Russian production of spacecraft and missiles decreases dramatically
The production of high-tech manufacturing industries has decreased by almost 5% after two years of growth, RBC reported. The decline was caused by the collapse in production of civilian and military aircraft, helicopters, spacecraft and intercontinental missiles.
According to the news agency, in 2018, the production of Russian aircraft, including spacecraft, decreased by 13.5%, although in 2014-2017, the production was growing by 9-20% annually.
The decline continued in early 2019. The production of aircraft fell by 48% in January and February compared to the same period of 2018.
Due to the collapse of aircraft production, the index of high-tech manufacturing industries fell by 4.9% in 2018, following the 5 and 6% growth in 2017 and 2016 respectively.
In particular, this index covers civilian and military aircraft, helicopters, artificial satellites, orbital stations, space shuttles and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
According to experts, one of the reasons for the decrease could be the intention of the United States to ban the supply of electronic devices and dual-use components to Russia, due to which manufacturers had to find alternative components.