UEC Kuznetsov

What UEC Kuznetsov does

UEC Kuznetsov (ПАО «ОДК-Кузнецов») is a Russian engine-manufacturing enterprise headquartered in Samara that develops, produces, and supports liquid rocket engines, aircraft engines, and industrial gas turbines through a fully integrated lifecycle model — from R&D and design bureau work, through serial and experimental production, to in-service customer support and repair. Founded in 1912 (as Plant No. 24) and reorganized under the Rostec-affiliated United Engine Corporation (UEC) in 2012, the enterprise is wholly state-owned through the Rostec–UEC corporate hierarchy and operates the Volga branch of NPO Energomash at its site.

The core product portfolio centers on the RD-107A/RD-108A liquid-propellant rocket engines that have powered every Soyuz launch since 1958 with a 99.9% reliability record (12,000+ units produced), the NK-33A rocket engine for the Soyuz-2.1v light-class launcher, and the NK-32 family for strategic and military transport aviation. On the industrial side, the NK-12ST, NK-14ST, and NK-36ST gas turbines (25 MW, 36.4% efficiency, 100,000-hour service life, operating range +50 to -60°C) drive gas-pumping units for pipeline infrastructure, with the new NK-36ST-32 (32 MW) extending the line. Recent product launches at Dubai Airshow 2025 added a VK-650V helicopter engine (650-750 hp), a 500 kW hybrid gas-turbine/electric power plant for drones and air taxis, and a 40-150 kgf small turbojet class for UAVs.

The business model is direct B2B and government-procurement driven, with multi-year contracts and pricing not publicly disclosed. Named anchor customers are exclusively Russian state corporations: Roscosmos (rocket engines for Soyuz launches from Baikonur, Vostochny, Plesetsk, and Kourou), Gazprom (gas turbines for compressor stations), PAO Tupolev (NK-32 strategic aviation engines), and AO RKK Progress (Soyuz integration). 2022 revenue was 20.7 billion rubles with all contract obligations met against these state customers. Revenue streams include hardware sales (rocket and gas turbine engines) and professional services (engine repair, maintenance, and lifecycle support). The company has executed a multi-billion-ruble capacity expansion (three new production facilities in 2022, a new mechanical processing building in 2023) and is pursuing digital transformation with Rostelecom and Russian CAD partner Askon, while maintaining structured talent-pipeline partnerships with Samara University and Samara Polytechnic.

Name

UEC Kuznetsov

Legal name

ПАО «ОДК-Кузнецов»

Website

https://kuznetsov-motors.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

UEC Kuznetsov is a Russian state-owned engine manufacturer in Samara, producing liquid rocket engines for Soyuz launch vehicles, NK-32 strategic aviation engines, and NK-36ST industrial gas turbines for Gazprom pipeline infrastructure, serving Roscosmos, Gazprom, and Tupolev.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Engine Manufacturing

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415), Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing (336412), Turbine and Turbine Generator Set Units Manufacturing (333611)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts (3724), Engines & Turbines (3510)

akta.pro primary industry

Rocket Engines (Liquid) (IMABADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gas Turbines (Industrial & Utility-Scale) (IMAHAFAA), Military Aerospace Engines & Propulsion (IMABAMAD), Engine Control, Fuel & Ignition Systems (FADEC/Accessories) (IMABADAK)

Keywords

• Rocket engine manufacturing
• Aircraft engine production
• Industrial gas turbines
• Gas pumping units
• Aviation propulsion systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Samara

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Defense and Aerospace Contracts: Government defense contracts for rocket engines (RD-107A/RD-108A, NK-33A) for Russian space program and aviation industry
2. Industrial Gas Turbines: Sale of industrial gas turbine engines (NK-12ST, NK-14ST, NK-36ST) for gas pipeline operations to Gazprom
3. Engine Repair and Maintenance: Full lifecycle support including development, production, design support, repair, and operational maintenance for customers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

UEC Kuznetsov develops, manufactures, and services liquid rocket engines (RD-107A/RD-108A, NK-33A), aircraft engines (NK-32, VK-650V), and industrial gas turbines (NK-12ST, NK-14ST, NK-36ST series) for Russian defense, aerospace, and energy customers. The enterprise also produces gas pumping aggregates, hybrid power plants for drones, and small turbojet engines for UAVs, providing full lifecycle support from R&D through production, engineering, repair, and operational maintenance.

Product overview

UEC Kuznetsov (ПАО «ОДК-Кузнецов») is a Russian engine manufacturing enterprise specializing in rocket engines, aircraft engines, and industrial gas turbines. The product portfolio centers on liquid rocket engines (РД-107А/РД-108А for Soyuz launch vehicles, НК-33А for Soyuz-2.1v), aircraft engines (НК-32 for strategic aviation), and industrial gas turbines (НК-12СТ, НК-14СТ, НК-36СТ series for gas pipeline infrastructure). New product development includes VK-650V helicopter engines (650-750 hp), 500 kW hybrid power plants for drones/air taxis, and small turbojet engines (40-150 kgf class) for UAVs. The enterprise provides full lifecycle support from development through production, engineering support, repair, and customer operation maintenance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RD-107A/RD-108A liquid rocket engines (РД-107А/РД-108А) Liquid rocket engines equipping the first and second stages of all Soyuz launch vehicles, used for crewed and cargo missions from Baikonur, Plesetsk, Vostochny, and Kourou cosmodromes. Produced since 1958 with 99.9% reliability, supplied to Roscosmos and RKK Progress.
• NK-33A liquid rocket engine (НК-33А) Liquid rocket engine for the first stage of the Soyuz-2.1v light-class launch vehicle. Developed and manufactured by UEC Kuznetsov, in operational use following completion of flight tests in 2013–2019 for payload delivery to orbit.
• NK-32 aircraft engine (НК-32) Aircraft engine for strategic and military transport aviation. Awarded the Aviastroitel Goda prize in 2021 for contribution to national defense, supplied to PAO Tupolev.
• VK-650V helicopter engine Engine for light helicopters delivering 650 hp at takeoff with emergency power up to 750 hp, featuring low fuel consumption, extended service life, and digital automatic control system.
• NK-12ST industrial gas turbine (НК-12СТ) First ground-application engine based on the NK-12 turboprop; uses natural gas as fuel with gas pumping capacity of 11 million cubic meters per day.
• NK-14ST industrial gas turbine (НК-14СТ) Modified NK-12ST variant for centrifugal compressor drive in gas pumping units; higher power and efficiency than the base model with modified flow path and turbine design. Operating range from +50 to -60°C, 100,000-hour service life, capacity 20.4 million cubic meters of gas per day.
• NK-36ST industrial gas turbine (НК-36СТ, 25 MW) 25 MW gas turbine for gas pumping units with modular design, 36.4% efficiency, operates in climates from +50 to -60°C at 20–100% humidity, designated 100,000-hour service life. Supplied to Gazprom compressor stations.
• NK-36ST-32 industrial gas turbine (НК-36СТ-32, 32 MW) First Russian 32 MW industrial engine, upgraded variant of the NK-36ST series for gas pumping applications, awarded Best Innovation Project at Aviastroitel Goda 2024.
• 500 kW hybrid power plant for drones and air taxis Hybrid power plant combining a gas turbine and electric motor, rated at 500 kW, designed for transport drones and air taxis.
• Small turbojet engines (40–150 kgf thrust class) Small-size turbojet engines in the 40–150 kgf thrust class, forming part of a new line of powerplants for unmanned aerial vehicles.
• RH50 turbogenerator Turbogenerator already installed on various Russian unmanned aerial vehicles, supplied as part of UEC's UAV powerplant portfolio.
• GPA-6,3RM / GPA-6,3/8RM gas pumping aggregates Gas pumping aggregates powered by UEC Kuznetsov industrial gas turbine engines, used for natural gas transmission infrastructure.
• Engine repair and lifecycle maintenance services Full lifecycle support services including development, production, design support, repair, and operational maintenance for engines supplied to Russian aerospace, defense, and energy customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rocket engines achieve 99.9% reliability since 1958
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Young Guard of United Russia (Молодая Гвардия Единой России)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 July 2025Agreement for strategic cooperation on youth events and activities organization.
• Gazprom (ПАО «Газпром»)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership for gas turbine engine supply for compressor stations. UEC Kuznetsov supplies NK-36ST-25 and NK-36ST-32 engines for Gazprom's gas transport system. Joint Inter-Industry Council meetings held to ensure full supply chain coordination.
• Roscosmos (Госкорпорация «Роскосмос»)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey customer for rocket engines RD-107A/RD-108A and NK-33A powering Soyuz launch vehicles. Engines used for launches from all Russian cosmodromes including Baikonur, Vostochny, Plesetsk, and Kouru.
• Samara University (Самарский национальный исследовательский университет им. С.П. Королева)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership for 'Krylya Rosteha' program training next-generation engineers. Joint scientific conferences, student internships, and equipment donations including full-scale engine mockups.
• Samara Polytechnic (Самарский государственный технический университет)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 'Inzhenerny Start' program for training engineers and technologists. Joint roadmaps, hackathons, and corporate space facilities in university.
• NPO Energomash (АО «НПО Энергомаш им. академика В.П. Глушко»)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolga branch of NPO Energomash located at UEC Kuznetsov facility, jointly developing and improving RD-107A/RD-108A rocket engines.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GE Aerospace: Global aircraft engine OEM producing commercial and military engines (F414, F110, CF34, GE9X). Overlaps with UEC Kuznetsov on military aerospace engines, gas turbines, and the broad propulsion portfolio across aviation and industrial segments.
• Rolls-Royce: UK-based manufacturer of aircraft engines (Trent, Pearl) and industrial gas turbines (MTU/R-R power generation). Compares to UEC Kuznetsov across the gas turbine business serving pipeline and power generation applications.
• Pratt & Whitney: US manufacturer of military and commercial aircraft engines (F135, F119, PW1000G). Comparable as a major Western military aerospace engine supplier with similar customer base of state defense procurement programs.
• Siemens Energy: Global manufacturer of large industrial gas turbines (SGT-800, SGT-A35) for power generation and gas pipeline applications. Comparable to UEC Kuznetsov's NK-36ST industrial gas turbine franchise for Gazprom compressor stations.
• Safran Aircraft Engines: French aircraft engine manufacturer producing CFM56/LEAP (with GE) and SaM146 for civil and military aircraft. Compares to UEC Kuznetsov on military aircraft engine (NK-32) production and supply into state aerospace programs.

Direct peers

• NPO Energomash (Volga Branch): Russian rocket engine manufacturer (RD-180, RD-191 for Atlas V, Angara) and parent Volga Branch is physically co-located at UEC Kuznetsov. Both are Rostec/UEC entities producing liquid rocket engines for the Russian space program with overlapping technology bases.
• Klimov (UEC): Sister Rostec/UEC enterprise in St. Petersburg producing helicopter engines (VK-2500, TV7-117V) and aircraft engines. Most direct comparable within the same corporate group on helicopter engine production.
• Aerojet Rocketdyne (L3Harris): Primary US competitor in liquid rocket engine manufacturing, producing RL10, RS-25, and RL10C-X engines. Most direct international comparable to UEC Kuznetsov's liquid rocket engine franchise serving national space programs.
• Safran Helicopter Engines (Turbomeca): World leader in helicopter turbine engines (Arrius, Arriel, Ardiden, Makila). Direct peer to UEC Kuznetsov's new VK-650V helicopter engine product line targeting light helicopters and certified markets.

Emerging players

• SpaceX (Raptor): Disruptive rocket engine manufacturer with Raptor methalox engines for Starship. Represents the next-generation competitive threat to UEC Kuznetsov's heritage kerolox rocket engine franchise in global launch services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xt.me/uecrus_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UEC Kuznetsov