Over the two years of full-scale war, the russian manufacturer of Su-30 aircraft has bought almost $420 million worth of its own products from foreign partners. The Moscow Times writes about this based on customs data, UNN reports.
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After the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine, the russian aircraft manufacturing company yakovlev (until 2023 it was called Irkut), which produces Su-30 fighters and Yak-130 combat trainers, bought back nearly $420 million worth of equipment previously supplied to them from its foreign partners.
Similar deals began in 2021, and over the past three years, their total amount has exceeded $900 million. In 2022, the company imported $322.3 million worth of its own equipment, and in 2023 - $95.1 million. These were mainly components for the production of military aircraft, including radar equipment and programmable controllers. At the same time, in 2021, the company purchased equipment worth $581 million.
As the publication found out, the missile manufacturer NPO Mashinostroitelstvo and the navigation system manufacturer NPP Automated Measuring Complexes also bought their equipment abroad. From 2021 to 2023, these companies imported their products from Asia and Africa for $25 million each.
Speaking about possible reasons for the deals, military analyst David Sharp pointed to the complexity of aircraft production. "The russian military-industrial complex is only able to produce dozens of combat aircraft a year because of the long-term construction of each aircraft," Sharpe explained.
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The main military aircraft of the yakovlevs is the Su-30 fighter jet. The russian army is actively using it in the war with Ukraine. According to Military Balance, by 2024, russia had 124 Su-30 fighters of various modifications. Oryx estimates that by the beginning of 2024, russia had lost 11 aircraft of this type in Ukraine, and in total, since the beginning of the war, it has lost more than 70 military aircraft.