| The Sukhoi military-industrial aviation complex, or AVPK Sukhoi was founded on 26 August 1997, by an order from the President of the Russian Federation. It brought together the development organisation and the series manufacturers producing the Su aircraft. The aircraft production combines of IAIA, KnAAPO and NAPO (Irkutsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Novosibirsk Aviation Production Associations). In addition AVPK Sukhoi also includes the G.M. Beriyev aviation scientific and technical complex in Tarangovsk (TANTK), that develops amphibian planes.
Most of the aviation technology developed and manufactured by the constituent parts of AVPK Sukhoi is military. At present, the Russian army and navy are equipped with Su-27, Su-24, Su-25, Su-24M aircraft, and Su-33 carrier-based aircraft. Su military aircraft have been supplied to India, China, Iraq, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Syria, Algeria, the Korean People’s Democratic Republic, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, Iran, Angola, Ethiopia and Peru. In total over 2,000 Su aircraft have been exported. At the end of the 1980s, the AVPK Sukhoi developers made a breakthrough into the area of super-manoeuvrable modes of operation. Complicated aerial manoeuvres such as the Pugachov cobra, the hook, the cool bit, etc. are carried out by the company’s aircraft, but cannot be performed by a single foreign aircraft.
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Su-31 |
Since the mid-nineties, Su aircraft have been fitted with variable thrust vector engines, developed in the A. Lyulka-Saturn JSC. This has allowed progress to be made in the mastering of super-manouevrable modes of operation and has made it possible to exclude problems of stalling and spin.
At the moment, the main thrust of the company's activities is in military aviation; creating the Su-30MK, Su-30MKI, Su-32FN and Su-35 export-orientated multi-purpose fighters and the Su-39 strike plane and putting them into operation, together with the completion of tests on the highly manouevrable, supersonic S-37 Byercut (golden eagle), with forward-swept wings, and its use as a basis for the creation of a fifth-generation Russian fighter.
The Sukhoi company is Russia's only developer and manufacturer of amphibian planes. It is about to introduce a multi-purpose jet-powered amphibian, the Be-200, and a light amphibian, the Be-103.
The company is continuing its work on the creation of competition aircraft. The family of single-seater and twin-seater aircraft, the Su-26, Su-29 and Su-31, that have won over 180 medals in international competitions, will be expanded.
The main tasks of AVPK Sukhoi are to provide Russian armed forces with the most modern aviation technology for the successful implementation of the national military doctrine, and to increase its technology’s market share on domestic and foreign markets through long-term development and diversification of its products.
The direction of external economic activities for the company are:
- Exporting Sukhoi’s military and civil aviation development and production technology, and associated services of a military nature.
- Exporting dual-purpose products, and associated services (training aircraft, engines, equipment).
- Exporting civil products, and associated services (aviation technology and related equipment, and consumer goods).
AVPK Sukhoi’s comprehensive production for foreign markets is based on:
- A developed scientific production foundation making it possible to establish competitive production on external markets for all customers.
- A flexible system for mobilising intellectual and material resources for the creation of forms of aviation technology that completely satisfy the requirements of foreign customers.
- An active marketing policy and clear-cut systems for ensuring commitments undertaken are met.
- The demands of external markets are taken into account in the organisation of the research, development, testing and engineering departments, and directly by production personnel throughout the company, and the developers and production workers are orientated towards the creation of forms of aviation technology that more fully respond to the clients’ requirements. Currently, Sukhoi can offer:
- Export of military, training and combat training aircraft and organisation of their manufacture abroad under licence.
- In-depth modernisation of previously supplied aircraft to improve their characteristics so that they meet modern requirements.
- Reconditioning and repairing of aircraft supplied and taken out of service.
- Sale of licences and organisation of licensed production of military and civil aircraft abroad.
- Creation of regional centres for technical servicing, small-scale and medium-scale repairs and provision of spare parts.
Overall, the integration of the development and production aspects of Su aircraft manufacture reflects the trend towards unification that has been displayed recently in the world aerospace industry. Primarily this is linked to a heightening of competition in the aviation technology market, a reduction in military expenditure and because research, development, testing and engineering are more expensive.
Sukhoi company’s integrated structure will make possible an effective use of its export potential that it is estimated will be valued at $17,000m by 2005.
In the near future it is planned that AVPK Sukhoi will become a powerful basis for the formation of a holding company uniting the military and civil sectors of aviation technology around basic ranges. AVPK Sukhoi is putting in place resources required to become the core of the consolidation of Russia’s aviation industry in the 21st century. © |
