United Aircraft Corporation (UAC): Sukhoi, MiG and Tupolev Under Sanctions
United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is the state holding that builds almost every Russian military aircraft of note — the Sukhoi Su-34, Su-35 and Su-57 fighters, the Mikoyan MiG line, and the Tupolev Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers. In the war against Ukraine its products both deliver Russia's long-range cruise-missile strikes and drop the glide bombs battering the front. Yet UAC is squeezed between mounting combat losses and an output rate held down by sanctions on imported avionics. Because Russia publishes no audited figures, this page frames production and losses qualitatively from open-source intelligence.
What UAC Is
United Aircraft Corporation was formed to consolidate Russia's fragmented aerospace sector into a single state holding, and it now sits inside the Rostec conglomerate. Under its umbrella are the storied Sukhoi, Mikoyan (MiG), Tupolev, Ilyushin and Irkut bureaus and plants. The company designs and builds both military and civil aircraft, but it is the military side that has defined its wartime role.
For Ukraine, UAC is significant as the producer of the platforms that carry out Russia's air campaign: the bombers that launch Kh-101 and Kalibr-class cruise missiles from standoff range, and the fighter-bombers that release glide bombs by the thousand. Its output rate is therefore a direct constraint on the sustainability of Russian air power.
The Combat Fleet
The Sukhoi Su-34 is the workhorse strike aircraft, used heavily to drop UMPK-kitted glide bombs from inside Russian-controlled airspace. The Su-35 is the principal air-superiority fighter, fitted with the Irbis-E radar; export orders for it have collapsed under sanctions, with airframes once intended for Egypt reportedly redirected elsewhere. The Su-57 is the fifth-generation flagship, but it is produced in tiny numbers.
On the strategic side, Tupolev's Tu-95MS turboprop bomber and the supersonic Tu-160 carry the cruise missiles used against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. Russia has restarted limited Tu-160 production, reportedly at a rate of roughly one to two airframes a year, mixing new builds with refurbished Soviet-era hulls. MiG types remain in service but see little new manufacture.
Combat Losses
The open-source tracker Oryx, which only counts visually confirmed losses, has logged dozens of Su-34s destroyed or damaged since February 2022, alongside Su-35s and other types; cumulative confirmed fixed-wing combat losses across types had climbed into the forties by 2025. Because not every loss is photographed, these counts are a floor rather than a ceiling.
Ukrainian long-range drone and missile strikes on airbases — some reaching well over a thousand kilometres into Russia — have also destroyed aircraft on the ground, including reported hits on Su-57s and strategic bombers. Analysts note that a meaningful share of 2025 losses were non-combat, attributed to technical failures and pilot error, which itself hints at the strain on maintenance and training.
Production Rates
UAC's combat-aircraft output is modest relative to the demands of a high-intensity war. Reporting drawing on Ukrainian sources put 2025 deliveries at roughly a dozen new Su-34s and around ten Su-35s, with the Su-57 in single digits. For the Su-34 specifically, new production has roughly matched the type's combat losses over the war so far — a tighter balance than it sounds, given how central the aircraft is to Russian operations.
For more complex aircraft the replacement rate lags what sustained attrition would require, which is part of why Russia increasingly relies on standoff glide bombing to limit how often its fighters fly into Ukrainian air defenses. All these figures are external estimates with meaningful uncertainty, not official data.
Sanctions on Avionics
Sanctions bite hardest on imported electronics — radar modules, power supplies, processors and specialised avionics. RUSI and other analysts report that the Su-57 has been the most exposed: research groups have identified specific Western-origin components, including certain radar power supplies and an attenuator, that Russia can no longer legally procure. That helps explain the type's stubbornly low output.
Ukrainian intelligence has noted that a significant share of the firms supplying Su-34 components still operate outside Western sanctions, illustrating both the breadth of the supplier base and the enforcement gaps. UAC was designated by the UK in March 2022 and is sanctioned by the US, EU and partners; as a Rostec subsidiary it sits squarely inside Russia's sanctioned defense-industrial base.
Key Data
| Metric | Value / note |
|---|---|
| Entity | United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Rostec subsidiary, not freely exchange-listed |
| Country | Russia |
| Key bureaus | Sukhoi, MiG (Mikoyan), Tupolev, Ilyushin, Irkut |
| Key war types | Su-34, Su-35, Su-57; Tu-95MS, Tu-160 bombers |
| Est. 2025 Su-34 deliveries (Ukrainian sources) | ~12 (approx., external estimate) |
| Est. 2025 Su-35 deliveries (Ukrainian sources) | ~10 (approx., external estimate) |
| Confirmed Su-34 losses (Oryx, 2025) | Dozens, visually confirmed (a floor) |
| Sanctions status | Designated by US, EU, UK and partners (UK since Mar 2022) |
⚠ Figures are approximate external estimates, mainly from open-source trackers and Ukrainian sources (Simple Flying / Oryx, Kyiv Post, RUSI). Russian data is opaque and cannot be independently audited. Not investment advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is United Aircraft Corporation (UAC)?
United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is Russia's state-owned aerospace holding, part of the Rostec conglomerate. It consolidates the Sukhoi, Mikoyan (MiG), Tupolev, Ilyushin and Irkut design and production lines. For the war in Ukraine its most relevant products are the Su-34 fighter-bomber, the Su-35 and Su-57 fighters, and the Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers that launch cruise missiles.
Which aircraft does UAC build for the war?
Through Sukhoi, UAC builds the Su-34 strike aircraft used for glide-bomb attacks, the Su-35 air-superiority fighter, and the fifth-generation Su-57. Tupolev provides the Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers that carry Kh-101 and Kalibr-class cruise missiles for deep strikes. MiG aircraft also remain in service, though new MiG production is limited.
How many Su-34s has Russia lost in Ukraine?
Open-source tracker Oryx has visually confirmed losses running into the dozens of Su-34s since February 2022 — figures cited in reporting reached around the forties of fixed-wing combat losses across types by 2025. Visually confirmed losses are a floor, not a ceiling, because not every loss is photographed. UAC's new Su-34 output has roughly kept pace with combat losses of that type.
How many combat aircraft does UAC produce per year?
Output is modest by wartime standards. Reporting based on Ukrainian sources put 2025 deliveries at roughly a dozen new Su-34s and around ten Su-35s, with the Su-57 in single digits and the Tu-160 at perhaps one to two airframes a year, partly refurbished. These are external estimates and should be treated as approximate.
How do sanctions affect UAC?
Sanctions target imported avionics, radar and electronics. RUSI and other analysts report that they most severely constrain the advanced Su-57, which has relied on Western-sourced components such as specialised power supplies. Less-advanced types have proven easier to keep building, but sanctions slow ramp-up across the board and limit export sales.
Is the Su-57 production constrained by sanctions?
Yes. Research groups have reported that Russia can no longer legally obtain certain key components for the Su-57, including specific radar power supplies and attenuators of Western origin. That has helped keep Su-57 output very low, in the single digits per year, despite Moscow's ambitions for the type.
Is UAC under Western sanctions?
Yes. UAC was designated by the United Kingdom in March 2022 and is sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and other partners, with asset freezes and export controls. As a Rostec subsidiary it sits at the centre of Russia's sanctioned defense-industrial base.
Can Russia replace its aircraft losses?
Only partially. For the Su-34, new production has roughly matched combat losses so far. For more complex types the replacement rate is slower than attrition would demand in a high-intensity war, which is why Russia leans on glide bombs launched from standoff range to limit exposure of its strike aircraft.
Why does UAC matter to the war?
UAC's bombers deliver Russia's long-range cruise-missile strikes, and its Su-34s drop the glide bombs that have devastated Ukrainian front-line positions. The corporation's limited output and dependence on sanctioned electronics are a key constraint on Russian air power, making it a closely watched node of the defense industry.
Where can I find reliable analysis on UAC?
Credible open sources include SIPRI, RUSI, the IISS, the Oryx loss tracker, ISW and Reuters, plus Ukrainian defense-intelligence releases reported via outlets such as the Kyiv Post and Defense Express. This page is analysis, not investment advice, and figures are framed qualitatively given the opacity of Russian data.