current state of the domestic aircraft industry in the conditions of international confrontation and sanctions pressure from the Anglo-Saxon countries and their satellites. He noted that the loss of the opportunity to buy Western aircraft is actually a loss for Western aircraft manufacturers, which have now lost the Russian market. This creates new opportunities for the domestic aviation industry, which were previously difficult to dream of, and opens up prospects for increasing its own production.
Sergei Chemezov pointed out that it usually takes 10 to 12 years to build a new aircraft and up to 15 years to develop an aircraft engine, but Russia intends to shorten these periods. Chemezov said that Russian specialists are working in an accelerated mode, striving to complete projects about 1.5-2 years faster than it is usually done in international practice. However, this accelerated pace of work comes with certain difficulties and challenges, as aircraft construction is a complex industry where the process requires high precision and competent management.
‘Western suppliers have left, and the holy place, as we say, is never empty. For example, before the SVO*, more than 90 per cent of civil aircraft were foreign. Now that Boeing and Airbus have left, the situation will be reversed: we will have a significant share of the market. Similarly with power equipment, medical equipment, and so on – we produce all of this. I would like to say thank you to the sanctions for this window of opportunity. The Russian market may not be the largest in the world, but the loss for foreign business is tangible,’ said Sergey Chemezov.
The issue of replacing imported components in civil aircraft is becoming a key issue, said the head of Rostec. He explained that the solution lies in complex work: either by import substitution or by creating fully domestic aircraft. For example, the SJ-100 project is developing in two directions at once. On the one hand, a new version of the aircraft with a modified fuselage and fully Russian equipment is being developed, and on the other hand, the existing fleet of Superjets is being supported.
The main focus is on mastering the maintenance and repair of components that were previously imported. In particular, it became possible to master maintenance of about 200 components, including modular repair of the SaM146 engine electronic control unit, as well as to develop domestic analogues of spark plugs and filters. Such efforts make it possible to maintain a high level of regularity of SSJ100 flights in Russian airlines, which is about 98 per cent.
‘These steps demonstrate that the Russian aviation industry is not only adapting to new economic conditions, but is also actively striving to become self-sufficient. The development of new programmes aimed at creating modern aircraft will also contribute to strengthening Russia’s position in the global civil aviation market,’ industry expert Andrey Velichko commented to the Russian Aviation website.
* SVO – special military operation – Specialnaya Voennaya Operatsiay
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