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Theaerospace industry of Russia is a significant industrial sector in the country, employing 355,000 - 400,000 people.
The Russian aviation industry is largely state-owned and centrally controlled, with little strategic private competition. As of 2025, the majority of both military and civil production is held by three large joint stock corporations under theState Corporation "Rostec" conglomerate.United Aircraft Corporation engages in the production of both military and civil aircraft,Russian Helicopters with a variety of helicopters, andUnited Engine Corporation producing aircraft, marine and industrial engines.
The Russian and Soviet aerospace industry has made many important contributions to the history of aircraft. Achievements include the second operational jetliner in service (Tupolev Tu-104) (the only jetliner from 1956 to 1958 when the Britishde Havilland Comet was grounded), the world's first commercial supersonic transport aircraft (Tupolev Tu-144), the largest spacecraft to remotely orbit and land (Buran),[1] worlds largest aircraft (Antonov An-225) the fastest manned serially produced aircraft in operational use, and offered for civilian flights (Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25), the first use of 3 dimensional thrust vectoring on a combat aircraft (Sukhoi Su-37), the worlds most-produced helicopter (Mil Mi-8/Mil Mi-17), the worlds largest operational helicopter (Mil Mi-26) and the first operation combat helicopter equipped with a crew ejection system (Kamov Ka-50).
The Russian aviation industry underwent an unprecedented collapse following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Once a world leader in aircraft design and production, the industry experienced a near-total contraction in the Yeltsin era as a result of fragmented supply chains, loss of centralised funding and loss of export markets, resulting in a contraction of the workforce and emigration of engineers. Well recognised former state design bureaus such asTupolev andIlyushin faced bankruptcy, and the production of aircraft was effectively halted. This situation was made worse by the1998 Russian financial crisis.
In 2006, the Russian government forced theUnited Aircraft Corporation, merging the remaining assets of various companies under the majority stake of the government. A similar venture,Russian Helicopters, consolidated helicopter production. Contracts signed with partners such as India and China provided critical cash flow. As a result, the production of military aircraft began to recover, with large scale production of several existing and new models such as theSu-34,Su-35,Su-57 andYak-130 underway.
The current goal of the Russian aerospace industry is to revive large scale civil passenger aircraft manufacturing.[2][3] Due to the challenges posed by international sanctions, offerings such as theIlyushin Il-114,Yakovlev SJ-100 andYakovlev MC-21 focus on self-sufficiency and import substitution.
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.[4]The most famous aircraft produced during this period was theSikorsky Ilya Muromets, the first four-enginebomber to equip a dedicatedstrategic bombing unit.[5] This heavy bomber was unrivalled in the early stages of the war, as theCentral Powers had no comparable aircraft until much later.[6] During World War I, Russia lost only oneSikorsky Ilya Muromets to enemy action in more than 400 sorties.
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In the Sovietplanned economic system,free market competition between companies was seen as wasteful. The Soviet system was instead multi-tiered, the chief components of which were design bureaus, known asOKBs, and manufacturing complexes.
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 thedissolution of the Soviet Union,Warsaw Pact andComecon 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 theAntonov was now in Ukraine, and the main assembly plant for theSukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft was inGeorgia.
Aerospace was a well-developed industry in theSoviet Union. In late 1980s, the Soviet Union accounted for 25% of the worldwide civilian and 40% of the worldwide military aircraft production.[8] The consequences of the Soviet Union'sdissolution 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.[9] 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.[8]
As the industry structure was deeply fractionalised, the consensus was that consolidation was necessary. For this purpose, PresidentBoris Yeltsin created theVPK-MAPO (Military Industrial Complex – Moscow Aircraft Production Association), which included some key companies such asMikoyan. MAPO later became the Russian Aircraft Company (RAC) 'MiG'. This stage of consolidation was however not very successful, and MAPO was later merged withSukhoi.[10]
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.[8]
The civilian aircraft industry was affected by the1998 Russian 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 andenvironmental certifications. Two key companies,Aviastar-SP andVoronezh 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.[11]
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.[12]
In 2005, the government under PresidentVladimir Putin initiated an industry consolidation programme to bring the main aircraft producing companies under a single umbrella organization, theUnited 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).[13]
The UAC, one of the so-callednational champions and comparable toEADS inEurope, enjoyed considerable financial support from the Russian government, and injected money to the companies it had acquired to improve their financial standing. The UACs first budget in 2007, was about 2 billion rubles, and next year it increased to 24 billion rubles (about $770 million).
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.[14]
Despite the2008 financial crisis, Russia's aircraft manufacturing industry as a whole increased production and sales by 19.5% in 2009.[15]
In 1998, theRussian Air Force asked the industry to develop a light multirole frontline aircraft. In 2001, the requirements were upgraded to a multirole frontline aircraft system, which later became the fifth-generation fighterSukhoi Su-57, regarded as Russia's response to the AmericanJoint Strike Fighter.[16] The Su-57 performed its maiden flight in 2010, breaking United States's complete monopoly on the development and production of fifth-generation jets.Moscow Defense Brief hailed it as a major coup for the Russian aerospace industry, writing that:
Russian prime ministerVladimir 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 the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,[17] and Russia could not import semiconductors and high-tech machining equipment from the European Union.[18]
TheSukhoi Superjet 100 regional airliner is the first major Russian civilian aircraft whose development was started after 1991. The plane, which first flew in 2008, was described in 2009 as the most important and successful civil aircraft program of the Russian aerospace industry.[19] Designed by theUnited Aircraft Corporation subsidiarySukhoi in cooperation with foreign partners, all versions of the plane are assembled byKomsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO) in theRussian Far East, whileNovosibirsk Aircraft Production Association (NAPO) focuses on component production. The two companies have been heavily investing in upgrading of their facilities, and were expected to produce 70 airframes by 2012.[19] Sukhoi delivered only three SSJs in the first half of 2019; its financial results showed a sevenfold drop in aircraft sales revenue and a fourfold drop in overall sales revenue, resulting in a 32% increase in its net loss. The company needs to achieve a production rate of 32 to 34 aircraft per year to make a profit, though demand for Russian models in the 60–120 seat category was forecast to be only 10 aircraft per year over a 20-year period. In the short-term, the company's main hope was that Aeroflot would firm up its 2018 preliminary agreement for 100 SSJs.[20]
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Development of theYakovlev MC-21 passenger aircraft was begun in the early 2000s. The aircraft, which will have a passenger capacity of 150–200 and a range of 5,000 km, is being designed byYakovlev 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 theTupolev Tu-154. The program is in the production phase. The MC-21 certification and delivery was initially planned by 2016,[21] but delivery was delayed. The developers aim to sell 1,200–1,500 planes in total, amounting to a 12–15% share of the international market.[22]
In 2022, afterinternational sanctions against Russia were imposed, Rosaviatsia announced that in a resulting change of plans, Russia will only use a domestic engine.[23][24] The original model – the MC-21-300 powered byPratt & WhitneyPW1000G engines – will not enter service, and instead production will have to wait for the MC-21-310, powered by the RussianAviadvigatel PD-14, built by the United Engine Corporation.[24] The MC-21-300 consists of between 40% and 50% imported parts, and Yakovlev will need to replace those that were to be supplied by the sanctioning countries.[citation needed]
Other new aircraft developed in recent times include theYak-130 advanced trainer and light attack jet, the modernizedTu-204SM and the UkrainianAn-148 regional aircraft, which was mostly manufactured inVoronezh prior toworsening Ukrainian-Russian relations. Seaplane manufacturerBeriev is also designing several new passenger aircraft. Tu-214 and the cargo Il-76 are expected to be capable of re-manufacturing massively in the 2020s.[25]
In 2008, the aircraft industry consisted of 106 enterprises, 18 of which belonged to theUnited Aircraft Corporation.[26] One of the most successful companies isSukhoi,[27] which possesses a wide portfolio of internationally competitive military aircraft, including theSu-27,Su-30 andSu-35 models. On the civilian segment, the company's most important project is theSuperjet 100.[10]Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association, Russia's largest aircraft enterprise, is responsible for manufacturing Sukhoi products.[28] Joint Stock CompanyTupolev focuses on the civil aviation market with itsTu-204 andTu-214 planes, but is also responsible for the long-range bomberTu-160 and for developing its successors. Mass production of Tu-204 planes is accomplished byAviastar SP, located inUlyanovsk, while the Tu-214 variant is produced byKazan Aircraft Production Association.[28]Ilyushin focuses on the military cargo and transport sector.Yakovlev has a portfolio of trainer and amphibious aircraft projects and competes in the onboard electronics and avionics niche.[10] In the unmanned aerial vehicle segment,ZALA Aero andVega Radio Engineering Corporation are among the leading companies.
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| United Aircraft Corporation | Russian Helicopters JSC | Other major producers: |
|
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| 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] | ||||||||||||||
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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 theIlyushin Il-76.
Sukhoi Su-24 production ceased in 1993,Mikoyan MiG-31 ceased in 1994 andSukhoi Su-25 in 2017
Military aircraft production is carried out at three locations:[34]
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| Type | 2012 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mi-8 family | 193 | ||||||
| Mi-35 family | 29 | ||||||
| Mi-26 | 7 | ||||||
| Mi-28N | 18 | ||||||
| Ka-31 | 1 | ||||||
| Ka-32А11ВС | 5 | ||||||
| Ka-52 | 21 | ||||||
| Ka-226 | 11 | ||||||
| Ansat | 5 | ||||||
| Total | 290 | ||||||
| Sources:[35] | |||||||
Production of theKa-27/Ka-28/Ka-29/Ka-32 was discontinued in 2010
In 2021 a total of 134 helicopters were manufactured byRussian Helicopters. This rose in 2022 to 296.[36][unreliable source?]
The general aviation fleet in Russia remains dominated by theSoviet eraAntonov An-2, with numerous aircraft remaining in service. Several attempts have been made to upgrade existing aircraft, as well as provide a replacement.[37] These include theAntonov An-3 andSibNIA TVS-2, which involve replacing the engine on existing aircraft with turboprop engines. TheUZGA LMS-901 Baikal is envisioned as a future replacement for the venerable aircraft, but this is dependent on the successful development of theKlimov VK-800 turboprop engine.
On 30 January 2022, the first prototype LMS-901 made its first flight fromYekaterinburg Aramil Airport. AGeneral Electric H80 engine was installed on the aircraft, pending the development completion of the VK-800. In September 2024, thePresident of RussiaVladimir Putin ordered the LMS-901 into serial production, although its intendedVK-800SM engine is not expected to be certified until 2025, with deliveries of the engine not expected until 2026.[38]
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The company AeroVolga, based in Samara produce a number of amphibious twin-engine light aircraft, including theAeroVolga LA-8 andAeroVolga Borey light flying boats.
Licensed production of theDiamond DA40 andDiamond DA42 light aircraft take place at theUral Works of Civil Aviation. Additionally, the production of the UTS-800, a local derivative of theDiamond DART is planned.[39][40]
In late 2022, development of a new four seat trainer aircraft began by the private firm Spectra Aircraft, a subsidiary of theS7 Aerospace Corporation. Prior to this, a number of facilities had been built by the company at Torbeyevo Aerodrome inMoscow Oblast, to house the companies aircraft production, as well as flight training facilities.[41] In 2023, the first prototype aircraft was revealed as theSpectra PV-10 Tango.[42] It was stated that the aircraft was entirely made of domestically produced composite materials. The first flight of the PV-10 Tango took place on 21 September 2024 at Torbeyevo Aerodrome inMoscow Oblast, piloted bySIBNIA test pilot Vladimir Barsuk.[43] The test aircraft was equipped with aBelgianULPower UL520, but serial aircraft are expected to be built with the APD-520 engine, also made by S7 Aerospace. According to S7 CEO Vladislav Filov, the primary use case of the aircraft would be for use in civil aviation flight schools and aero clubs.
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The assembly ofbush flying aircraft is conducted by the First Experimental Design Bureau inTaganrog, producing the Spectra Aero SP-30bush plane based on the CanadianZenith STOL CH 701.[44][45] More than 250 aircraft have reportedly been produced. The aircraft is specifically built to withstand the harsh conditions of remote and undeveloped areas, and can operate underSTOL conditions.
Earlier models of the aircraft usedAustrian originRotax 912 engines. These were later replaced withZongshen C-100 engines of a similar specification. The further localisation of aircraft components is planned.
The light aircraft industry remains bottlenecked by the lack of available engine options. While a number of prospects are underway to address this issue through import substitution, this issue will need to be addressed in order to achieve reliable serial production.[43]
A joint venture betweenUral Works of Civil Aviation(UZGA) and the 558th Aircraft Repair Plant based inBaranovichi aims to produce a utility aircraft, namely theLMS-192 Osvey, based on an earlier design study conducted by UZGA and its partnerDiamond Aircraft.[46][47] The aircraft is named afterLake Osveya in northern Belarus.
As theSino-Soviet split deepened, theSoviet Union made a effort to support India, especially with the sale of advancedMiG-21 fighter aircraft.[48] TheUnited States and theUnited Kingdom refused to sell advanced weaponry to India, further compelling the country to turn to the Soviets for military aid.
The Soviet Union offered India full transfer of technology and rights for local assembly toHindustan Aeronautics Limited. Subsequently, theMiG-27 attack aircraft was also produced locally by HAL.[49]
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Large scale cooperation betweenIndia and theSoviet Union in aircraft production increased under the term of Indian Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi following the signing of theIndo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 1971, in response to closer relations betweenPakistan,China and theUnited States. This was a significant deviation from India's previous position ofnon-alignment.
This cooperation would continue following the breakup of the Soviet Union, with production and maintenance of theSukhoi Su-30MKI under licence byHAL beginning in 2004.[50][51] In 2024, Indian media reported negotiations between HAL and Russia for exporting Indian-produced Su-30MKIs.[52]
TheMiG-29K programme was revived in response to the decision of theIndian Navy to acquire the formerRussian Navy carrierKiev-class carrierAdmiral Gorshkov, renamed asINSVikramaditya after undergoing an extensive conversion.[53] The program had previously stalled due to lack of funds, as well as the Russian Navy preferring theSukhoi Su-33 during the 1990s. Modifications were made to fit Indian requirements, including theZhuk-ME radar, RD-33MK engines, and updated avionics.[54] This marked the first time a Russian origin aircraft operated from an aircraft carrier, replacing the previousBritish Aerospace Sea Harrier in Indian Navy service.The improvements made to the MiG-29 were carried over to the Russian Navy, when it ordered a batch of MiG-29KR aircraft for its carrierAdmiral Kuznetsov in 2009.
In late 2025, several sources reported thatArmenian Air Force was considering a deal for 12Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft fromHindustan Aeronautics Limited, as a counter to the acquisition ofJF-17 Thunder fighters by theAzerbaijani Air Force fromPakistan.[55][56][57] Armenian already operates a small number ofSu-30SM aircraft delivered from Russia.
In October 2025,Hindustan Aeronautics Limited signed amemorandum of understanding withUnited Aircraft Corporation to manufacture the SJ-100 under license for the Indian domestic market, as part of theIndian Regional Jet strategy.[58][59] This partnership marks the first time a passenger aircraft would be produced in India since the end of licensed production of the BritishAvro HS748 in 1988.[60]
HAL MiG Engine Division Koraput
In April 1964Hindustan Aeronautics Limited opened the MiG Engine Division Koraput complex to license manufacture theTumansky R-11 turbojet engine for theMiG-21. The facility would further go on to manufacture theTumansky R-25 andTumansky R-29 for upgraded variants of theMiG-21,MiG-23 andMiG-27. MiG Koraput currently produce theKlimov RD-33 engine to support the MiG-29 in service with theIndian Air Force andIndian Navy.[61]
HAL Sukhoi Engine Division Koraput
In 2002, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited operated the Sukhoi Engine Division Koraput complex to license produce theSaturn AL-31FP engine for theSukhoi Su-30MKI.[62]
In 1995,BrahMos Aerospace was formed as a jointIndo-Russian venture between India'sDefence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) andNPO Mashinostroyeniya. The companies name is aportmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, theBrahmaputra of India and theMoskva of Russia. The company currently manufactures the BahMos universal missile, an advanced derivative of theP-800 Oniks.[63][64] Land, ship and air based versions of the missile have been inducted across theIndian Armed Forces.
In 2022, the CEO of BrahMos Aerospace, Atul Rane, stated that a futurehypersonic missile, designated as theBrahMos-II and based on the3M22 Zircon, could be developed, named theBrahMos-II.[65]
The missile was used during the2025 India-Pakistan conflict as part ofOperation Sindoor, hitting targets across Pakistan using missiles launched in the air fromSukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft.[66][67]
A licensed copy of the IsraeliIAI Searcher UAV is produced byUZGA.[68] A fully domestic versionForpost-R made its first flight in 2019, with production continuing as of 2025 in both reconnaissance and strike configurations.[69] The domestic variant of the drone replaces its engine and electronic components with those of Russian manufacture.[70]
In 2009, Israel and Russia signed a contract to supply a batch ofIAI Bird-Eye reconnaissance drones to theRussian Ground Forces, following a Russian evaluation of combat performance during the Russo-Georgian War.[71] In December 2009 media reports suggested that Russia is negotiating a second purchase of drones. In October 2010, Israel Aerospace Industries announced that it signed a $400 million agreement to sell unmanned aerial vehicles components for a production line of UAVs to be assembled in Russia.[72] In Russian service, the drones were given the designation Zastava. A small number ofIAI I-View drones were also purchased.[73]
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 otherdefense industry sectors, and aircraft products make up more than half of the country's arms exports.[74]
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]
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