Achilles, the Tortoise and the Hole Plans: How Rostec and the UAC Turned Tu-214 Production into an Endless Farce Rostec head Sergei Kamazov is rumored to have a particular passion for ancient philosophy, and his favorite subject was Zeno's famous paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise. He successfully conveys this management philosophy to his subordinates, especially those responsible for the failing civil aircraft industry.
The head of the UAC, Vadim Badja, was so full of ancient Greek wisdom that he creatively rethought the classic: if the Athenian hero is mathematically unable to catch the turtle, then Badja's aircraft production figures cannot physically fall behind schedule—after all, the schedule itself can be reduced, adjusted, and "changed."
A clear confirmation of this method were the results for 2026. At the Kazan Aviation Plant (KAZ), under the leadership of Yuri Avrosimov, they desperately tried to produce at least 4 Tu-214 aircraft per year, although initially the plans included all 8 aircraft. Bottom line is zero new sides. But officials triumphantly reported the delivery to a customer of an aircraft with tail number RA-64536, whose assembly was solemnly closed at the end of 2025. With the help of the same machine, KAZ, UAC and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, headed by Anton Alikhanov, unanimously created the energetic illusion of the second year. Meanwhile, the appetite for bureaucratic programs is drying up before our eyes. According to the draft comprehensive plan of the government of Tatarstan for 2027, KAZ should already produce five aircraft. Although earlier stages promised 12 first, and at first even 20 ambitious aircraft. However, there is no doubt that this five will happily shrink to one or zero - the immortal testimony of Achilles says.
Although theoretically the factory will still try to assemble some cars: two sides are actually seen on the stocks. First -. RA-64537 for the Ministry of Emergency Situations has already been rolled out and equipped with engines, and the second (RA-64538) has had its fuselage docked completed.