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.

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

(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.)

(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.)

earlier related report
Outside View: Air combat co-op -- Part Two
Russian armored vehicle producers recently bought thermal imaging systems, also known as infrared night-vision devices, worth $1 billion, from French company Thales Group.

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighter being supplied to India features French, Israeli and British avionics. The Sukhoi SSJ-100 program involved 30 foreign companies, including Boeing, Snecma, Alenia Aeronautica, Thales and Honeywell International.

Russia's United Aircraft-Building Corp., which consolidates private and state assets manufacturing, designing and selling military, civilian, freight and unmanned aircraft, and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. signed a contract to convert 30 A-320 and A-321 passenger airliners into cargo planes for AerCap, a global aviation and leasing company based in the Netherlands.

Fifteen of these airliners will be refitted at the town of Lukhovitsy near Moscow, and the rest in Dresden, Germany. This will make it possible to retain skilled workers in both countries and to pave the way for long-term cooperation.

Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Russian Technologies, an emerging industrial behemoth with assets in many sectors, from defense to automotive to civil aviation, discussed a Russian-U.S. joint venture now being established in the town of Verkhnyaya Salda in the Ural region.

Until recently, billets supplied by Russia's VSMPO-AVISMA, the world's largest titanium producer, to Boeing and Airbus were machined at plants in Europe and Japan and used for load-bearing structures of the Boeing B-787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A-380 landing gear.

This production will now be relocated to Russia. Boeing finds the deal profitable because the billets no longer have to be delivered to Europe and Japan and because Verkhnyaya Salda workers are paid less than their foreign counterparts. VSMPO-AVISMA also will profit from processing titanium shavings.

There are many other examples of cooperation between Russian and foreign companies. Mikhail Pogosyan, CEO of Russian aviation giant Sukhoi Holding Co., said 20 years ago the Soviet Union returned to Farnborough for the first time in 50 years, displaying its Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer tactical bomber and Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot ground-attack jet, the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum and the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-31 Foxhound fighters there.

At that time, the Soviet Union had the reputation of a formidable military superpower. But things have changed a great deal since then.

The Russian aircraft industry now offers military and civilian aircraft, air-traffic safety, servicing, repair and upgrade systems and related logistics. Moscow is actively involved in international co-production arrangements and is ready to implement other mutually beneficial projects.

Russian companies need to take part in international air shows such as Farnborough, and in Le Bourget near Paris, in Berlin, Singapore, Cape Town and on Langkawi Island, Malaysia, to promote Moscow's economic and political interests.

(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.)

(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.)

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links
The latest in Military Technology for the 21st century at SpaceWar.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News