Currently, one of the important tasks of the economic policy of Russia is the formation of a hightech image of the national economy, capable of effective functioning in the changing global geopolitical and geoeconomic conditions. In this context, the issue of revitalization of mechanical engineering, which plays a key role in the development of the country’s economy, is of particular relevance. This sector is a link between scientific and technological progress and the level of provision of domestic producers with domestic machines and equipment, allowing them to produce competitive products and to a lesser extent depend on the state of the external environment. The example of the developed countries of the world shows that the development of advanced engineering technology significantly increases the efficiency of the national economy, helps to accelerate its growth. At the same time, in Russia, in order to unleash the scientific and technical potential and activate engineering, it is necessary to initiate modernization processes in it. Based on the foregoing, the purpose of the study is to analyze the state of Russian engineering from the position of its role in the country’s economy. It is shown that at present a significant barrier to the development of this sector is the predominance of imported equipment, due to technical and operational characteristics, often superior to domestic counterparts.