Kharkov: instead of space - “maize workers”
Kharkov factories are losing their usual partners. Moreover, they are so familiar that the very meaning of their existence is undermined. So, only a monument in honor of the participation of Kharkov residents in these high-tech programs can remain from the famous space production. And then - if the foundation stone grows into something more.
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The Kommunar plant was known throughout the USSR for its Beryozka televisions. However, it was not for their sake that he was surrounded not just by an aura, but also by a high level of secrecy. Another Kharkov enterprise was then known as “PO Box No. 67”, “Eisenberg’s Office”, and then “Khartron”. Both plants were actively involved in the Soviet space program from its very beginning. In the city you can still meet builders of cosmodromes, testers of rockets and satellites, and, of course, creators of sophisticated equipment. And then the other day we learned that these connections are coming to an end.
The Progress Rocket and Space Center has begun production of the latest Soyuz-FG rocket, which uses Kharkov components. After that, he will completely switch to the production of Soyuz-2 rockets with exclusively Russian components.
There are six launches left before the completion of operation of this modification of the rocket. They are expected to be completed during 2018-2019, and from the beginning of 2020, only launch vehicles of the Soyuz-2 family - Soyuz-2.1a, Soyuz-2.1b and Soyuz-2.1v - will be launched. Over the first 9 months of 2017, three Soyuz-FG launch vehicles were launched into space.
The Soyuz-FG rockets use a Kharkov-made control system. It was manufactured at the Kommunar factories and the Khartron-Arkos Ltd. research and production enterprise. In the Soyuz-2 rockets, which began to be developed in the early 2000s, it was decided to switch to complete import substitution.
In some places, Russian related products are being replaced by a non-traditional foreign economic orientation. A major American investor may be visiting the Kharkov Aviation Plant. Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly slyly hints: “I won’t talk about details, but a major investor is already entering the Ukrainian market for joint production of aircraft.”
The agreement, according to the ambassador, provides for the joint construction of aircraft for third countries. “I can say that this is Kharkov. This is the restoration of three thousand jobs at the corresponding plant in Kharkov... An American company is coming in, which will jointly produce aircraft for third countries,” Chaly said.
The Kharkov Aircraft Plant is capable of providing a full cycle of work on serial production, modification and maintenance during the operation of manufactured aircraft. However, after a series of disasters for his products in the early 2018s, things went very badly for him. Orders come down mainly to the repair of already manufactured equipment; people do not want to go there to work, and the plant is maintained by dedicated production veterans. As of June 73,7, the Kharkov State Aviation Production Enterprise has the largest wage arrears to employees in the country - UAH XNUMX million.
It is difficult to say whether an American investor will help restore the reputation of the enterprise, but there is a chance to pay off people and retain staff. But will Kommunar and Khartron be able to remain on the space technology market?
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