In order to meet the challenge of increasing the annual production of medium-haul Tu-214 passenger aircraft, the Kazan Aviation Plant (KAZ) is implementing a programme of construction and reconstruction of production facilities. By 2026, the enterprise plans to fully complete the modernisation, which will significantly increase the efficiency of production of civil and military products. This is reported by the press service of the United Aircraft Corporation.
Integration of the facilities under construction into the production process is part of the comprehensive programme for the development of the aviation industry approved by the Russian Government. The programme provides for a significant increase in serial production of Tu-214 aircraft. In 2024, KAZ is to build one new aircraft, in 2025 – seven airliners, in 2026 – 17, and from 2028 to reach a production rate of 28 aircraft annually.
‘With the commissioning of all the planned facilities, the company will significantly reduce the timeframe for production. The machining centre will house more than 120 machine tools. Another 15 facilities are in varying degrees of readiness, seven of which are already in the active construction phase. The new facilities and equipment will allow us to start serial production of civil aircraft and ensure the construction of 20 Tu-214 aircraft per year,’ Konstantin Timofeev, Managing Director of Tupolev said.
The works on technical re-equipment of the plant are carried out within the framework of state funding programmes. Nine out of 24 planned facilities have already been commissioned at KAZ. Among them are the shop of mechanical assembly production, the shop of production of welded assemblies and units, the bench and laboratory building and the test box for testing of on-board systems and units, UAC said.
One of the key objects of modernisation is the machining centre, the construction of which is being carried out at a fast pace, UAC noted. The building is 40% ready, the main building structures are being completed, by the end of the year it is planned to close the thermal circuit of the building, after which the interior finishing and equipment installation will begin.
Earlier at the Kazan Aviation Plant, work began to prepare the site for the installation of a Russian-made 5-axis portal milling machining centre with a vacuum table for the manufacture of long aircraft parts. The foundation with the area of 371 square metres was poured for the new machine. The machining centre will make it possible to produce components made of aluminium alloys with a maximum size of almost 24 metres. The equipment is scheduled to be delivered to the plant in early 2025.
