Avtomatika Concern JSC, which is part of the Rostec state corporation, issued Chinese equipment for its development of antenna systems for providing satellite communications in cars, trains, water and air transport. On this, the concern earned 300 million rubles allocated as a subsidy, Kommersant writes .
According to Kommersant, a departmental audit in May 2023 showed that the company could actually pass off antenna systems purchased in China as the result of its work. The products being developed use software purchased in China, while Avtomatika does not have the source codes for it. It also became known that the components of the antenna systems are imported, and this is contrary to the terms of the agreement. The Ministry of Industry and Trade sent materials about the facts of possible fraud in Avtomatika to the Investigative Committee of Russia.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade was supposed to provide part of the cost for "creating a scientific and technical reserve for the development of technologies for the production of priority electronic components and radio-electronic equipment." The agreement was concluded on June 15, 2021. From 2021 to 2024, the concern was supposed to receive a subsidy in the amount of 400 million 746 thousand rubles in several tranches.
Avtomatika had to independently develop hardware and software for products that provide broadband access for the operation of satellite communication stations. Prior to this, such devices were used only in the military sphere – in radar complexes and missile defense systems, as well as for space communications. The publication notes that civilian use was hampered due to the fact that the production of antennas is very complex and expensive.
The new antennas could provide passengers with high-speed Internet, including via Wi-Fi, and stable communications via “domestic satellites”. Access to videoconferencing, IP-telephony and monitoring information would also become possible.
In October 2021, the executive director of Rostec, Oleg Yevtushenko, reported that a sample of the antenna system was already being tested on one of the long-distance passenger railway cars. In August 2022, Rostec introduced a line of satellite communication antenna systems for cars, trains, helicopters, airplanes and ships, its mass production was planned to be launched in 2023. At the time of the completion of the audit of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Avtomatika managed to transfer about 300 million rubles.
This is not the first time that government agencies pass off Chinese technology as their latest developments. So, in 2022, at the Army-2022 arms exhibition, a robot dog with an anti-tank grenade launcher attached to the top was shown . Despite the fact that the robot was completely wrapped in a black case, it was easily recognized as a Chinese robops for the home. In fact, he does not know how to shoot and can only walk down the street in sunny weather, holds a charge for no more than two hours, and is easy to hack. Also, the media and experts have repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that many "Russian" UAVs are assembled from parts from AliExpress.