Saratov Aviation Plant

Saratovskiy Aviatsionnyy Zavod 
Ulitsa Ordzhonikidze 
410015, Saratov, Russia 
Telephone: (011-7-8452) 44-46-20
Fax: (011-7-8452) 44-36-07 
Telex: N/A; 
Teletype: 241110 FREZA

The SARATOV AIRCRAFT PLANT, a leader of the Russian aircraft industry, has been manufacturing planes for sixty years now. Cooperating continuously with the A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau, the plant specializes in manufacturing military, sports and civil-aviation planes of the Yak family. The Yak-1 and Yak-3 fighters rolled off the production line of the Saratov Aircraft Plant during the years of the Great Patriotic War; the Yak-15, Yak-23, Yak-25 and Yak-27 jet planes were its first postwar models. In the 1960s and 1970s it organized and launched production of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) planes. The Yak-42 plane developed in the 1980s was certified by the Russian Aviation Register for operation on local and international air lines.

One of the largest privatized companies in Russia [100 percent of shares owned by employees and retirees since 1991], the Saratov Aviation Plant produces the Yak-42 series passenger jetliner and plans production of further modifications of this model and of smaller passenger and cargo planes. In the past it also built combat aircraft, including the Yak-38 V/STOL fighter.

The decision about the creation in Saratov of plant by the production of agricultural machines is made in 1929. On the base of this production was subsequently created Saratov aircraft plant. In the first six years of the strenuous labor the association of Saratov aircraft plant introduced large contribution to development of agricultural production in the Volga Region, Siberia, also, in the Far East, after letting out more than 39000 units of [khlebouborochnoy] technology. In connection with the threat of military attack in the USSR into 1937 Saratov plant of combines was reoriented to the production of aviation equipment.

On October 28, 1938 from the airfield of Saratov aircraft plant took off the first aircraft R -10, which possessed the enormous for those times speed of 370 km/h and the used as reconnaissance aircraft. In July 1939 completed test flight the fighter I-28 designed by V.P.Yatsenko. This was the first machine with the air-cooled engine, which at the height of 5000 meters showed the speed of 576 km/h.

In June 1940 to Saratov [aviatsioonomu] plant it was charged within the three-month period master series output of that created by young aircraft designer A.S.Yakovlev fighter Yak-1. In October 1940 the first three aircraft yak rose into air. Since the beginning of the World War II Saratov aircraft construction companys worked in the heavy duty, supplying to the front fighters. In 1943 German bombers destroyed 70% of production areas. The association of plant continued work under the open sky. Simultaneously the housings of Saratov aircraft plant were restored with this, reconstruction occurred, conveyor-line lines were created, and after 80 days of the strenuous labor the production of aircraft reached previous level. In all in the time of war plant let out more than 13 thousand fighters Yak-1 and Yak-3.

The collaboration of Saratov aircraft factory and AKB Yakovlev continued after war. On April 19, 1946 was tested the first trainer aircraft Yak-11. On April 30, 1949 plant tested the first jet fighter of the construction Of [s]. [A]. [Lavochkin] LA -15. It had extraordinarily light weight for the jet aircraft - 3850 kgf, maximum speed - 1026 km/h, it was light in control.

On May 28, 1952 helicopter Mi-4 designed by KB Mikhail [Milya] underwent control plant tests. By its qualities and by transport possibilities Mi-4 it considerably exceeded foreign analogs. This helicopter today widely is used in the national economy of Russia as the passenger, the sanitary, for the extinguishing of forest fires, for the work in the Arctic and Antarctic. On Mi-4 are established 7 world records. On the world exhibition in Brussels this helicopter was of [nagrazhden] gold medal.

In 1970-1980s Saratov aircraft plant manufactured passenger aircraft Yak-40 and Yak-42, the military aircraft of vertical takeoff Yak-38.

>Saratov aviation plant has 60 years history of testing and production of different types of aircraft, including YAK-1,-11, LA-15, MIG-15, YAK-25,-27,-38,-40,-42 and others. The plant, which had 15,000 employees in 1992, owns a large amount of worker housing, several collective farms, and health-care facilities.

At the beginning of 1979 plant headed grown in the association [Krivokhizhin] Alexander Ivanovich. He put much labor into the technical reequipping, introducing the equipment with the programmed control, mastery of new types of aviation equipment, for which it was honored the title of the laureate of the State Prize the USSR. Extensive work was done on increasing the reliability of aircraft Yak-42, mastery of the modifications of VTOL aircraft Yak-38m, and Yak-38u.

In these years considerable attention was paid to the development of social sphere. Were built new apartment buildings, hospital complex, dispensary, the palace of culture was reconstructed. For the large contribution to development of domestic aircraft construction and in connection with the 50th anniversary the plant was rewarded with the order of the October Revolution. Under the management of works manager Willie Grigorevich Konyashko, since 1985 was conducted work on the improvement of construction and an increase in the production of aircraft Yak-42. In January 1988 to the post of works manager was assigned Alexander Viktorovich Ermishin. He continued work on the reconstruction, the technical reequipping of production, the mastery of aviation equipment of the new generation.

By the early 1990s the Saratov Aircraft Plant had almost entirely withdrawn from military production and is developing modified Yak-42 models (Yak-42A and Yak-42M) for the civilian market. It was also planning to restart production of a modified Yak-40 passenger aircraft and was developing a multi-purpose light airplane, the T-401. The plant has designed and constructed an experimental saucer-shaped craft called "Ekip". It also began production of consumer goods, such as kitchen utensils, metal toys, children's sleighs, baby carriages, and bicycles. The Saratov Aviation Plant has exported a large proportion of its production of Yak-42 passenger airliners to China and Cuba and has negotiated sales with Israel, India, Italy and Greece.

Saratov Oblast, covering and area of 39 thousand sq. miles, is situated in the heart of the Volga Region. The year 1997 marked the 200 year anniversary of the establishment of Saratov as an administrative territory. Together, with the regions of Volgograd, Ashtrakan, and the republic of Kalmikia, Saratov Oblast forms the greater Lower Volga Region. Saratov lies 860 kilometers (530 miles) from Moscow and shares borders with seven other regions and Kazakstan. The Oblast's capital city, Saratov, is considered by many to be the industrial, scientific and cultural center of the greater Lower Volga region. Saratov is home to more than 2,000 large and medium-size enterprises. The Saratov region's 1995 economic output was approximately 22 8 billion rubles ($5 billion USD) Machine building and the petrochemical and chemical industries form the largest share of the region's economy, with a combined share of 52 %. Agriculture is the next leading industry maintaining approximately 25 % of Saratov's economy. Machine building production, formerly defense related, now focuses on the industrial production of precision machinery including diesel engines, generators, and programmable metal lathes.

A landslide drop in the demand for the aircraft in Russia had paralyzed entire production activity of plant. It was rolled up into the completion of reserve and repair previously released liners. In the repair of aircraft SAZ actually lost competition to Bykovskiy Aircraft Maintenance Plant (BASES). BASES took to repair three Yak-42, two were overhauled, and the third take for itself on account payments. As a result the aircraft factory obtained the specific park of the technology, which it could return into the leasing to airlines. SAZ devised nothing similar.

Initial production of Yak-54 was organized by the Saratov Aviation Plant. Since 2006, the production and sales of Yak-54 airplanes has been started by JSC Arseniev aircraft company "Progress" in honor of N.I. Sazykin" in close cooperation with JSC "Yakovlev Design Bureau".

The 2007 bankruptcy of the Saratov aircraft plant (SAZ) is blamed on its previous management. But the new managers have only a small chances to preserve in enterprise in the the series production of aircraft. The procuratorship of Saratov region developed a criminal case against the former Director-General of the Saratov aircraft plant (SAZ) Alexander Ermishin] who had headed enterprise since 1988. He was charged with the abuse of official authorities. During the investigation, which the district procuratorship conducted together with the provincial procuratorship, it was revealed, that Ermishin had in January 2007 concluded an agreement to sell real estate of the plant with the commercial bank "Saratov". To the latter was as a result transmitted the land section with an area of 180 thousand sq. meters together with 24 objects for a price hardly exceeding 300 million rubles. Procuratorship counts the cost of the sold property of that of substantially understated. It noted that, in the opinion independent estimator, the market value of one land section alone was 430 million rubles. Procuratorship calculated, that the actions Of Ermishin caused the plant damage in the amount of more than 150 million rubles. Ermishin was removed from the post of the general director of SAZ in March 2007 by the resolution of the arbitrage of Saratov region. Then the plant, on the demand of its basic creditor - Gazprom - was introduced external control. SAZ owed Gazprom about 335 million rubles. This sum was paid in 2004 by the company as the advance for five Yak-42 aircraft.

New managers of SAZ wanted to find circulating capital for fulfilling Gazprom's order for Yak-42 without the sale of active memberships, due to the repair of liners. But the gain from the realization of the machines, each of which costs about 18 million dollars (450-470 millions of rubles), as they calculate, will help them to restore production. Saratov aircraft plant proposes to sell new Yak-42D aircraft. Delivery time of the nearest on the readiness aircraft was to be 4th quarter of 2008. Price base of the local version of 500 million rubles.