Russian civil aviation has been going through a complicated period since the start of the war in Ukraine. Under the influence of Western sanctions, airlines are suffering a blockade on the spare parts necessary to maintain their fleets, mainly made up of Airbus and Boeing. In addition, its manufacturers are struggling to gain momentum given their dependence on equipment from Europe and the United States.
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The Russian state consortium OAK (or UAC, for United Aircraft Corporation) announced this Monday a reorganization by placing Yakovlev and Tupolev, the country's two main civil aircraft manufacturers, directly under its control.
“Given the importance of implementing the priority civil programs of the UAC, as well as the need to replace imports (of Western equipment, editor's note), and to certify and launch serial production of aircraft of national civil lines in an extremely short time, it was decided to transfer the management of civil programs directly to the level of OAK,” the consortium said in a statement.
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Centralized hierarchy
Yakovlev's operations will be entrusted directly to Vadim Badekha, who becomes general director of the manufacturer. He will combine his new functions with his position as general director of OAK, to which he has just been appointed at the beginning of November. Previously, he led the United Engine Corporation (UEC) consortium, the equivalent of OAK for aircraft engines.
The general management of Tupolev will also be integrated at the OAK level and entrusted to Alexander Bobryshev, currently deputy general director of the consortium, responsible for state defense procurement and management of operational and tactical aircraft programs. He had already led Tupolev between 2009 and 2013. As for the current leaders of Yakovlev and Tupolev, Andrey Boginsky and Konstantin Timofeev respectively, they are leaving their positions.
Still according to the OAK, this reorganization “will make it possible to concentrate all the company's resources on completing specific tasks towards the certification and launch of serial production of a line of domestic civil airliners on schedule”.
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The OAK at work
Created in 2006, the OAK aimed to redress a Russian aeronautics sector that had been adrift since the fall of the Soviet Union. This resulted in the grouping of major Russian civil and military manufacturers, such as Sukhoi, Mikoyan, Yakovlev, Tupolev, Beriev and others, within this state consortium, some of which merged like Sukhoi Civil Aircraft integrated into the breast of Irkut (since renamed Yakovlev). Despite this, domestic programs are rare and are struggling to gain momentum.
This is the case of the Sukhoi Superjet 100, which had a complicated start, particularly in terms of safety. The engine of a plane from the Russian company Azimut caught fire yesterday upon landing in Antalaya (Türkiye). Commissioned in 2011, only around 200 units were delivered. For its part, the MC-21 was launched in 2007 and flew ten years later, but it has still not entered service. This does not prevent the Russian government from displaying ambitions. AFP reports that in a May interview with daily RBK, the Ministry of Industry and Trade indicated that the goal is to build 142 Sukhoi Superjets and 270 MC-21s by 2031.
The difficult Russification
Before arriving at such figures, Russian industry must already be able to free itself from the numerous Western equipment which is part of the design of these devices. This is particularly the case for crucial elements, such as engines or avionics. Deprived of deliveries of new equipment, Russian industry is trying to develop domestic alternatives but is struggling to do so. And this, despite efforts undertaken well before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
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In October, the general director of the state company Rostec (parent company of OAK), Sergei Chemezov, assured that the Russian PD-8 engine would be tested on a flying test bench next year in order to equip a future “Russified” Sukhoi Superjet 100 from 2026. It must therefore replace the SaM146 engine, which was produced by PowerJet, a joint venture between the Russian engine manufacturer NPO Saturn and the group French Saffron.
Aircraft manufacturers must also be able to maintain equipment already in service without the support of Western manufacturers. In an interview with the state news agency Tass, Sergei Chemezov said in August: “We are doing everything we can to maintain the operational condition of the existing Superjet fleet. In particular, we have mastered the maintenance of about 200 components, including modular repair of the electronic control unit of the SaM146 engine ».
At the start of the war, out of a fleet of nearly 1,000 passenger and cargo aircraft, approximately three-quarters were of European, American and Canadian origin. According to the government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta, cited by AFP, these foreign aircraft transport 95% of the country's passengers.
