Russian Aircraft Makers Discard Siemens and CATIA for Sber's T-FLEX AI PLM Platform

Indexed: 2026-05-22

[00:00:06]One of the most ambitious technological transformations in Russia's aviation industry since the Soviet era is currently underway.

[00:00:15]Two parallel developments have now emerged that show how Moscow is attempting to modernize aircraft design and manufacturing under intense sanctions pressure.

[00:00:25]One involves artificial intelligence entering aircraft engineering through the United Aircraft Corporation.

[00:00:33]The other focuses on the rapid automation of composite wing production for the MC21 airliner.

[00:00:40]And honestly, when you look at both together, this feels less like a simple modernization effort and more like Russia trying to rebuild its entire aviation ecosystem from the ground up.

[00:00:52]The United Aircraft Corporation announced that it has accelerated the development of standard aircraft structures by 11 times using artificial intelligence tools developed together with Esperank.

[00:01:05]At the same time, Russia also unveiled a robotic carbon fiber tape placement system that reportedly doubled the speed of wing production for the MC21 while reducing labor requirements four-fold.

[00:01:19]Together, the two projects reveal a much broader ambition.

[00:01:23]Russia appears to be building a digitally integrated aerospace industry designed to function primarily on domestic technologies rather than foreign software and imported industrial systems.

[00:01:36]And this is where things begin to get very interesting because artificial intelligence is no longer being discussed in Russia merely as a future concept or experimental tool. It is now entering the heart of aircraft design itself.

[00:01:53]UAC chief Vadim Bedca announced the AI integration effort during the CIPR conference in Nijni Navgarad.

[00:02:00]According to the corporation, a pilot project using generative engineering on the Russian Tlex platform dramatically accelerated the synthesis of typical aviation structures.

[00:02:12]Instead of engineers manually creating every structural variation one by one, the AI system now generates optimized solutions automatically within minutes.

[00:02:23]The project was developed in cooperation with Spur, Russia's largest state controlled bank. But a Spur today is no longer just a financial institution in the traditional sense. Over the years, it has evolved into one of Russia's most powerful developers of artificial intelligence. cloud infrastructure, neural networks, and domestic software ecosystems.

[00:02:47]Moscow increasingly sees companies like Spur as central to reducing dependence on western digital technologies.

[00:02:55]The new AI tools are now being used in aviation engineering to automate routine but extremely time consuming processes.

[00:03:03]UAC specifically highlighted the calculation and optimization of aircraft ribs and fastening elements. Now this may sound highly technical but these are critical structural components that must simultaneously satisfy requirements for strength, aerodynamics, weight reduction and manufacturability.

[00:03:23]Traditionally, this type of work consumes enormous amounts of engineering labor.

[00:03:29]Under the new system, engineers no longer begin from zero. Instead, the AI rapidly produces multiple viable structural configurations almost instantly.

[00:03:40]Specialists can then focus on refining and evaluating the best options instead of manually repeating endless drafting work. According to UAC, some design cycles that previously required hours can now be completed within minutes.

[00:03:56]Altitude Addicts has been tracking how sanctions after 2022 forced Russian industry into an entirely different technological direction. and aviation may now be becoming one of the clearest examples of that transition.

[00:04:13]This shift matters because Russia's aerospace industry historically relied heavily on Western product life cycle management software systems like Seammens and Kadia.

[00:04:24]Once sanctions and technology restrictions intensified after 2022, concerns emerged over software updates, licensing access, and long-term technical support. Moscow responded by launching a major import substitution campaign not only for aircraft engines and components but also for the digital tools used to design aircraft themselves.

[00:04:47]According to UAC, around 4,000 engineering workstations have already transitioned to domestic software solutions.

[00:04:56]More than 2,000 technical requirements linked to replacing nine critical PLM modules have reportedly been completed.

[00:05:04]The corporation says that preliminary and operational design work for a new aircraft is now being conducted entirely within the Russian TLEX ecosystem without parallel duplication in foreign systems.

[00:05:18]Full-scale deployment of the platform is expected in August 2026.

[00:05:24]And here is the bigger strategic point.

[00:05:27]Russia is not merely replacing foreign CAD software with local copies. It is trying to leap directly into AI assisted generative engineering.

[00:05:37]Traditional aircraft design depends heavily on engineers manually creating layouts, validating calculations, redesigning sections repeatedly, and then doing the process all over again.

[00:05:49]Generative engineering changes the entire workflow. Engineers define performance objectives and operational limits while artificial intelligence algorithms automatically generate structural solutions optimized for aerodynamics, strength, and weight simultaneously.

[00:06:07]According to UAC, the next phase of the project will involve automatic geometry synthesis using multiddisciplinary calculations.

[00:06:16]In practical terms, the AI system will eventually analyze aerodynamic loads, stress distribution, structural strength, and manufacturing constraints all at once while producing optimized aircraft geometries.

[00:06:30]That is a pretty massive shift in how aircraft development traditionally works.

[00:06:36]If these systems perform as advertised, they could dramatically shorten aircraft development timelines.

[00:06:43]Modern airliner programs often require years of redesigns and structural optimization before certification can even begin. By automating large parts of the engineering process, Russia hopes to lower costs, increase precision, and accelerate aircraft development cycles.

[00:07:01]This is particularly important for programs like the MC-21, the SJ100, and future Russian aircraft projects intended to replace Westernmade Boeing and Airbus fleets operating inside Russia. But while AI is transforming design, another equally important revolution is now unfolding on the factory floor. And this brings us directly to the MC21.

[00:07:27]The MC21 is Russia's flagship narrowbody passenger aircraft designed to compete against the Boeing 737 Max and the Airbus A320 Neo. One of the aircraft's defining features is its advanced composite wing. Unlike conventional aluminum structures, the MC21 uses large amounts of polymer composite materials to reduce weight and improve aerodynamic efficiency. According to Russian sources, composite materials account for roughly 35% of the aircraft structure.

[00:08:02]Composite wings, however, are extremely difficult to manufacture.

[00:08:07]Carbon fiber materials require exceptionally precise placement and curing processes.

[00:08:13]Even small inaccuracies can affect durability, strength, or aerodynamic performance.

[00:08:19]Manual manufacturing methods are labor intensive and can introduce inconsistencies between individual parts.

[00:08:27]To solve this problem, Russian industry has now introduced a robotic carbon fiber tape placement system that automates the process. Deputy industry and trade minister male Urine stated that the new robotic complex has doubled wing production speed while reducing labor requirements by four times.

[00:08:47]The robotic system lays carbon fiber tape according to digitally programmed patterns with very high precision. This reduces waste, shortens preparation time, and ensures more consistent structural quality. Automated tape placement technologies are already widely used by major aerospace manufacturers worldwide because they enable the production of large lightweight composite structures with extraordinary precision.

[00:09:15]But for Russia, this is about more than manufacturing efficiency alone.

[00:09:21]Much more actually.

[00:09:23]Altitude Addicts has repeatedly highlighted how sanctions targeting composite materials created major obstacles for the MC21 program in earlier years. Back in 2019, US restrictions disrupted supplies of advanced composite materials from American and Japanese firms that were originally intended for the aircraft's wing production.

[00:09:46]Those sanctions directly threatened one of the MC21's most important technological advantages.

[00:09:53]Russia responded by investing heavily in domestic carbon fiber production capabilities through companies like Aerero Composite and suppliers connected to Rosatom.

[00:10:04]The effort effectively became a national test of Russia's broader import substitution strategy.

[00:10:11]Today, Russian officials increasingly present the MC21 not simply as a commercial airliner, but as proof that the country can rebuild an entire aerospace supply chain domestically.

[00:10:23]That includes engines, avionics, composits, manufacturing systems, and now even engineering software itself.

[00:10:31]So when robotic manufacturing enters composite wing production, it represents another major step towards stabilizing serial production capabilities.

[00:10:41]And yes, this is where things start becoming very geopolitical very quickly.

[00:10:46]Timing also matters enormously here because Russia is now trying to move the MC21 into full serial production after years of delays.

[00:10:56]The aircraft first flew in 2017, but certification timelines and industrial rampup schedules repeatedly slipped due to sanctions, engine replacement programs, and the localization of foreign systems.

[00:11:10]Russian authorities now expect serial production to begin in 2026.

[00:11:16]Rosstec chief Sergey Chisovv recently stated that certification flights are progressing steadily and that full-scale production should begin next year.

[00:11:26]Long-term goals reportedly envision production reaching 36 aircraft annually by 2030.

[00:11:33]Achieving those numbers requires far more than just completed aircraft designs.

[00:11:39]Aircraft manufacturing remains one of the most laborintensive industries on Earth. Scaling production efficiently requires advanced robotics, integrated engineering systems, digital production chains, and highly synchronized industrial infrastructure, which sounds simple when said quickly, but in reality, it is extremely hard.

[00:12:02]This is precisely where Russia's new AIdriven design systems and robotic manufacturing technologies begin intersecting into a single broader industrial strategy.

[00:12:13]Together, the two announcements suggest that Moscow is constructing a vertically integrated digital aerospace ecosystem rather than relying on fragmented modernization efforts.

[00:12:25]Aircraft design is shifting toward domestic PLM platforms enhanced with AI assisted engineering.

[00:12:32]Manufacturing is becoming increasingly automated through robotic composite production systems.

[00:12:39]Simultaneously, industrial modernization programs and workforce retraining are being implemented across more than 16 aviation production facilities.

[00:12:49]Russian officials believe this combination could sharply increase productivity while reducing dependence on foreign suppliers, software vendors, and manufacturing technologies.

[00:13:01]Whether these ambitions succeed at full industrial scale remains an open question.

[00:13:07]Western aerospace giants still possess enormous advantages in certification experience, global logistics networks, production volumes, and supply chains.

[00:13:17]But Russia's current approach suggests the country is no longer simply trying to preserve Soviet era aviation capabilities.

[00:13:26]Instead, it is attempting to rebuild its aircraft industry around automation, AI, and digitally integrated manufacturing systems designed specifically for a sanctions era economy.

[00:13:38]And for the MC21 program itself, these technologies may ultimately determine whether the aircraft becomes merely a symbolic national project or evolves into a genuinely scalable commercial airliner platform shaping Russia's aviation future for decades ahead.

[00:13:56]Because at the end of the day, this is no longer just about one airplane. It is about whether Russia can create an independent high techchnology aerospace ecosystem under some of the toughest industrial restrictions in the modern era.

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