As much as fixed-wing Russian commercial aircraft remain a novelty outside domestic and ex-Soviet markets, Russian aircraft systems and electronics seem even more scarce in Western aviation supply chains.
One Moscow-based company is investing heavily to make a wide range of Russian-designed mechanical and electronic systems – from air-conditioning systems to fire suppression to landing gear – attractive alternatives to European and US rivals.
Technodinamika was established as part of the Russian government's formation of consolidated industry champions. It is one of multiple subsidiaries of Rostec, a conglomerate structured not unlike United Technologies or Safran.
Instead of Pratt & Whitney or Snecma engines, Rostec's United Engines Corp subsidiary produces Saturn and Klimov powerplants. Rather than United Technologies Aerospace Systems' military-orientated sensors, Rostec's Kret subsidiary offers a variety of sophisticated eavesdroppers and jammers.
Technodinamika is assigned a different role. It was formed by consolidating the products of 36 factories scattered over Russia, with capabilities as wide-ranging as those found in the portfolios of UTC Aerospace Systems, Safran or Liebherr.
Russia focus
With the exception of a small handful of products, Technodinamika's business caters almost exclusively to Russia's commercial and military aircraft. Eyeing an international market 10 times the size of Russia's domestic industry, Technodinamika is going out on the road, hoping to infiltrate the supply chains of European makers of helicopters and commercial aircraft.
In a global market hungry for more competitive suppliers, Russian companies such as Technodinamika boast a large cadre of highly trained and relatively low-cost engineers, extensive production capacity and government financing support.
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Despite these advantages, Technodinamika chief executive Igor Nasenkov is aware the path to entering the international market will not be easy. After chartering a team of consultants to map out a strategy, Technodinamika has launched a three-year, 12 billion rouble ($200 million) modernisation drive, injecting Soviet-era factories with new automation and lean production principles.
"We totally understand that without going for modernisation we will not be able to compete on the international market. We have people that help us see ourselves from the prism of foreign buyers," Nasenkov says.
"These agents help us to improve our production lines and also to use the best international practices for R&D departments. That's why we think that these 12 billion roubles is enough for three years to change our vision for our plants and we fully expect we will be able to compete with the foreign market," he adds.
A few of Technodinamika's product lines have made progress already. The company already supplies license-built air-conditioning system components for three Leonardo helicopters – the AW109, AW139 and AW189.
As the maker of crash-resistant fuel systems and complete air-conditioning systems for Russian-made helicopters, Technodinamika's goal is move up the value chain from license-built parts to supplying its own components to delivering complete subsystems at the Tier 2 and eventually Tier 1 level.
"We think in two years we'll be able to get status as a supplier for Airbus at the Tier 2 level," Nasenkov says.
Ambitions
The company's strategy is to achieve Tier 1 status for large systems in Western supply chains within six years, offering the likes of Leonardo and Airbus an alternative to firms such as Liebherr and Curtiss-Wright.
Russia's domestic industry provides several stepping stones as Technodinamika attempts to climb the ladder of the international supply chain.
United Aircraft Corp is busy testing the single-aisle MC-21, developing new variants of the regional Superjet, regional Il-114 and twin-aisle Il-96-900 and teaming with Chinese industry to create an all-new twin-aisle by 2025. Each programme offers opportunities for Technodinamika to introduce new products, starting with the Superjet.
In about a year, Technodinamika intends to release a vision for replacing the many foreign suppliers on the Superjet with homegrown technology, but the company has already made a start.
Over the next three years, Safran is expected to transition production of the strut for the Superjet landing gear to Technodinamika.
"It's not about changing totally the system of landing gear. It's localisation of some components that are produced for the system in Russia," Nasenkov says. "One of our factories is situated in Samara and Technodinamika is specialising for the landing gear strut. It will be two-three years to localise it in Russia."
The Russian government has also commissioned to revive assembly of the Il-114 turboprop and Il-96-400, but only after modernising the 1980s-era systems technology on both aircraft designs.
"We are ready to propose existing systems, that are already on the board for this aircraft and projects and… we are ready to propose modernised systems that will supplement systems that we proposed before," Nasenkov says. "We understand that the new aircraft will be better in some characteristics and of course we hope to propose the product that will be meeting the demands of our partners."
The prize, however, is the new twin-aisle aircraft by China-Russia Commercial Aircraft International, the joint venture between UAC and Comac. The project is expected to draw heavily on Western suppliers, but Chinese and Russian companies will also fight to win a share of the work package.
"It is early to say but we hope that together with Russian suppliers and with foreign suppliers we will be able to keep our proposals and we hope we will get wide implementation of our products on this program," Nasenkov says.
Technodinamika is also growing in other ways. The consolidation of Russian aircraft systems companies is not finished.
"Today we're in the process of negotiation for getting six or seven more companies for our group," he says. "Adding to our competencies we are moving to increase our working technical MRO of aircraft."
Source: Flight International
