About how Anatoly Serdyukov came to Kazan to look at President-S
The Kazan optical-mechanical plant (KOMZ) will have to return the advance payment at 1.221 billion rubles to the Stella-K enterprise that opened a shop on production of electronic warfare means on 6 April
On 6 April, by pressing a symbolic red button, the production of radio-electronic industry Stella-K was launched in Kazan. It produces the defense complexes for aircrafts from the man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS). Also, in the presence of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, suddenly arrived the former Defense Minister of RF Anatoly Serdyukov and other high officials, the Kazan optical-mechanical plant transferred to the Defence Ministry two helicopters equipped with Rychag-AB, which is produced on the basis of the KOMZ from 2014. The event was visited by the correspondent of Realnoe Vremya.
The transfer of Kazan helicopters and an unexpected guest
The event, atypically public for defence industry, was literally full of high-ranking officials for the ceremonial transfer to the RF Armed Forces of two helicopters, equipped with electronic warfare Rychag-AB. The President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Deputy Defence Minister Yury Borisov, Deputy Minister of Industry of the Russian Federation Andrey Boginsky, as well as the former Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov visited KOMZ. The news of the arrival of the latter surprised many of those present, and in the first place — the journalists. However, the high-rank guest were protected from the media in advance.
On 29 October of 2015, the former Russian Defence Minister Serdyukov was appointed as the industrial director of aviation cluster of the state corporation Rostekh. And, recently, on 18 March, he held the board meeting of the Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies (KRET) in St. Petersburg.
Serdyukov visited the Kazan optical-mechanical plant not so long ago – in December of last year. It is noteworthy that his extraordinary visit to Kazan also was never announced. Meanwhile, on 6 April, the former witness on the case of embezzlement in the defence industry was relaxed, smiled, was cheerful and happy.
Speaking of technology: Rychag –AB system was developed several years ago by the Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies, which includes Kazan optical-mechanical plant, within the framework of the state defense order. The serial production of helicopter complex Rychag was started in 2014.
This technical equipment is able to protect a group of front-line aviation and land units against air attack, anti-aircraft warfare of the enemy. The radius of the Rychag-AB helicopters action, neutralizing electronic waves, exceeds several hundred kilometers. What is more, it blinds not only one target of an enemy but several ones at the same time. As a result, the enemy sees not a real aircraft but several false targets.
All civil aviation will be protected from MANPADS attacks
After the transfer of the helicopters, the delegation went to the second site – the company Stella-K, which will produce means of electronic warfare. Earlier, avionics for aircraft defence from MANPADS were produced in Zelenograd, not in the most comfortable and suitable conditions they annually produced 12 sets for the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Due to the fact that in 2016 the need only of the Defense Ministry has grown to 35 sets, the issue of a normal large-scale production appeared that led to the opening of the shop KRET in Stella-K.
According to the data from the Spark service, JSC Stella-K was registered in Kazan, on the Lipatov Street, 37 (KOMZ was also registered there) in August 2015. The founders of the company are JSC Vysokie Tekhnologii and PLC Business and Investments. The head of Stella-K Rushan Sibgatullin is the former Director General of PLC KAN-Avto-6, KAN Stroy, KAN Brokers-6, Azino Service. CAN-Avto also belongs to Aleksander Kolesov, the son of the head of the Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies Nikolay Kolesov.
The opening of the company was quite curious: Rustam Minnikhanov, Yury Borisov, Andrey Boginsky and the Director General of JSC KRET Nikolay Kolesov together pressed the big red button. Given the theme of the event, there was the obvious analogy with the nuclear briefcase. It was followed by the ceremonial signing of the act of transfer to the company Progress of the first three sets of President-S, assembled in Stella-K (despite the fact that formally the shop was opened just on 6 April).
As the Deputy Minister of Defence of RF Yury Borisov, all summer squad, that transports the high-rank officials of the government, have already been equipped with the President-S system.
'I think that all state aviation, and maybe all civil aviation, given all terrorist attacks that, unfortunately, do take place in the world, can be equipped with this system. At least, they will be defended from MANPADS attacks,' told Borisov.
The production, which has been started in Kazan, is aimed at the serial production of electronic warfare systems. The capacity is about 100 systems per year. Yury Borisov noted that the cost of production have been reduced due to the introduction of new technologies, and revenue and performance will be significantly better than before.
Money circulation between Stella-K and KOMZ
It is noteworthy that the history of relations of JSC Stella-K with JSC KOMZ has its origins long before the formal opening of the shop on 6 April. As Realnoe Vremya found out on the website of information disclosure, in November of 2015 JSC KOMZ ordered from JSC Stella-K 'ejection devices' in the amount of 100 sets. Sets must have been delivered by July 2016. The cost of the sets – 709 million rubles. Besides, for that period, Stella-K rented 2 802 sq.m. from JSC KOMZ in one of the buildings of the building of KOMZ for 644 700 rubles per month for 11 months.
In December of 2015, Stella-K became a buyer for some optoelectronic products of KOMZ at total cost of 2.45 billion rubles. But almost in March of this year the parties decided for unknown reasons to terminate the contract by mutual consent. Until the termination Stella-K had already transferred to the company Kolesov the prepayment at 1.221 billion rubles. Now the KOMZ will have to pay this amount, but in what terms, is not specified. The correspondent of Realnoe Vremya is trying to figure out the details of this conflict by sending a written request 2 weeks ago. Our journalist failed to communicate with the representatives of the KRET and plant. The access was organized exclusively for members of the federal press. Local journalists were silent observers of the communication between tops of state-owned companies with colleagues from Moscow.
'It is an identifying mark of our defence industry. Armies from all over the world are not averse to purchase them'
According to the assessments of the Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, Russia does not lag behind other countries in the electronic warfare. Moreover, our products are in great demand in foreign markets.
'The ground-based, electronic warfare (EW) systems Krasukha, Moscow showed to good advantage. They are in great demand, there are long queues for them. Also, Rychag. It is an identifying mark of our defence industry, I think that they are at a global level. The armies of the world are not averse to buy them,' said Borisov. 'I know that our Ekran (the enterprise and the Research Institute in Samara as part of the KRET) had serious negotiations with Spanish companies that wanted to acquire the technology of production of this complex.'
Rustam Minnikhanov: 'I must say that we should return in the 1990s when KOMZ was in a poor state, and we will know how much we have achieved. Today it is a modern enterprise that meets all the standards that are needed, including for the defense of the country.'
In its turn, President of Tatarstan appreciated the level of development of radio electronics in the country, and also spoke about the situation with professional training in Tatarstan for the organization of production of such level.
'I must say that we should return in the 1990s when KOMZ was in a poor state, and we will know how much we have achieved. Today it is a modern enterprise that meets all the standards that are needed, including for the defence of the country,' said Rustam Minnikhanov. 'Most importantly, on the basis of our resource centers – today we have created 14, this year will create another 6 – we are able to prepare specialists of the highest level. This theme is very important, and we will assist in the implementation of these innovative industries. As we can see, people only of very high qualification work there.'
Syrian campaign will affect our new armament programme
Also, at the event, they were talking about the implementation of state defence orders in 2016 and potential changes in the armament programme after the Syrian campaign. According to Borisov, he has no doubt that in 2016 the order will be fully implemented, but at the same time, he expressed the hope that the Russian industry will not fail the defence of the country.
In its turn, the Director General of KRET Nikolay Kolesov said that specifically in his enterprise the state defence order will be carried out at 100%.
'2015 we finished with 100% fulfillment of the state order, achieved 112 billion rubles of revenue. This year the increase is quite large. Our priority is the state defence order, our country — it is not negotiable, there is even no need to ask, the state defence order will be fulfilled at 100%,' Kolesov.
If to talk about the work on the next state armament programme, initiated by Vladimir Putin on 12 February, it will be based on all military conflicts, including the Syrian campaign, and their deep analysis.
'In the current 2017, we will live according to the parameters of existing armament programmes, and from 2018 we have planned a new programme. We will certainly make changes. You can see for yourself that the character of wars is changing, intelligence are being widely used, precision-guided munition, electronic warfare, the latest products of the latter we have observed today in Kazan,' said Borisov.
The speaker also noted the growth in purchases of electronic warfare, as all military conflicts have shown that it is the most effective means to fight on all fronts: on land, in air and water.