This publication details the production of aircraft, helicopters and air weapons in the Russian Federation for its war needs. In 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defence received about 2.5 times more tactical combat aircraft than in 2021.
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The pace of production of combat helicopters has similarly increased. Air weapons and UAVs have become ever more important, with the priority given to low-cost systems. New products were developed specifically for the needs of the war with Ukraine, including UMPK wing kits for general-purpose bombs, which are now in production at a rate of 3,500 per month. An unusual situation saw the purchase of Shahed one-way attack UAVs from Iran.
Production of these was then launched in Russia (as the Geran) as a low-cost alternative to strategic cruise missiles. A strategic issue for Russia’s aviation industry is the progressive loss of competence, which began long before the war. It is increasingly doubtful that Russia will be able to create next generation products and the United Aircraft Corporation’s spending on R&D declined in 2024, indicating a reduction in new projects. New problems have arisen during the war, with Western embargoes on supplies to the Russian arms industry, leading the nation to launch ‘import substitution’ programmes, as well as ‘parallel imports’ (a euphemistic term for smuggling foreign-made components). A further issue is the lack of support for production tooling, which is almost all foreign, and the sudden increase in production has also caused personnel shortages.
