Sales are worth $1.5 Billion, over 20% of all military aviation exports

The Sukhoi aircraft company has announced that it met its sales goals in 2004, after exporting some forty military aircraft to countries such as Algeria, Belarus and China.

The total exports were worth $1.5 billion (45 billion rubles), which represents more than twenty percent of the total military exports that Russia completed in the past year.

Alexei Poveshchenko, described by the Novosti Russian news agency as an adviser to Sukhoi's general director, told the media that Su-27 and Su-30 fighter jets are the country's largest export product. "In 2004, aviation accounted for approximately 40% of combined military exports, which accounted for about $5.6 billion," said Poveshchenko. "Sukhoi's export returns last year were 45 billion rubles (over $1.5 billion), with exports accounting for about 95% of the company's aggregate sales and the share of civilian products in exports, for about 5%. As of late 2004, the company employed over 31,000 people."

In addition, Sukhoi has license agreements for the production of some 250 aircraft outside of Russia. In the past two years, the company has delivered over 140 aircraft to export customers as well as to the Russian Air Force.

The spares and service sides of the business are also growing. Sales in these areas totaled $135 million in 2004 and are expected to grow by some 15 percent in 2005.

FMI: http://www.sukhoi.ru (Russian-language site, translation link to English at bottom left corner of home page)