Russia's Military Aviation Industry. Strategy for Survival

At the 1996 Farnborough Air Show, Sukhoys SU-37 astounded international observers with maneuverability previously unseen in a combat aircraft. The thrust-vectoring SU-27 variant stole show headlines with flight demonstrations widely described in the aviation press as spectacular. One air show reporter opined that the SU-37 shows that the Russian aviation industry is still alive. Sukhoys new aircraft is convincing reaffirmation of the world-class and, in some areas, unique capabilities of Russias military aviation industry. However, though still alive, Russias military aviation industry is struggling for survival. The situation is serious enough that a committee of the Russian legislature examining the problem in 1995 concluded that the aviation industry could collapse by the turn of the century if energetic action to reverse current trends were not taken. The main source of the industrys problems is easy to find orders from the Russian Federation Air Force RFAF are down to almost zero. The same is true of orders from former Warsaw Pact nations. Because RFAF purchases have nearly ceased, production lines have gone idle, and workers are laid off or unpaid. A related problem, which may have greater long-term impact than the closure of some production lines, is a steady decline in the number of new scientists and engineers beginning work in the military-industrial complex. The trend points toward a future shortage of trained specialists in the science-intensive aviation industry.