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| Tu-214 |
The Kazan Aviation Plant (KAZ) will produce two Tu-214 aircraft in 2025, as stated by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Oleg Korobchenko, in an interview with the “Tatarstan 24” TV channel.
This is a significant announcement considering that Altitude Addicts reported that the company will produce 5 aircraft in 2025. You can find the video published on January 7th.
Oleg Korobchenko contends that the expansion of Tu-214 production is a multifaceted matter. The plant has been trying to achieve what has not been done in the past 30 years for the past three years.
“We are starting to move very fast. As of today, our plant has built a large number of production facilities, purchased new equipment, trained personnel, and engaged partner factories within the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). This year, we plan to prepare two aircraft. A significant volume needs to be caught up,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.
Consequently, the Deputy Head of the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan formally stated that the Russian government’s aviation industry development program’s 2025 targets could not be completely achieved. In the spring of 2024, the Comprehensive Program was modified. The initial projection was that seven Tu-214 aircraft would be manufactured in 2024; however, only one was actually completed. The objective was decreased from ten to four in 2025. Considering the readiness of Russian systems for the MC-21, SJ-100, and Tu-214 aircraft, as well as the production capacities of aviation plants, raises the issue of whether the Comprehensive Program requires further revision and more realistic planning.
At present, Tupolev PJSC is in the process of substituting specific imported aircraft systems with Russian-made components. These replacements consist of radar systems, ground proximity warning and collision avoidance systems, and imported processors.
Furthermore, the hydraulic and electrical systems, as well as the lighting technology, are currently being modernized. An updated integrated flight control system is currently being developed to facilitate the development of a two-pilot version. Industry representatives have indicated that 15 main systems and approximately 30 secondary systems are scheduled for replacement.
As per the Comprehensive Program for the Development of the Aviation Transport Industry of the Russian Federation, a total of 115 Tu-214 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by December 31, 2030. The Kazan Aviation Plant is expected to implement several significant facilities in order to increase the production of the Tu-214 and produce four aircraft in 2025.
It is necessary to examine the past promises of this Russian official.
Korobchenko announced in 2023 during a live broadcast of the “Tatarstan Online” program that the facility intended to achieve an annual production rate of 20 Tu-214 aircraft in the near future. At that time, the current production volume of only 1–1.5 aircraft per year was considered temporary. The minister anticipated that the plant would transition to full-scale import-substituted production, as is the case with its foremost global counterparts.
Korobchenko underscored in the same broadcast that the plant had the capacity to manufacture as many as 100 aircraft annually in the long term, a goal that was even discussed with the President of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov.
Two years later, those plans remain unfulfilled. In 2025, the plant plans to produce just two aircraft. Initially, the goal was to produce 10 aircraft, later reduced to 4. Statements about reaching a production level of 100 planes now seem like a pipe dream from the past, especially considering that in 2023, the plant produced no more than a couple of aircraft.
It is crucial to acknowledge that Tu-214 is considered a temporary solution until the production and stabilization of MC-21. Simultaneously, Russian officials assert that about 100 Tu-214 aircraft have been ordered, although only a small number of these orders can be considered firm.
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