Due to aircraft shortage, Russia returns worn-out equipment to service — intelligence

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service.

"Russia has decided to revive the Kukuruznik [the colloquial name of the soviet agricultural aircraft, the An-2 biplane].  The Siberian aviation research institute has proposed retrieving approximately 700 AN-2 aircraft from storage facilities to plug the catastrophic gap in the country's light aviation sector. There are no alternatives left: sanctions have cut off access to new technology, both homegrown import-substitution projects have failed, and without air service, approximately 60% of the Russia's territory – the part where neither roads nor railways lead – is effectively cut off from the rest of the country," the report said.

As noted, the An-2, designed back in the 1940s, carried small aviation for decades, first in the USSR and then in Russia. Over 17,000 units were produced in several countries, including Ukraine, Poland, and China, most of which have long since been retired or scrapped.

According to intelligence data, only 249 aircraft remain in active service in Russia today, with another 276 listed under DOSAAF.

Since 2024, Russia has halted the decommissioning of old aircraft and returned 16 units to the skies. Passenger safety is not a factor in these calculations, the report emphasized.

"In parallel, there has been a series of failures with 'modern' replacements. The Baikal aircraft, which was supposed to replace Ukrainian ANs in Russia's fleet, has been continuously postponing certification since 2023 – first to 2025, then to 2026, and now there are hints of 2027. Technical and financial problems prevent a realistic date from being set. The second project – the TVS-2MS, a major upgrade of the same AN-2, developed without government funding and deemed a technical success – has been closed in Russia. The Mongolian company MUNKH AERO will operate these aircraft domestically, but with American engines," the intelligence service reported.

Engines remain the main obstacle to restoring the 700 stored aircraft. There are two options, both problematic: American engines are unavailable due to sanctions, while the Russian TVD-10B exists mostly on paper, and prospects for its mass production are described by experts as "highly uncertain."

If the Baikal project is delayed again and the engine issue remains unresolved, residents of remote Russian regions may realistically face the prospect of reaching civilization only by horse-drawn transport, the intelligence service noted.

As Ukrinform reported, according to Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service chief Thomas Nilsson, intelligence data suggests that Russia systematically manipulates economic statistics to mislead Ukraine's Western allies into believing that its economy can withstand the burden of war spending and sanctions.

Photo: Wikipedia