Rustam Minnikhanov and Sergey Chemezon visit Rostec aircraft building enterprises in Kazan

On 24 March the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and the Director General of the Rostec state corporation Sergey Chemezov visited the largest aircraft building enterprises of the region, namely the Kazan Aircraft Plant and the Kazan Helicopter Plant which produce civilian planes, dual-capable long-range bombers and different classes of helicopters, which are very important for the transport system and national security of the country.

During the visit, Rustam Minnikhanov said: “The Rostec state corporation is the strategic partner of the republic, which hosts 19 enterprises of the corporation employing more than 55 thousand people. Last year the production volume exceeded 387bn rubles. The Rostec enterprises implement large scale events in reconstruction, technical and technological re-equipment of the industrial capacities of its key plants. First of all it is related to military and civilian aircraft. Currently we have to quickly solve issues with import-replacement of main components and renovation of technical capacities. Special attention should also be paid to issues of training specialists.”

At the Kazan Aircraft Plant (which is a part of the corporation) the delegation gave assessment to large scale modernization and technical re-equipment of the plant to increase its capacity for production of civilian TU-214 planes and TU-160 dual-capable long-range bombers.

Until recently the TU-214 was produced in small numbers for special ordering customers and has proved itself to be a reliable and functional aircraft. Now the Kazan plant has launched the production of the first batch of commercial planes and is planning to start production of several batches simultaneously for state and commercial ordering customers. The task of this plane is to support continuous work of the sphere at the difficult moment when foreign aircraft producers left the Russian market.

The plant also produces modernized dual-capable long-range bombers TU-160M which have substantially larger fighting capabilities. Further development of the platform will make it possible to use the plane for new kinds of weapons including the promising ones.

“We can see that the plant is substantially renovating and increasing its production capacities. The branch faces the task to maximum quickly provide domestic airlines with Russian planes replacing Boeings and Airbuses, which are no turning back to the Russian market. Currently we are increasing the production of Tu-214 up to 10 planes a year. In the future the manufacture could be increased up to 20 planes a year. At the same time the plant increases the manufacture of famous “White Swans”, which are a brand mark of our strategic aviation. These are unique machines- wonderful outside and with formidable fighting capabilities,” Sergey Chemezov commented.

During the visit to the Kazan Helicopter Plant (which is the part of the Russian Helicopters holding) Sergey Chemezon checked the work on import-replacement of foreign systems in the Ansat helicopter. The main topic for discussion was replacement of the Canadian engines by the domestic BK-650В produced by the JSC Klimov.

Sergey Chemezov said: “The procurement of the test ВК-650В engines for assembly and preparing Ansat helicopter for test flights is planned for the end of the third quarter of 2023. In 2024 it is planned to certify the type and carry out a set of work to expand the engine capacities and start its full-scale production. The test flights are to start in the end of 2023.”

Currently the plant continues fulfillment of the large contracts for the National air-medical service and for the Emergencies Ministry of Russia.

Having walked round the plants, Rustam Minnikhanov and Sergey Chemezov hold a meeting of the Commission on Interaction of the Tatarstan Government and the Rostec State Corporation.