Russian aviation industry enterprises at the start of 2026 are actively posting vacancies on job search platforms. Among the candidates they want to see are engineers, process engineers, and production supervisors for the manufacture of aircraft equipment and engines. "Pervyi tekhnicheskii" attempted to determine how wide the spread is in salary offers depending on specialization and experience.
An analysis of open vacancies shows steady demand for personnel, while the level of salaries offered in many cases remains comparable to indicators from the mid-2010s. These are specifically offers from the industry’s leading enterprises — from aircraft manufacturing plants to developers of advanced aircraft engines and systems.
Engineers and process engineers — the industry’s basic offers
One notable example was a vacancy at the Kazan Aviation Plant, where the enterprise is looking for an engineer with a salary starting from 66 thousand rubles.
A similar pay level is also recorded among aircraft engine developers: an enterprise participating in the PD-14 program posted an engineer vacancy with a salary of up to 50 thousand rubles.
In a number of cases, employers specify increased requirements for experience and education, but the level of pay remains moderate by industry standards.
Production specialties — assembly and maintenance
A separate market segment is vacancies for specialists directly engaged in the production and assembly of aircraft equipment.
For example, enterprises working on the Su-57 are recruiting engine assemblers with salaries of about 45 thousand rubles.
At the same time, offers are being published for technical personnel: for fighter production they are looking for equipment maintenance supervisors.
These postings most often specify the need for practical experience and readiness to work shifts.
Design engineers and developers — there is demand for specialists from design bureaus as well
Design bureaus and project divisions also continue to hire staff. For example, the Yakovlev corporation is looking for design engineers to develop airframes and aircraft systems.
In addition, enterprises working on fifth-generation fighters are posting vacancies for specialists in reducing IR signature.
In these segments, salaries are generally higher than the average for production professions, but they also rarely go beyond industry standards.
Digitalization and CNC — the highest offers
The most noticeable salary growth is recorded in areas related to digital technologies and production automation. Thus, the developer of the advanced PD-35 engine is looking for a software engineer to work with CNC and software.
Such positions require deep technical training and experience working with modern production systems. In this segment, employers are ready to offer the most competitive conditions.
Supervisors and managers — the production middle tier
A separate category consists of vacancies for shift leaders, supervisors, and middle managers. The manufacturer of PD-8 engines opened recruitment for senior supervisors for production sites.
In turn, defense-sector enterprises are looking for heads of project management departments. These vacancies most often specify the need for management experience and responsibility for contract fulfillment.
So what is the average salary across the board?
A combined analysis of vacancies shows that most offers in the aviation industry in 2026 are concentrated in the range from 45,000 to 100,000 rubles per month. Higher salaries are typical for digital manufacturing, programming, and project management.
At the same time, a significant portion of salaries remains comparable to the level of the mid-2010s, despite growing qualification requirements and increasingly complex technological processes.