Sovereignty in Detail: How Russian Non-Destructive Testing Methods Have Replaced Imported Solutions
After 2022, the non-destructive testing industry in Russia faced a challenge that went beyond simply replacing individual instrument models. It was necessary to maintain the stability of the entire inspection system: to ensure the ability to inspect critical facilities despite limited access to foreign technologies and services. This was particularly evident in aviation, where the share of composite materials in aircraft construction continues to grow and where the service life of equipment and operational safety depend directly on the quality of inspections.
Carbon-fiber composite materials open up new possibilities for designers, but at the same time make diagnostics more challenging. Unlike metals, they do not exhibit the familiar “signs” of plastic deformation prior to failure. A defect can develop inside the material, remaining invisible during standard visual inspections and not always being reliably detected by standard ultrasonic testing protocols. Under these conditions, the key resource is not so much imported equipment as methods adapted to actual domestic operating conditions.
Two Russian patents from the company “NK Control,” registered in 2019 and 2022, have become practical responses to this challenge: No. 2703612 “Method for non-destructive testing of products made of composite materials containing carbon fiber” and No. 2778801 “Method for magnetic particle inspection of products made of ferromagnetic materials and a magnetic particle flaw detector for its implementation.” The first is focused on the diagnosis of carbon fiber-based composite products—from airframe components to structural panels—with the ability to detect both manufacturing and operational defects without destroying the object. The second relates to magnetic particle inspection and includes a proprietary flaw detector design and an approach to magnetization and defect detection in ferromagnetic materials.
It is important to note that both solutions were originally designed for real-world manufacturing and operational conditions. The descriptions emphasize that the methods must be effective in environments where there is no access to expensive X-ray tomography or complex thermographic systems, which require advanced infrastructure and special permits. The priority is mobility and the ability to use the methods on-site, in a workshop, or at an airfield, while maintaining sensitivity sufficient to detect critically dangerous defects.
Behind these developments is the NK Control team, led by Yulia Grigorieva, who is also the author of the patents. She developed the methodological framework, conducted practical testing, and adapted the methods to meet customer requirements. Her education includes three degrees—in geography, education, and mechanical engineering—which provides her with an interdisciplinary understanding of materials, fracture mechanics, and industrial safety requirements on the one hand, and the skills to structure and convey complex knowledge on the other.
Prior to the creation and development of NK Control, Grigorieva participated in projects involving the analysis of operational processes and the training of non-destructive testing specialists. This experience allowed her to develop methodologies not as a set of laboratory procedures, but as part of production regulations—with clear instructions, evaluation criteria, and the ability to replicate them across different sites. As a result, the new non-destructive testing methods were put into actual practice rather than remaining merely a description in patent documentation.
Another key area of the company’s work is staff training. The platform ndt.centr-kachestvo.ru features interactive materials and training simulators on non-destructive testing, developed by the NK Control team under the leadership of Yulia Grigorieva. The courses are used to train and retrain specialists who work with modern methods for inspecting composites and ferromagnetic materials, allowing companies to organize staff training without lengthy absences from production.
This approach demonstrates a practical understanding of technological sovereignty: it is ensured not only by the localization of equipment but also by the development of proprietary methods and competencies that enable the maintenance of the required safety level. The work of NK Control and Yulia Grigorieva on the implementation of new inspection methods, including thermal methods for aviation equipment, has received official recognition: in 2021, the Federal Air Transport Agency sent the team a letter of appreciation for their skillful assurance of safety and inspection of aviation equipment. These achievements were one of the factors that enabled the center to receive the Russian Federation Government Award in the field of education in 2022. Russian solutions in the field of Non-Destructive Testing, including NK Control’s patents, fit into this framework: they enable inspections to be conducted in accordance with industry standards without relying solely on external infrastructure and suppliers.
