Samara Electromechanical Plant (Kuznetsov)

JSC Kuznetsov, headquartered in Samara, Russia, traces its origins to 1946 when OKB-276 was established under chief designer Nikolai Dmitriyevich Kuznetsov. The bureau became renowned for producing highly efficient LOX/kerosene staged-combustion rocket engines that powered Soviet lunar program rockets and continue to power Soyuz launch vehicles to this day. Operating under the United Engine Corporation (UEC/ODK) state holding, the company holds a monopoly position in Russia for rocket engines used on Soyuz-family launchers.

The company most celebrated product, the NK-33 engine, was originally developed for the ill-fated Soviet N1 Moon rocket in the late 1960s. After the N1 programme was cancelled, hundreds of NK-33 engines remained in storage. They were later sold to US company Aerojet as AJ-26 engines and powered the Antares rocket used for ISS cargo missions. The NK-33 remains one of the highest thrust-to-weight ratio rocket engines ever built, with a specific impulse of 331 seconds in vacuum.

In addition to rocket engines, Kuznetsov produces the NK-32 turbofan engine for the Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber and NK-12 turboprop for the Tu-95. The company continues to produce and upgrade the RD-107A and RD-108A engines for Soyuz-2 family launch vehicles, supporting Russia commercial and government space launch programmes.