MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/. The revival of collaboration with international firms will not compromise the autonomy of Russia’s aircraft industry, nor will it hinder the ongoing import substitution efforts, head of the association the Union of Aviation Engine Construction Viktor Chuiko said, adding that the experiences of past decades, when domestic aircraft production was halted, served as a serious lesson for the country.
"Russia’s aircraft industry was deliberately dismantled. New airplanes were not manufactured. Older models were decommissioned, and foreign aircraft were introduced, leased, and sold with commission fees. And most importantly, there was a campaign to convince us that our planes were inferior, that we were incapable," he told Russia’s Argumenty I Fakty daily in an interview.
When asked whether renewing cooperation with foreign enterprises might derail the import substitution strategy in aviation, Chuiko responded: "I don’t believe that. It won’t occur under the present national leadership. The West gave us a good lesson. Over the course of three decades, the manufacture of domestic passenger jets in volumes essential for the country was suspended. And this impacts not only the economy but also national security and regional transport connectivity."
Additionally, the association chief emphasized the value of working with external partners. Notably, even during the Soviet period, some components for aircraft were sourced from abroad, he recalled. "Naturally, these must not include vital parts of the aircraft, without which it cannot function. The engine, above all, should be produced domestically," Chuiko emphasized.