Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defence Corporation is one of Russia’s most important state-controlled defense companies and a central part of the country’s air-defense and missile industry. Established in 2002 through the consolidation of several Russian defense enterprises, the corporation brings together numerous design bureaus, research institutes and manufacturing facilities. Almaz-Antey specializes primarily in the development and production of surface-to-air missile systems, air-defense radars, command-and-control systems and interceptor missiles. Its best-known systems include the S-300 and S-400 long-range air-defense systems, the Buk medium-range system and the Tor short-range system. The corporation also produces a wide range of radar, surveillance and automated command systems that form part of Russia's integrated air-defense network. The company is particularly important to Russia's war in Ukraine. Russian forces rely on Almaz-Antey systems to defend air bases, military installations, command centers, industrial facilities and other strategic sites against Ukrainian aircraft, missiles and drones. Some Russian surface-to-air missiles have also been used in ground-attack roles against targets in Ukraine. Consequently, Almaz-Antey contributes to both Russia's defensive capabilities and, indirectly, its ability to protect the infrastructure supporting military operations. One of the company's major controversies concerns the 2014 destruction of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. The international Joint Investigation Team concluded that the aircraft was shot down by a Buk missile launched from a system belonging to Russia's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. Almaz-Antey has been under international sanctions since Russia's 2014 intervention in Ukraine, with sanctions substantially expanded following the full-scale invasion in 2022. The corporation and its subsidiaries have been targeted because of their role in producing weapons and military equipment for the Russian armed forces. The company has also faced the broader technological challenges affecting Russia's defense industry. Modern air-defense systems require sophisticated radars, electronics, processors, sensors and missile components. Western export controls have therefore complicated access to some technologies and forced Russian manufacturers to develop domestic substitutes and alternative foreign supply chains. Almaz-Antey is consequently a critical pillar of Russia's military-industrial complex. While Rostec represents a broad cross-section of Russian defense production and UAC dominates military aviation, Almaz-Antey occupies a particularly important niche: the production of the missiles, radars and command systems that underpin Russia's layered air-defense network.