Latest news with #VadimBadekha
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Russia's fighter jet maker wants to crank out 30% more warplanes while laying off 1,500 managers
Managers are getting the chop in Russia's war economy, too. The country's largest military aviation contractor has plans to boost fighter jet production by 30% in five years, as its CEO said in the same month that he wants to lay off 1,500 management staff. "We plan to raise production effectiveness 30% by 2030," Vadim Badekha, CEO of the United Aircraft Corporation, told state media in a Wednesday report. "It will help produce major volumes under the arms procurement order that will exceed the high figures of last year." The United Aircraft Corporation, which has no relation to United Airlines, is the Russian defense prime that oversees Sukhoi and Mikoyan — the producers of warplanes such as the MiG-35 and the fifth-generation Su-57 multirole fighter. Badekha, who took over UAC in November, made his remarks a week after telling Russian media outlet RBC in an interview that his company was looking to "optimize the number of managerial personnel" in its ranks. "1,500 people, or more than a quarter of the managerial staff," Badekha said, adding that the layoffs were targeted at its Moscow office. It's almost reminiscent of the "Great Flattening" unfolding in the US labor market now, where Big Tech and some of America's largest firms have been ripping out chunks of middle management to go lighter on salaries and efficiency. But UAC's financial condition is far more dire. Badekha said the cuts were part of a push to bring UAC out of the red, after a decade of the firm posting consecutive annual losses of billions of rubles. The company's net loss was 34.8 billion rubles in 2023, which shrank to 14.2 billion rubles in 2024. Meanwhile, the firm is trying to accelerate deliveries. Badekha has been touting his goal of 30% increased productivity since at least March, when he met publicly with Russia's prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin. Still, that was a meeting about civil aviation; UAC builds civilian airliners like the Yakovlev Superjet 100 and Irkut MC-21. The Wednesday state media report, citing Badekha, on the other hand, was about a delivery of upgraded fourth-generation Su-34S fighters, indicating that the group hopes its production boost will extend to its arms business too. UAC's attempt at profitability comes as the Russian government has surged defense spending for the last three years to maintain its offensive pace in Ukraine. But Russian contractors such as UAC have also been contending with sanctions choking out their supply chains, skyrocketing interest rates meant to keep inflation in check, and an ailing labor market that's seen workers leave the country or sign up to fight Ukraine.
Russia Today
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Russia Today
Fully import-substituted Russian Superjet makes first test flight (VIDEO)
The latest prototype of Russia's new SJ-100 Superjet airliner, built entirely from domestically produced components, has successfully completed its first test flight, state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec has announced. The program to replace all Western-made parts on the regional passenger aircraft was launched in response to the sweeping sanctions imposed Russia's aviation industry by the US and EU after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The third prototype of the Superjet took to the skies in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Russia's Far East, Rostec said in a statement on Wednesday. During the test, the fully import-substituted plane demonstrated good controllability and stability in the air, the statement read. All Russian-made systems on the aircraft operated consistently, it added. According to Rostec, the 40-minute flight took place at an altitude of up to 3,000 meters. The plane, equipped with Russian PD-8 engines developed by the United Engine Corporation, reached a speed of up to 500kph. 'The program of import substitution in relation to the Superjet aircraft has entered the home stretch. The Rostec conglomerate has done a massive job. About 40 foreign systems and units have been replaced on the airliner, including the most important component – the engines,' Vladimir Artyakov, Rostec's first deputy general director, said. The first prototype of the SJ-100, mostly built with domestically produced components and equipped with Russian-French SaM146 engines, began testing in 2024. This March, a version of the plane with Russian PD-8 engines got off the ground. United Engine Corporation CEO Vadim Badekha called the Superjet test flight 'a historical event… that will become an important step towards strengthening the technological independence of our country and make a significant contribution to the development of the domestic aircraft manufacturing industry.' According to Badekha, certification tests of the Superjet are expected to be completed by the end of the year, meaning deliveries of the aircraft to Russian carriers could begin in 2026.
