When Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived at the enterprise which manufactures Sukhoi warplanes and Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliners, he was first given a tour of its machining facility, where highly sophisticated components are assembled using aluminium alloys, high-strength steels, and titanium alloys.

Mikhail Pogosyan, president of the United Aircraft Corporation, told the prime minister that the machining facility features new machining equipment bought under the production modernisation programme. As a result, it is now possible to manufacture standard components for fixed-wing aircraft such as the Su-30-M2 Flanker-C five times faster than before. The same facility also makes components for the new-generation PAK FA T-50 fighter.

While touring the facility, Vladimir Putin talked to a young worker. In particular, the prime minister asked the man about his work record and education. The worker, named Nikolai, said he had signed up as an apprentice and had been working there for ten years. Currently, Nikolai earns about 30,000 roubles per month, and his superiors are encouraging him to complete an advanced training course and become a foreman. The prime minister wished the young worker every success.

The facility is remarkable in that its machining tools – purchased in Germany, France, Japan, and the United States – operate round the clock. Each machining tool cost about $2 million, and its output exceeds that of the old machining equipment by five or even ten times. The daily schedule is divided into two 12-hour work shifts. The average monthly wage at the enterprise is about 30,000 roubles.

Vladimir Putin last visited the Komsomolsk-on-Amur plant – and this facility – in 2009, when the machining tools were still being installed.