Kings with grenades: Grads, fridges and Chapaev
Largest Russian and Tatarstan companies that provide the army with ammunition
Realnoe Vremya's analytic staff continues to tell about enterprises of the Russian Military Industrial Complex. Today's research is about the companies linked with ammunition production.
14 secret state enterprises
According to data of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, there are 72 companies linked with the production of ammunition and special chemical products registered in the country. 58 of them revealed information about their revenue. The other 14 enterprises are federal enterprises that don't make this data public. Two Kazan enterprises – Kazan State Gunpowder Factory and Kazan Precision Mechanical Plant are among state enterprises.
In general, 58 enterprises making ammunition and special chemical products that revealed the information had a revenue of 102,3bn rubles in 2015. One year earlier, the total revenue of these enterprises was 78,4 bn rubles. So the growth during a year was about 24%, which is a bit less than by 1/4.
Only one Kazan enterprise – State Scientific and Research Institute of Chemical Products is among these 58 companies. Another enterprise is located near Kazan, in Zelenodolsk. It is Sergo Factory.
How POZIS earned not only on fridges
Tula Scientific and Manufacturing Association named Splav is the biggest Russian factory manufacturing ammunition and special chemical products. It leaves other companies behind. The turnover of the association totalled 26,6 bn rubles in 2015. It is 39% more than in 2014 when the turnover was equal to only 19,2 bn rubles. The enterprise was founded in 1945 to make shells for non-rocket artillery. The association started to design multiple launch rocket systems since the late 1950s. At the moment, Splav manufactures multiple Grad, Uragan, Smerch launch rocket systems, DP-62 Damba shore based multiple rocket launcher, A-22 Ogon incendiary complex. The enterprise is part of Rostec state corporation.
Zelenodolsk Manufacturing Association Sergo Factory occupies second position in terms of its turnover in production of ammunition and special chemical products. The company's turnover is considerable lower than that of the leader. But Sergo Factory has a greater growth. In 2015, its turnover was 9,9bn rubles. It grew by 69% in comparison with 2014 when its turnover was 5,9bn rubles. The factory was founded as early as 1898. Production of cannon shells began in 1930. In 1959, the factory started to make Mir and since 1971 Sviyaga fridges. In military production, Sergo Factory deals with metalworking, heat treating, electrical discharge machining. In 1996, it began to make hunt and sport cartridges.
Plastmass factory from Chelyabinsk Oblast is on third position. Its turnover is comparable with the results of the Zelenodolsk factory. In 2015, it was 8,5 bn rubles. Compared with 2014 when turnover was 3,5bn rubles, the revenue grew 2,5 times. The enterprise was founded in 1939. Now Plastmass produces non-rocket artillery ammunition, multiple launch rocket systems, air weapons. Moreover, the Chelyabinsk factory repairs and recycles ammunition.
Iskra for explosive processes
Fourth place belongs to the Scientific and Research Machine Engineering Institute from Moscow. In 2015, its turnover made up 5,1bn rubles. It shrank a bit during a year – by 6% from 5,5bn rubles. The factory appeared in 1932 as Scientific and Research Ammunition Institute. The enterprise produces ammunition for field, tank and naval artillery. There were designed about 1,000 samples of ammunition in 80 years of its existence.
Iskra Mechanical Factory from Novosibirsk is fifth. The enterprise's turnover in 2015 amounted to 3,75bn rubles. This indicator increased by ¼ during a year – from 3,01bn rubles. The enterprise was founded in 1942 and deals with production of industrial explosion devices for ore and mining industries, geophysical exploration of minerals, execution of explosive works on construction sites, explosive forming. The company belongs to Rostec's Techmash Scientific and Manufacturing Concern.
Сhapaev gave gunpowder
Applied Chemistry Scientific and Research Institute from Moscow Oblast takes sixth place. The enterprise's turnover was 3,57bn rubles in 2015. Compared to 2014, it grew by only 1% — from 5,45bn rubles. The institute was created in 1945. Torches for photoflash air bombs, tracers for artillery ammunition, rockets and target planes were designed by 1960. At the same time, the institute created the first samples of civil pyrotechnical products. Nowadays Applied Chemistry Scientific and Research Institute is the principal enterprise of Russia on design, production and recycle of pyrotechnic products.
Kurganpribor Scientific and Manufacturing Association occupies seventh position. The enterprise's turnover in 2015 was 3,2bn rubles. The association improved this indicator by 2/3 within a year – from 1,95bn rubles. The enterprise was born in January 1942. Its current form appeared in 2007. The scientific and manufacturing association mainly produces burglar alarms, cathodic protection stations, diode resistive units, anode beds, electrodepositions, radio and electric and technical devices, rolled metal products.
Cheboksary Manufacturing Association named after Chapaev is ranked eighth. In 2015, the enterprise showed a turnover of 3,06bn rubles. One year earlier, the indicator was worse by 15% — just 2,7bn rubles. The factory was founded in 1941 to produce explosive and photoflash bombs, smoke grenades and tracers. Later apart from military products, the factory produced Volga washing machines. The factory is part of Techmash Scientific and Manufacturing Association at Rostec.
Ninth place goes to State Scientific and Research Mechanical Engineering Institute named after V.V. Bakhirev from Dzerzhinsk. In 2015, the enterprise's turnover was 2,95bn rubles. In 2014, it totalled 2,43bn rubles – by 22% less. Now Scientific and Research Mechanical Engineering Institute is the leading Russian enterprise in design and production of ammunition and spare parts of guided weapons. The company mainly focuses on design, project and production of ammunition of guided rockets of all classes and types with usual ammunition, research in physics of explosions and high-speed collision.
Scientific and Research Institute of Polymer Material located in Perm rounds out the top 10 largest enterprises of Russia linked with ammunition production. Its turnover in 2015 was equal to 2,3bn rubles. The result increased by 1,5 times during the year – from 1,6 rubles. The enterprise was founded in 1950. Nowadays it deals with the design of prospective gunpowder samples, solid rocket fuel, low gas and incendiary compositions and charges on their basis, technological production processes for ammunition and military equipment samples.
Shy Tochmash and Gunpowder Factory
As for Tatarstan enterprises, the nearest research site after biggest Sergo Factory is situated quite far – on 28 th place. It is State Scientific and Research Institute of Chemical Products. The enterprise's turnover in 2015 was about 839m rubles. In comparison with 2014, its turnover reduced by 10% — from 936m rubles. The enterprise designs gunpowder for civil products and ammunition, combustible shells and propellant charges.
Another two enterprises linked with ammunition production – Kazan Precision Mechanical Engineering Factory and Kazan State Gunpowder Factory – don't give official information about their turnover, as it was mentioned. Nevertheless, as it was said in the middle of 2016 at a press conference, Gunpowder Factory's revenue was about 3m rubles in 2015. This turnover ranks it penultimate in the rating of companies. Informkhimmash from Moscow whose indicator is 1,3bn rubles is worse than Gunpowder Factory.