Russia's generals want foreign technology in their aircraft

MOSCOW, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- On July 14-20, Farnborough, a town in Hampshire, England, 30 miles west of London, hosted the 46th International Air Show, the largest such event featuring the latest achievements of the global aircraft industry.

Spectators liked the prototype Boeing B-787 Dreamliner, which remained grounded during the show, and the low-noise Airbus A-380 jumbo jet, which thrilled everyone with its clean lines and smooth performance.

Russian aircraft makers displayed mockups of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29-OVT Fulcrum air-superiority fighter with a vectored-thrust engine, the Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker multirole fighter and the civilian Sukhoi SuperJet-100 medium-haul airliner.

In contrast, on July 7 military attaches from Southeast Asia and Latin America were shown a prototype Sukhoi Su-35 in the town of Zhukovsky near Moscow.

Why did the Russians bring only aircraft mockups to Farnborough? Should Russian companies attend the show without taking part in demonstration flights?

Mikhail Pogosyan, CEO of Russian aviation giant Sukhoi Holding Co., said international experts appreciated the Russian aircraft industry's development levels, and he said the Sukhoi Su-35 and the Sukhoi SSJ-100 were currently being tested.

Instead of taking part in expensive demonstration flights, the company wanted to streamline both planes and to finance more important projects, Pogosyan told RIA Novosti.

Nevertheless, Russian companies, including Sukhoi, were very popular at the show in Farnborough. Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, a Sukhoi Holding subsidiary, and the Avialeasing Co., offering professional services in aircraft leasing, signed a preliminary contract for the delivery of 24 SSJs in Farnborough.

SuperJet International, a joint venture involving Sukhoi Holding, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft and Italy's aerospace engineering corporation Alenia Aeronautica, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, said it had signed two more contracts for the sale of 25 SSJ-100s.

The company said Aeroflot, the largest Russian airline, as well as companies in France, Italy and the Netherlands, had ordered 100 airliners to date, and that delivery would begin next year.

The Farnborough Air Show highlighted cooperation and co-production arrangements between Russian and foreign companies.

Three-star Col.-Gen. Vladimir Popovkin, Russia's deputy defense minister in charge of weapons procurement, General Staff Chief four-star army Gen. Nikolai Makarov and Russian air force Commander Col.-Gen. Alexander Zelin visited Farnborough on July 14. Popovkin later told Russian journalists that every aircraft displayed in Farnborough was the result of international cooperation.

"Isolated decisions and isolated production are becoming history," Popovkin said, promising that non-strategic Russian military aircraft also would feature foreign-made equipment.

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(Part 2: How Russia is already implementing co-production deals with Western partners)

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(Nikita Petrov is a Russian military commentator for RIA Novosti. This article is reprinted by permission of RIA Novosti. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.)

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(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)