As the newspaper Kommersant reported in [...] Aigul Abdullina's article, "The rector of MAI landed at the plant. The creator of the Superjet will oversee the manufacturer of Baikal, the rector of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) and the creator of the Superjet, Mikhail Pogosyan, will head the board of directors of the Ural Civil Aviation Plant (UZGA). Kommersant's sources believe that the ex-president of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has been appointed to oversee UZGA's civil projects and financing issues. Kommersant's interlocutors expect a clearer division into military and civilian segments from the plant.
Mikhail Pogosyan (c) Moscow Aviation Institute
As it became known to Kommersant, MAI Rector Mikhail Poghosyan will lead the Board of directors of UZGA. Three Kommersant sources in the industry say that the decision was made in November 2024. The appointment was not officially announced. UZGA, MAI and Technodinamika Holding (which controls the plant) did not respond promptly. Previously, the UZGA board of Directors was headed by Vadim Badekha, who has been in charge of UAC and PJSC Yakovlev since November (see Kommersant on November 5, 2024).
Mikhail Poghosyan joined MAI in 2016 after his early resignation from the post of president of the KLA a year earlier. His departure from the KLA was accompanied by public criticism of the Sukhoi Superjet project. The government, the Ministry of Defense and the Federation Council pointed to the high cost of the aircraft, low localization, problems with operation and a small series. Mikhail Poghosyan's figure is associated with the refusal to finance other civil aviation projects and the reliance on foreign suppliers of components. In this regard, a number of Kommersant's interlocutors consider Mr. Poghosyan's appointment to the UZGA to be formal, also pointing out that the degree of influence of the head of the board of directors may be "limited." According to one of them, this is an attempt to move away from combining the positions of CEO and head of a collegial management body: "However, a new person with a clear eye is always a good idea."
However, most Kommersant sources are confident that Mikhail Poghosyan remains a significant figure in the aviation industry with "negotiating resources" and has been appointed to bring UZGA's civilian projects out of the crisis.
"It's a matter of his personal ambitions and, if not a triumphant return to the aviation industry, then proving that he knows how to make airplanes," says one of Kommersant's interlocutors. Mikhail Poghosyan retains the post of adviser to the head of the KLA, adds another Kommersant source.
Mikhail Poghosyan's powers and immersion in the project are also evidenced by the fact that he managed to bring Andrey Nedosekin, former deputy director of the OKB, to the UZGA team as head of the engineering center. Mikoyan. And the SSJ-100, "with reservations and disadvantages in economics and operation," is a marketed project that has not yet been replicated, says one of Kommersant's sources. In addition, according to Kommersant's interlocutors, Mikhail Poghosyan's achievements in the field of front-line aviation are irrefutable. They believe that the appointment of Mr. Poghosyan is aimed at raising funds, as well as "reshaping and promoting stalled UZGA projects."
In May 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Trade lowered the UZGA's plan for the number and timing of aircraft production until 2030. According to the Comprehensive Program for the Development of the Air Transport Industry (KPGA), instead of 140 units of the 44-seat Ladoga (TVRS-44), 105 aircraft are expected, and the delivery deadline has been shifted from 2025 to 2028. And instead of 178 L-410s, which UZGA planned to localize, 158 aircraft of the joint Russian-Belarusian Osvey project (LMS-192) are planned to be produced. The volume of deliveries of nine-seat Baikal (LMS-901) will be reduced by 15 units to 139 aircraft, the start of deliveries has been postponed to 2025.
At the same time, many of Kommersant's interlocutors in the industry and the expert community still doubt the realism of these plans. The KPGA itself should be reviewed again in 2025 (see Kommersant, August 9, 2024).
In the future, Kommersant's sources expect a clearer division of UZGA management into civilian and military projects.
In their opinion, a sharp revision of the volumes announced in the KPGA or the abandonment of programs is hardly possible. Although some sources expect to freeze or minimize the release of Baikal as the "most problematic" (see Kommersant on September 17, 2024). The two interlocutors of Kommersant expect that Aurora, as Baikal's anchor customer, will agree on the supply of Osvey, which will be a mutually beneficial solution. According to one of Kommersant's sources, Aurora initially did not see the point in a single-engine aircraft. The re-contracting will also provide demand for Osvey, which was decided on at the intergovernmental level and cannot be abandoned, he continues.
An interlocutor of Kommersant in the expert community notes that there are still interested parties at Baikal. In particular, the regional carrier Krasavia claims it: "And the appearance formed by UZGA suits them." Therefore, he finds the preservation of Baikal to be a more rational solution when prioritizing Osvey. The plant will have to work painstakingly to attract financing "in conditions when budget funds are not unlimited," he concludes, and Mikhail Poghosyan "is quite suitable for this role."
Pogosyan Mikhail Aslanovich
Personal business
Born on April 18, 1956 in Moscow. In 1979 he graduated from the Faculty of Aircraft Engineering of the MAI. After graduation, he worked at the Sukhoi Moscow Machine-Building Plant (later Sukhoi Design Bureau), rising from a design engineer to First Deputy General Designer. In 1995-1999, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of OKB, and then as CEO until 2007. At the same time, in March 1998, he became the General Director of FSUE Sukhoi Aviation Military Industrial Complex, and in September 2003, he became the general director of Sukhoi Aviation Holding Company, which was founded on its basis. Also in 2007, he was appointed First Vice President of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). In 2009-2011, he was CEO and General Designer of RAC MiG. Since February 28, 2011, he has been President, Chairman of the Management Board of UAC, and a member of the Board of Directors of the corporation. Doctor of Technical Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Winner of the State Prize and the Russian Government Prize. He was awarded the Order of Honor for his contribution to the creation of the Su-33 fighter. Since 2016, he has been rector of the MAI, and in 2021 he was appointed rector for a second five-year term.
