The JSC Sukhoi Company (, ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, that designs both civilian and military aircraft.
Sukhoi was founded in the Soviet Union by Pavel Sukhoi in 1939 as the Sukhoi Design Bureau (OKB-51, design office prefix Su), and survived the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In February 2006, the Russian government merged Sukhoi with Mikoyan, Ilyushin, Irkut, Tupolev, and Yakovlev as a new company named United Aircraft Corporation.
History
left|thumb|A [[Cropping (image)|cropped stamp of Pavel Sukhoi, the founder of the Sukhoi Design Bureau]]
Origins
In March 1930, nine years before the creation of the bureau, Pavel Sukhoi, an aerospace engineer, took over team no. 4 of the TsAGI's AGOS ("Aviation, Hydo-aviation and Experimental Construction") engineering facility. Under Sukhoi's leadership, the team of the future design bureau started to take shape. The team, under the Tupolev OKB, produced experimental fighters such as the I-3, I-14, the DIP (a record-breaking RD aircraft), the long-range Tupolev ANT-25, flown by famous Soviet aviators, Valery Chkalov and Mikhail Gromov, and the long-range bombers such as the Tupolev TB-1 and the Tupolev TB-3.
In 1936, Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, issued a requirement for a multirole combat aircraft. As a result, Sukhoi and his team developed the BB-1, a reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber in 1937. The BB-1 was approved, and under a July 29, 1939 government resolution, the Sukhoi OKB, designated OKB-51 and called the Sukhoi Design Bureau, was developed to establish production for the aircraft. The BB-1 was introduced and later adopted by the Soviet Air Forces in the same year. A year later, the BB-1 was designated the Sukhoi Su-2. A total of 910 Su-2 aircraft were built. The resolution also made Sukhoi chief designer, gave Sukhoi's team of the design bureau standalone status and relocation of the bureau to the Production Aircraft Plant No. 135 in Kharkiv, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. However, Sukhoi was not satisfied with its location, since it was isolated from the scientific pole of Moscow. Sukhoi later relocated the bureau to the aerodrome of Moscow Oblast, completing half of the relocation by 1940. Sukhoi encountered another issue: the bureau had no production line in Moscow, thus making it useless as Sukhoi had nothing to do. In 1996, the government re-gathered the major part of them forming Sukhoi Aviation Military Industrial Combine (Sukhoi AIMC). In parallel, other entities, including Ulan Ude factory, Tbilisi factory, Belarus and Ukraine factories, established alternate transnational Sukhoi Attack Aircraft (planning to produce e.g. Su-25 TM). The Russian government merged Sukhoi with Mikoyan, Ilyushin, Irkut, Tupolev, and Yakovlev as a new company named United Aircraft Corporation in February 2006. Mikoyan and Sukhoi were placed within the same operating unit. In September 2007, Sukhoi launched its first modern commercial regional airliner—the Superjet 100 (SSJ 100), a 78 to 98 seater, built by Sukhoi. It was unveiled at Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The maiden flight was made on May 19, 2008. In March 2008, Sukhoi was selected to design and produce the carbon fiber composite wings for Irkut's MC-21's airframe. Sukhoi is also working on what is to be Russia's fifth-generation stealth fighter, the Sukhoi Su-57. The maiden flight took place on the 29 January 2010.
As of January 2015, Sukhoi is working on a family of the regional airliner: the Sukhoi Superjet 100, such as the jet airliner Superjet 130, which would have a seating capacity of 130 to 145 seats, and to bridge the gap of Russian aircraft between the Superjet Stretch and the Irkut MC-21.
Integration of the Irkut Corporation
At the end of November 2018, United Aircraft Corporation transferred from Sukhoi to the Irkut Corporation, to become UAC's airliner division, as Leonardo S.p.A. pulled out in early 2017 because of Superjet's poor financial performance.<!--
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC), a developer and manufacturer of SuperJet aircraft, ceased operations as an independent legal entity and became a branch of IRKUT Corporation, changing its name to Regional aircraft. This is stated on the company's website.
"Within the implementation of the strategy uniting civil aircraft companies into one Civil Aviation Division JSC “SCA” has been integrated into Irkut Corporation since February 17, 2020. JSC “SCA” Shareholders adopted the decision on June 27, 2019. Regional Aircraft – Branch of the Irkut Corporation shall resume the continuity of business in the areas of development, production and aftersales support of the aircraft," - it is stated on corporate website in the section "Company".
In June 2023 patents for a new design of a single-engine Su-75 stealth fighter were filed and given the codename "Checkmate". The design has taken three years, and test aircraft are under construction.
On 23 February 2024, smoke was seen emerging from a warehouse located on the site of Sukhoi Design Bureau's headquarters in Moscow. On 14 June 2024, another fire, this time more serious, broke out in a different building at the same site in Moscow, collapsing the roof of the latter. An area of some 800 square meters was destroyed. However, officials said the building wasn't in use then. Over 70 firefighters and 25 units were used to put out this fire.
Organization
- JSC Sukhoi Company
- CJSC Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (now acquired by Irkut Corporation and renamed: Regional Aircraft – Branch of the Irkut Corporation
General Director
- Igor Y. Ozar