Irkutsk Aviation Plant

The Irkutsk Aviation Plant is an aircraft manufacturing company based in Irkutsk, Russia. The company is a subsidiary of Yakovlev Corporation and produces a number of civilian and military aircraft, including the Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter, Yakovlev Yak-130 trainer and Yakovlev MC-21 airliner.

Since its establishment in 1932, the plant has produced over 8,000 aircraft.[1] The plant is based at Irkutsk Northwest Airport, located along the Angara River.

History

1932 - 1941 Early years

On 28 March 1932, the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry issued order No. 181 for the construction of "Plant No. 125 named after Joseph Stalin" in Irkutsk.[2]

1945 - 1991 Jet Age

The 1950s saw the beginning of the jet age at Irkutsk, with the construction of Tupolev Tu-14 and Ilyushin Il-28 jet bombers. The latter would become the backbone of Warsaw Pact frontal aviation in the early jet era.[7] At the same time the plant began producing a large number of consumer goods, such as backpacks, cutlery, lamps and toys.[4] In 1957, the plant was overhauled to allow for production of the new Antonov An-12 tactical airlift aircraft, the largest aircraft built to date.[7][5] The first prototype aircraft flew from Irkutsk-2 on 16 December 1957.[8] From 1956 to 1962, 155 aircraft were assembled at the plant, before being moved to Tashkent to free up production space. The production of military transport aircraft would continue in 1967 with the production of the Antonov An-24T.[9] From 1960 to 1972, the plant produced 697 airframes of the Yakovlev Yak-28 combat aircraft.[10] While initially conceived as a medium bomber, variants for reconnaissance, electronic warfare, interceptor and trainer use were built. In August 1982, a Yak-28 was installed as a gate guardian at the front of the complex to coincide with its 50th anniversary. In the early 1970s, the variable-geometry Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 was produced at Irkutsk. In particular, production of the twin-seat training variant MiG-23U began in 1971, eventually converted to the MiG-23UB.[11] From 1977 to 1988, the ground attack variant MiG-27 would also be produced, including the MiG-27K equipped with highly advanced navigation-attack system. Both MiG-23 and MiG-27 aircraft were successfully exported to several countries, as well as licensed production carried out in cooperation with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India.[12] In total 1,008 MiG-23 and 360 MiG-27 were assembled in Irkutsk.[7]

In the mid-1980s, the production of the two-seater Su-27UB was transferred to Irkutsk. While the original Su-27 had good range, it still did not have enough range for the Soviet Air Defence Forces.[13][14] Hence, development began in 1986 on the Su-27PU, an improved-capability variant of the Su-27UB capable of serving as a long-range interceptor or airborne command post. The first Su-27PU flew at Irkutsk on 31 December 1989, and the first of three pre-production models flew on 14 April 1992, amidst the turmoil surrounding the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.[15]

native name	Иркутский авиационный завод
type	Open joint-stock company
industry	Aerospace
founded	March 28, 1932
founder	People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry
hq location	Irkutsk Northwest Airport
hq location city	Irkutsk
hq location country	Russia
products	Sukhoi Su-30 Yakovlev Yak-130 Yakovlev MC-21
owner	United Aircraft Corporation
parent	JSC Yakovlev Corporation
website	https://eng.yakovlev.ru/

Irkutsk Aviation Plant

History

1932 - 1941 Early years

1941 - 1945 The Great Patriotic War

1945 - 1991 Jet Age

1991 - 2006 Time of Troubles

Products

Directors

External links

References