KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR, December 20 (AVN) - The Russian government on Wednesday is planning to discuss draft presidential decree "Concerning Privatisation of the Sukhoi Military Aircraft Company," Vyacheslav Shport, technical director and chief engineer of the local Gagarin aircraft plant, said on Monday.
The Gagarin plant is part of the Sukhoi company, that is why it is "also menaced by privatisation," Shport told the Military News Agency. "It is unclear who will become the company's new owner, but everybody at the plant is sure that privatisation will be fatal for the Gagarin enterprise," he added.
As a result of ill-conceived privatisation, Russia is likely to lose one of its best aircraft plants which produces top-quality Su-27, Su-30 and Su-33 fighters and employs as much as 16,000 local residents, Shport stressed.
In order to prevent such developments, the plant has set up a public committee which bags subscriptions protesting the company's forced privatisation. It is also working to hold a town-wide referendum on this issue.