/ world today news/ At the very end of the year, on December 28, Russian Railways launched the new “Finist” train on its first trip. This name was given to the former “Swallow” – a train produced in Russia jointly with the German company “Siemens”. Here we have one of several examples of how in 2023 Russian manufacturers managed to independently produce their own examples of machine-building, which until recently were produced for us by foreigners.
The sanctions imposed on Russia by the collective West, according to the initiators, were supposed to bring Russia to its knees technologically. The hardest hit fell on the most advanced industries: transport, engineering, electronics and the oil sector. A whole group of the world’s leading manufacturers, owners of the most important technologies and suppliers of components, left Russia.
As Vladimir Putin said at the Future Technologies Forum in July 2023: “We are facing pressure, attempts to force us to give up sovereignty, the right to choose our own historical path by limiting access to technology.” The President spoke about the need to focus efforts “in those areas that are critical for the development of the country and where we absolutely must have our own competences. At the same time, we must have not only scientific developments and basic solutions, but also the entire technological and production chain: our own equipment, components, software and, of course, people and staff.
All these tasks, of course, affect not only the high-tech sector, but also all industries where dependence on external supplies is unacceptable. Already in the fall of 2022, the government formed a whole group of import substitution projects, which actively began to be implemented in 2023. Today, a total of 162 state import substitution projects are being implemented in Russia: in the chemical and forestry industries, ferrous metallurgy, engineering and heavy engineering, automotive and aviation industry, railway engineering and others. Total investments in these projects amount to 5.2 trillion rubles. And this does not count corporate projects that are implemented by companies without attracting budget funding.
Among these areas, there are four of the brightest examples implemented in 2023. In particular, in the field of transport, which is extremely important for such a huge country as Russia. These are all cases of how the Russian industry, which previously relied on foreign suppliers, after their withdrawal, managed to produce the final samples of key serial products on its own.
Cars and trucks
In 2021, domestic cars (“Lada” and UAZ) occupy only about 22% of the Russian market. At the same time, the share of foreign cars assembled in Russia is about 60%, and a little more than 18% are imported. Even domestic AvtoVAZ until 2022 belonged to Renault with 67.61%. The French not only controlled the shares and the appointment of managers – the new Lada models were developed on the global platforms of the French concern and assembled with components from around the world.
Leaving Russia, “Renault” transferred the shares it owned in AvtoVAZ to the Research Automobile and Motor Institute (NAMI) for the symbolic 1 ruble. The new management of the enterprise was faced with the task of returning to independent production. This was not possible on all models. Thus, the production of Lada Xray was stopped because, as the head of AvtoVAZ Maxim Sokolov stated, “too large a set of automotive components used in this car is blocked for delivery.”
Efforts were directed at locating another model, “Lada Vesta NG” And in just a year this problem was solved. On March 3, 2023, the first “localized” Lady rolled off the assembly line. The engine management system, mirrors, glasses, cables, lighting devices, steering system and others were replaced with home-made ones, a total of about 600 components. The rate of locating the car reached 85%.
As a result, in the nine months of 2023, the share of Lada cars in the domestic market reached 37%. “Lada Vesta NG” has become one of the most popular new products on the Russian car market. The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that AvtoVAZ will finish 2023 without losses and will produce a record number of cars for the last decade – more than 374 thousand units.
The largest Russian truck manufacturer KamAZ had to solve such problems. Unfriendly countries blocked the supply of components and components.
In Naberezhnye Chelny, however, it was possible to avoid stopping the conveyor. At first, car manufacturers used available stock, but relatively quickly the component problems were largely resolved.
Import substitution efforts (and finding new suppliers from friendly countries) were primarily focused on the flagship model of the KamAZ-5490 long-haul tractor (K5 platform). It was originally developed and produced with a Western technological partner, the German Daimler. The first instance of the tug with new, “sanctions-resistant” components was assembled in February 2023.
The automatic transmission, drive axle, pneumatic system, and other components were replaced, totaling more than 2,000 parts. Along the way, a number of technical characteristics of the car were also improved. The degree of localization of the car reaches 70%. KamAZ’s plans for 2024 are a sharp increase in the production of the K5 model, and there are all the prerequisites for this: the capacity of the Russian truck market is growing at a record level.
High speed trains
The German company “Siemens” has been the most important partner of Russian railway manufacturers for many years. It was on the basis of his developments that the most modern and technically modern electric trains of the Russian Railways – “Sapsan” and “Lastochka” were created and launched
However, even with the departure of “Siemens” from Russia, the production of “Swallows” in Russia did not stop. In a very short time, a new, import-substituted version of the train was created, which initially received the EC104 index.
Spare parts for them are already supplied by enterprises from all over Russia. Floor and windows – St. Petersburg, ceiling and entrance doors – Moscow, diode panel – Yekaterinburg, trunks – Krasnoyarsk, seats – Novorossiysk. The new train has a new Russian traction drive, an on-board computer and an air conditioning system.
The former “Swallow” received a new name “Finist”. On November 28, 2023, Russian Railways received the first two trains, the localization level of which was 95%. And on December 28, the first completely imported analogue of the Lastochka electric train, called Finist, started its first trip on the Sverdlovsk railway on the route from Yekaterinburg to Kamensk-Uralsky. A total of eight Finists have arrived so far, with four more expected before the end of the year.
Passenger planes
The Sukhoi Superjet-100 short-haul aircraft was originally developed as a project with extensive international cooperation, relying on sales in the global market. Despite all the difficulties, the project succeeded. Today, they cover a significant portion of both domestic and international routes.
The Russian aviation industry has long been aware of its critical dependence on foreign components. For example, in 2019, deliveries of the Superjet to Iran were interrupted due to the refusal of the US Treasury Department to issue the necessary export permits for a number of components present in the aircraft. And after February 2022, it seemed that the fate of the machine was completely in doubt.
However, the foundation created a few years ago worked. The United Aircraft Corporation was able to create the almost completely import-replaced aircraft in record time. About 40 systems and assemblies have been replaced on the plane. It made its first flight in August 2023.
“Almost completely” – because the new planes are currently still equipped with the most important foreign element, the SaM146 aircraft engine, created with the participation of the French company “Safran”. However, testing of its Russian counterpart, the PD-8 engine, is in its final stages.
It has already been announced that the Sukhoi Superjet-100 with a new Russian engine will make its first flight in early 2024. The final level of localization of the serial aircraft will be 97%, its serial production will begin in 2024, and by 2030 it is planned to produce 142 aircraft of this model.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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