Rival Fighter Jet Makers Irkut, MiG Will Merge

MiG Chief Fired, Head of Rival Irkut Takes Over
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov has fired the head of state-owned MiG Corp., Valery Toryanin, and replaced him with Alexei Fyodorov, the head of rival fighter manufacturer Irkut, in a move that analysts said may be the government’s first step toward industry consolidation.

Fradkov approved Fyodorov’s appointment, put forward by the Industry and Energy Ministry, on Saturday, according to a statement posted on the government’s web site Monday.

No reason was given for the change, although Toryanin was widely viewed in the industry as a temporary manager when he took MiG’s reins last November.

A source in Irkut said that at the time, Fyodorov was also under consideration for the top MiG job.