OREANDA-NEWS. The high-profile participants of the meeting included Yury Slyusar, Vice-Minister of Industry and Commerce, Andrey Boginski, Director of the Aviation Industry Department of the said Ministry, Vladimir Babkin, Director General, FSUE "TsIAM", Yevgeny Kablov, Director General, FSUE "VIAM", Mikhail Pogosyan, President, "United Aircraft-Building Corporation", Vladislav Masalov, Director General, "United Engine-Building Corporation" (UEC), as well as the top managers of UEC entities in charge and officers from the customers'. The discussions focused on the production issues of VK-2500 helicopter engine, advancements in the 1st and 2nd phase engine project for PAK FA, work in progress on the commercial engine PD-14 for the MS-21 airplane, etc.

Dmitry Rogozin made a point in stressing the importance for the modern-day engine-building industry to have a clear vision of new multifaceted realities and needs emerging beyond the horizon of 2018 "when we will have been past the peak requirements of the state armaments program. New projects and order backlogs should then be well under way to also provide for the progress in civilian areas. These are clear-cut targets and they were explicitly set forth by the President of Russia. A good new helicopter or airplane will never come into being unless we have had a fair amount of work done in terms of engine conception and implementation."

Prior to the working session, the Deputy Premier made a tour of the factory workshops where he acquainted himself with the cutting-edge equipment and technologies used in aircraft engine manufacturing. Dmitry Rogozin was shown the readied mass-production samples of AL-31F engines to be installed on Su-27 fighter aircraft and AI-222-25 engines for Yak-130 combat trainers, the latter engines being produced at Salut using fully Russian-made components.

Among the tour highlights was the unique gear and pinion production department which fulfills the crucial task of machining these highly complicated engine parts. Dmitry Rogozin did not spare praise for the excellent results of this dedicated facility which boasts state-of-the-art equipment and technologies.

FSUE "Gas-Turbine Engineering RPC "Salut" is currently being re-organized into a Joint-Stock Company with 100% of its shares to be remitted as a pecuniary contribution to the State Corporation "Rostekh" and further on to UEC. The incorporation of Salut within the engine-building holding company should have the engine-manufacturing branch consolidation process brought to a close.