OREANDA-NEWS. Evgeniy Kablov, general director of VIAM visited NPO Saturn.

In the course of his visit, after almost 40 years since his first visit to the Rybinsk-based engine-building company, Evgeniy Nikolaevich Kablov got acquainted with the present-day Saturn, its design bureau, serial and prototype production plants and was demonstrated all the cutting-edge processes either already implemented in the company or undergoing development.

I'm very favorably impressed by NPO Saturn, - shared Mr. Kablov. - First of all, these are the fond memories of my youth. My very first visit to Saturn took place in the fall of 1974. Knowing the conditions the Russian industry is in nowadays, what I've seen here is more than encouraging. I've seen a well thought-out engineering and human resources policy, there a lot of youth working in the company, I've also seen that massive restructuring is underway. The company doesn't just buy new equipment, it exercises a system-based approach prioritizing the most advanced fields of materials and parts production, management systems and conducting of tests. Thus, NPO Saturn is deservedly emerging as a Russian leading engine-building hub.

We have to understand that the ability of the country to produce full-scale gas turbine engines, and Saturn is fully capable of that, and so is Russia collaborating with the company, demonstrates its level of technological advancement. It is not by mere coincidence that in 2008, when VIAM was visited by Russian president Vladimir Putin, a resolution was adopted to allocate additional 12.8 billion rubles for funding breakthrough technologies. The decisions made back in 2008 are now being put to life at Saturn. I'm glad to see that the company has been able to preserve its engineering school, its long-standing traditions; and it is only based on this approach that we can continue moving forward.

As a reminder, NPO Saturn and VIAM for many years now have been in close and fruitful collaboration in the field of development and putting to serial applications a wide range of new materials and production processes. In December 2012, during a visit to VIAM of NPO Saturn CEO Ilya Fedorov, the companies signed a collaboration agreement. Pursuant to that document, NPO Saturn and VIAM have agreed to implement a common research and technology policy in the filed of development and implementation of the future materials and manufacturing processes applicable to gas turbine engines which would facilitate the evolution of Russian engine building and expansion of the new materials and processes market with regard to new innovative projects in the filed of aerospace.

Elaborating on the fields of collaboration and the technologies whereby Saturn holds a leader's position, Evgeniy Kablov noted: “Saturn is perceived by the industry as a leader due to the fact that it, working together with the French, produces a unique SaM146 engine meeting European quality standards. And when Ilya Nikolaevich Fedorov together with his colleagues was visiting us, we were discussing the opportunities that VIAM could ensure as the largest national materials research and development center. Our main fields of activity are all related to single-crystal blades casting, titanium intermetallic works, application of related coatings, disk materials as well as ceramic structural materials. The design of a gas turbine engine should soon see a wider application of polymer composite materials which would drastically affect the weight and operability of newly developed engines. We also find very interesting the procedure of 3D prototyping. We have all the necessary conditions to accommodate that process, and I consider it to be one of strategic ways for our collaboration.

The leader of VIAM gave a high appraisal to the NPO Saturn design bureau: “The Rybinsk-based design bureau has always been and traditionally remains one of the strongest R&D centers in Russia. And what I saw there today impressed me greatly. There are many young people here, save to say the best-in-class research and development infrastructure. And what I find counts the most are the collaboration projects we are leading with this design bureau in the interests of the second stage of developing of Russia's prospective fighter.”

In the frame of United Engine Corporation, NPO Saturn and the Perm companies including Aviadvigatel have been integrated to constitute its “Civil engines” division. Evgeniy Kablov spoke his opinion about a possible merger of the two design bureaus:

“We no longer have a surplus of capacity, neither there is a surplus of people able to create, today we are talking about a deficit of such resources. That's why today we have to connect the people, integrate our common projects and convince the people that there is no other way out. We won't have another engine besides the PD-14. Failing to do so, will ultimately lead to Russia losing its civil engine building. Therefore it is not the process, it is the result that matters at the end of the day. President Putin was giving the same message, i.e. he wants to see results. Rybinsk doesn't fake its work, it does it with class.”

The NPO Saturn Research and Production Association (OJSC) is an engine-building company specialized in the design and development, production and after-market support of gas turbine engines for military and civil aviation, naval ships and power-generating plants and gas-pumping units. The association is part of the All-Russian public organization The Union of mechanical engineers of Russia whereby the regional branch is headed by I. N. Fedorov, NPO Saturn CEO.

NPO Saturn is part of United Engine Corporation (OJSC) and acts as the leader of the Civil Engines Division, a business unit of UEC founded on 09.10.2012 as a result of integration of the following companies: NPO Saturn (OJSC), Aviadvigatel (OJSC), PMZ (OJSC), Metallist-PM (CJSC), Energetik-PM (OJSC), REMOS-PM (CJSC), Motoservis-PM (CJSC) and Zheleznodorozhnik-PM (CJSC).

United Engine Corporation (OJSC) is a subsidiary of the OBORONPROM UIC (OJSC). The UEC structure integrates over 85% of Russia's leading companies specialized in the design and development, serial production and after-market support of gas turbine machinery as well as the key enterprises - the industry's integral players. One of UEC's prioritized fields of activity is the implementation of comprehensive programs of development of the companies in the industry by introducing new technologies meeting the world-class standards.

The OBORONPROM United Industrial Corporation (OJSC) is a multi-field machine-building group created in 2002. It is part of Rostec. The main fields of activity are helicopter building (the Russian Helicopters holding), engine building (the UEC holding) and other assets.

The Rostekhnologii State Corporation (Rostec) is a Russian corporation established in 2007 in order to facilitate the development, manufacturing and export of high-technology industrial products of military and civil purposes. Today it comprises over 663 companies, which form 8 military-industrial and 5 civil industry holdings. Rostec's subsidiaries are located in 60 regions of Russia and supply their products to over 70 countries worldwide. In 2012 revenues of the Corporation amounted to RUB 931 billion, net profits were RUB 38.5 billion and total taxation exceeded RUB 109 billion.