Why Russia's airlift and helicopter fleets are struggling

When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, any vestige of political co-operation between the country and Ukraine ended abruptly, and so did their trade in defence materiel. Ukraine was a major supplier of the engines and other systems employed in many Russian military fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft – but between 2014 and 2017 the breakdown of relations began to cause severe serviceability issues. 

The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) and Naval Aviation (AVMF) transport fleets were the most affected, as they included large numbers of aircraft designed and supported by Ukraine’s Antonov Design Bureau. With the political link broken, the Russian government appointed Ilyushin as the new design authority for military-operated An-12 Cub, An-22 Antei (or Cock), An-26 Curl, An-72 Coaler and An-124 Ruslan (or Condor) aircraft, and it is now handling life extension programmes and the airworthiness of these fleets.

In October 2020, the Russian Minister of Defence, Sergey Shoigu, raised a serious concern over the serviceability of the VKS An-124 Ruslan fleet. He acknowledged th…