The sanctions imposed by the West on Russia have sparked a revival of the country's industrial and technological capacity, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated on Wednesday.
Speaking at the international Russia EXPO exhibition, Mishustin noted that the numerous packages of sanctions “pumped out by the West have not led to the collapse of the Russian economy, as their authors expected,” adding that the country’s gross domestic product is expected to grow by 3% this year.
Russia has strengthened its technological sovereignty and is in a position to “restore its status as a great scientific and technological power,” the prime minister stated.
The restrictions have helped speed up the revival of Russian aircraft manufacturing, including the development of domestic landing gear, engines, avionics, electrical components, and composite parts, he added.
Russia has been striving to develop a substitute for imported planes since the introduction of Western sanctions related to Ukraine. Leading aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus were forced to stop providing parts, maintenance, and technical support to airlines and maintenance companies in Russia.
“There are still questions left concerning the replacement of foreign components. But we can handle everything. And our engineers and designers are working hard on this,” the prime minister noted.
Among domestic aircraft under development are the single-aisle MC-21 airliner, which is currently undergoing trials, and the Sukhoi Superjet New, a version of the Superjet 100 regional jet made entirely from Russian-produced components.
According to government estimates, it will take up to five years to set up serial production of Russian-made planes to replace foreign aircraft.
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