Russian small aviation has developed for many years without a unified support system, and light aircraft manufacturers have effectively been left alone with financing and serial production problems. Igor Melnikov, a pilot of ultralight aircraft with 20 years of experience, believes that the new state support program could be the first step towards changing the situation.
This is an attempt to, for the first time, consolidate disparate measures to support small aviation into a separate state program and provide the industry with access to financing through the Industrial Development Fund. Until now, state policy has focused mainly on "large" aviation – mainline and regional aircraft.
The occasion for discussing the future of the industry was the statement by the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Anton Alikhanov, at the "Innoprom – 2026" forum in Yekaterinburg. The Ministry plans to develop additional support mechanisms for manufacturers of small aircraft, including the possibility of providing preferential loans through the Industrial Development Fund.
According to the expert, the main change could be the emergence of a separate approach to the development of the segment. Previously, the production of light aircraft in Russia depended mainly on the initiatives of individual enterprises and regions, and there was no full-fledged program for the development of small aviation.
New measures may also include the inclusion of products from Russian manufacturers of light aircraft in a comprehensive civil aviation development program, provided that production is localized. This should help companies transition from creating individual prototypes to organizing stable serial production.
At the same time, according to Melnikov, financial instruments alone will not be enough. The growth of the industry will require production capacities, engineering personnel, and a long-term strategy that will allow small aviation to return to the ranks of prominent areas of Russian aircraft manufacturing.