Russia has been unable to develop a replacement for American displays used in fighter jets
In Russia, a project to develop domestic displays for combat aircraft—which were intended to replace American products from PLANAR—has fallen through. Due to the long-standing breach of contract, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade is demanding more than 257 million rubles from the developer.
This refers to the “Display-I7” government contract, signed in October 2017 with the St. Petersburg-based joint-stock company “Aviation and Marine Electronics” (AME). The contract was valued at 257.1 million rubles.
The project involved the development and launch of mass production of displays intended to serve as a Russian alternative to American PLANAR products used in military equipment.
According to the publication, the first two phases of the work were completed on time, but the third phase, which was supposed to be completed by November 20, 2019, was never finished. As of May 26, 2026, the delay had reached six and a half years.
During this time, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has charged the company a penalty of 394.9 million rubles. However, due to the terms of the contract, the ministry can only demand an amount equal to the contract value—257.1 million rubles—which the company must pay within 30 days.
The “Display-I7” project involved the creation of four types of gas-discharge video modules with different display colors. Such displays are used in the cockpits of fighter jets and helicopters to display flight information, navigation data, and weapon parameters. In addition, they are used in the weapon control systems of ships and submarines.
The development of domestic alternatives was intended to reduce the Russian military-industrial complex’s dependence on imported electronics.
At the same time, as CNews notes, the Russian government acknowledged this month that it would be unable to implement some of its ambitious import substitution programs in the field of radio electronics. As a result, the targets for the use of domestic electronics in government projects were revised.
Now, by 2030, the share of Russian electronic products is expected to be 58.7% instead of the previously planned 80%.
According to the publication, one of the reasons for the revision of these plans was a reduction in government funding. Specifically, the program for the development of the electronics industry is facing a shortfall of 33.1 billion rubles for 2026–2028, and funding for the state program to develop the electronics industry has been cut from 26.5 billion rubles in 2024 to 4.9 billion rubles in 2026.
Source: The Moscow Times.
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