Motor Sich

This article is about aircraft engine manufacturer. For airline, see Motor Sich Airlines.

Joint Stock Company Motor Sich

File:Motor Sich logo.svg
File:Запорожье - Мотор-Сич 05843.JPG Main entrance to the Motor Sich facility
Industry	Aerospace industry Defense
Founded	1907 (1907)
Headquarters	Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
Area served	Global
Products	Aircraft engines, Turbojet engines
Net income	Increase ₴3.3 billion (2015)
Total assets	Increase ₴20.7 billion (2015)
Number of employees	21,860 (December 2010)
Website	https://motorsich.com/eng/

Motor Sich, Joint Stock Company (Ukrainian: АТ «Мотор Січ») is a Ukrainian enterprise specializing in aircraft engine production, headquartered in Zaporizhzhia. The firm designs and manufactures propulsion systems for airplanes, helicopters, as well as industrial marine gas turbines and related equipment.

Overview

As of Template:When, Motor Sich manufactures the Ivchenko Progress D-18 turbofan engine utilized by various models of the Antonov An-124 and Antonov An-225 cargo aircraft. Nevertheless, the Lotarev D-36/Progress D-436 engine family remains the most widely produced within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The company carries forward some of the aerospace engine production legacy from the former Soviet Union. Its product range includes turbofan, turboprop, and turboshaft engines for rotary-wing aircraft employed by Russian military forces, including Mi-series and Ka-series helicopters.

In 2017, Beijing-based Skyrizon Aviation, led by Wang Jing, acquired a 41% stake in Motor Sich. The agreement involved an initial $250 million investment into the Zaporizhzhia manufacturing facilities and plans to establish a new assembly and maintenance center in Chongqing.

Motor Sich revealed intentions to commence production of its own helicopter model named Hope in 2018.

Certain commentators, such as William C. Triplet, former legal advisor to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have expressed concerns over Ukraine permitting Motor Sich's collaboration with Chinese companies. Meanwhile, Oleh Lyashko, leader of Ukraine’s Radical Party, remarked that if the United States opposes Motor Sich’s closer ties with China, it should consider purchasing sufficient quantities of its aircraft engines.

Following the severance of relations with Russia in 2014—then its largest client—Motor Sich sought alternative markets. The Trump administration designated Skyrizon on a Military End-User List (MEU). Subsequently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted sanctions against Skyrizon to limit its trade activities; in response, Skyrizon initiated a $3.5 billion arbitration lawsuit.

On 11 March 2021, Ukrainian authorities declared plans to nationalize Motor Sich by repurchasing shares held by Chinese investors. Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, stated that this move aims to "restore Motor Sich to Ukrainian ownership" and assured that "investors will receive compensation".

Motor Sich engines power several Turkish defense platforms, including drones like the Bayraktar TB2, Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı, Bayraktar Kızılelma, TAI Anka-3, as well as the TAI T929 ATAK 2 attack helicopter. Vyacheslav Bohuslayev, Motor Sich’s Director-General, noted that a $100 million loan from Chinese investors is scheduled for repayment by 2026.

Among recent developments is the MS-500V turboshaft engine initially designed for use on the Russian Ansat helicopter.

Since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Motor Sich plant located in Zaporizhzhia has suffered multiple strikes by Russian forces. Russia claimed destruction of this facility in late May 2022. Additional attacks occurred in August 2022, August 2023, and January 2025.

2022 Nationalisation

On 6 November 2022, under martial law provisions, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's administration nationalised the enterprise, declaring that "Measures essential for our nation during wartime are implemented in compliance with existing legislation and will support the immediate requirements of our defense industry." The Chinese firm Skyrizon condemned the move as "unjustified expropriation."

Components

• Zaporizhzhia Engine Engineering Factory, located in Zaporizhzhia
• Omelchenko Engineering Factory (established 1988), Zaporizhzhia
• Snizhne Engineering Factory (established 1970), situated in Snizhne
• Volochysk Engineering Factory (established 1971), based in Volochysk
• Motor Sich Airlines (founded 1984)
• Aleks TV (established 1995), a regional television broadcaster

In 2011, the company expanded by acquiring Orsha Engineering Factory in Orsha, Belarus.

Gallery

• Progress D-18T engine produced by Motor Sich
  Progress D-18T engine produced by Motor Sich
• Progress D-436 engine manufactured by Motor Sich
  Progress D-436 engine manufactured by Motor Sich
• Motor Sich MS-500V engine model
  Motor Sich MS-500V engine model
• Modernized Mil Mi-8MSB-V helicopter from Ukraine
  Modernized Mil Mi-8MSB-V helicopter from Ukraine
• Upgraded Mil Mi-24P serving in Ukrainian military
  Upgraded Mil Mi-24P serving in Ukrainian military
• Progress AI-136T turboshaft engine designed for the Mi-26
  Progress AI-136T turboshaft engine designed for the Mi-26

Subsidiaries

• Motor Sich Airlines
• FC Motor Zaporizhzhia
• HC Motor Zaporizhzhia

See also

• Ivchenko-Progress
• List of aircraft engine manufacturers

External links

File:Commons-logo.svg Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Official JSC Motor-Sich website