A complex for the production of MS-21 wings is being created in Novocherkassk

The Novocherkassk South Russian State Pedagogical University (NPI) has begun developing robotic systems for the automated production of composite wings for the domestic medium-range airliner MS-21.


The initiative is being implemented within the framework of a major contract with PJSC Yakovlev worth over 1,8 billion rubles and is part of the national strategy for import substitution of high-precision aviation equipment.

The central element of the development was a carbon fiber laying robot, designed for automatic laying of dry carbon tape and laser bonding of interlayer joints.


The university team developed not only the hardware, but also unique software that controls the movement trajectories, material feed speed, laying angle and technological synchronization of all operations.

The main task of the system is to form preforms from polymer composite materials for the skins, wing spars and center section panels of the MS-21.

Automating these processes improves accuracy, reduces waste and reduces reliance on manual labor.

The functionality of the robotic platform corresponds to the capabilities of foreign equipment that was previously purchased through cooperation with foreign suppliers.

The project is financed through the Foundation grant system within the framework of the Priority-2030 program and bank guarantees in the amount of over 600 million rubles.

This money was used to purchase high-precision components, industrial lasers, motion controllers, and create a testing platform.

The first prototype has undergone industrial testing in the Moscow laboratory of AeroComposite JSC, and the second is being tested at the production site in Ulyanovsk.

The project has been developing since 2020, and by 2024, the volume of work carried out by NPI in cooperation with enterprises in the aviation sector exceeded 200 million rubles - twice as much as in the previous period.


The developed system will become the basis for the further creation of full-format production portals capable of being integrated into large-scale production lines for the MS-21.

Thus, NPI not only develops a science-intensive engineering direction, but also makes a significant contribution to the sustainable development of the domestic aircraft manufacturing industry.