The Russian enterprise Optron-Stavropol, which produces microelectronics for military aircraft and Sukhoi Superjet, MiG, Su, Tu, and MS-21 aircraft, has stopped working and is on the verge of bankruptcy.
This was reported by The Moscow Times.
According to media reports, since March 2025, the plant has been idle: due to the fulfillment of the state defense order, the company suffered more than 149 million rubles in losses, failed to fulfill contracts, and its debt as of June reached 230 million rubles.
CEO Pavel Bondarenko explained that the military had artificially lowered the prices for the products: the cost of a diode is 3,600 rubles, but the price under the state contract is 2,600. The company suffered a loss of 102 million rubles in 2023, and in 2024, it already lost 149 million rubles (about $1.7 million). The plant is unable to cover its expenses, is laying off staff, and has debts on salaries, taxes, and utilities. The plant’s power semiconductors are used in the power systems of MiG, Tu, Su, MS-21, and other aircraft.
Optron is not able to set prices for its products on its own – this right belongs to the military, according to the law on state defense procurement. Similar problems are voiced by other manufacturers, who also suffer financial losses due to this system.
Despite nine official meetings with the Ministry of Industry and an inspection by the Prosecutor General’s Office, no violations were found in the plant’s operations. However, the company has been experiencing financial difficulties since 2016, and in 2021 it has already announced the risk of stopping operations.
Experts note that the plant produces so-called “tail” technologies that are no longer relevant to the civilian market but remain strategically important for the defense sector. Theoretically, the assets and part of the staff can be preserved by transferring them to another company, but, according to experts, it is more profitable for shareholders to sell the real estate.