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International air fare opened in Moscow – MAKS 2013. Impressions of the flight program.

August 30, 2013   ·   0 Comments

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The MAKS-2013 international aerospace show continues in Zhukovsky. As the salon’s business program is coming to a close, dozens of contracts for the supply of aircraft and maintenance equipment have been signed and more may follow. The VoR’s correspondent has sent this report from the airfield of the Gromov Flight Research Institute where MAKS is being held.

The geography of MAKS participants has by now stretched beyond the equator. The salon drew a record number of foreign aircraft firms. Every day, tens of thousands of visitors pour into Zhukovsky to marvel at the latest models of Russian jet fighters and military helicopters, among them the Su-30SM – a super maneuverable jet produced by the Irkut Corporation.

Another Russian premiere at MAKS is the IL-76-MD-90A heavy military-transport plane also known as IL-476 – a deeply upgraded version of the IL-76. Thanks to the PS-90 engine, its flight range and carrying capacity were extended by 25 percent and 15 percent respectively, says the plane’s chief designer Andrei Yurasov.

“I hope that this model will interest foreign buyers. At present, about a hundred states operate the IL-76. In some countries, the IL-76 fleet amounts to 20-25 machines. The plane has shown itself to advantage and its new characteristics will make it even more attractive,” he said.

The IL-476 fully matches all the existing requirements for military-transport aircraft. Its advanced communications system enables it to be operated in any part of the globe, including in featureless terrain. India, Algeria and China are among its potential buyers.

A sensational piece of news came from Boris Obnosov, General Director of Russia’s Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation (TRV), who told reporters that the French Rafale jets that won an Indian Air Force tender may be equipped with Russian missiles. The TRV is ready to adapt Russian missiles for Rafales. The company showcased a wide range of new weapons. Some have already completed ultimate tests, while others are currently being tested.

“These include long, medium and short-range air-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, guided aviation bombs and a large spectrum of submarine weapons. By their performance characteristics they are as good as if not better than best Western analogues,” he said.

The TRV is already working on new missiles for the PAK DA long-distance stealth bombers. But while the latter aircraft are only just being designed, super maneuverable fifth-generation T-50 jet fighters can be seen performing low-altitude demo flights over Zhukovsky these days.

In the last days of its work, MAKS will treat its visitors to expanded aerobatics displays featuring Russia’s famed Strizhi, Berkuts and Russian Knights. 

More than $12 billion contracts inked at MAKS airshow

More than $12 billion in contracts have been signed at the MAKS-2013 international air and space show near Moscow, a sum exceeding the $10 billion record set in 2009.

United Aircraft Corporation president Mikhail Pogosyan said his company alone had signed at least $12 billion worth of contracts at the MAKS show this year, compared with $7.5 billion last year.

Russia’s state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport has signed five new collaboration agreements with Italy’s Finmeccanica industrial group and OMA SUD aircraft maker, and inked a contract with Cameroon for Mi-17 helicopters.

Russia’s MiG fighter jet maker has clinched an agreement with India to establish a servicing center for its aircraft in the Asian country.

The Russian Defense Ministry has signed a comprehensive $3 billion agreement with the UAC on maintenance and servicing of its aircraft, avionics and equipment, and signed a $50 million contract for a unique electronic warfare system.

The UTair airline has signed a contract with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. for six long-haul Superjets, worth $217.2 million.

Warplanes On Tuesday, the UAC and the Defense Ministry signed a 80 billion ruble ($2.5 billion) contract for the servicing of aircraft, avionics and related equipment. The contract was signed in the presence of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Corporation head Pogosyan said his company’s current portfolio of orders for the Defense Ministry was for over 300 planes, while the total volume of orders as part of the state arms procurement program would be about 600 aircraft.

Under a separate deal, the Defense Ministry will receive three modernized A-50U early-warning-and-control planes this year, said Vartan Shakhgedanov, deputy general designer at the Vega company, which produces the planes. A contract for a fourth plane is expected to be signed shortly, he added.

Shakhgedanov also said the Defense Ministry would receive the first of the two advanced Tu-214ON planes equipped for the Open Skies international program, at the MAKS airshow. The contract for the two aircraft is worth 5 billion rubles ($150 million), he added. The Defense Ministry currently uses four An-30 aircraft and one Tu-154MLK-1 under the Open Skies Agreement.

On Wednesday, the MiG fighter jet maker signed two additional contracts with India worth a total $55 million. They are part of a general contract with India’s air force. Under the first, $43 million contract, a servicing center will be established in India for maintenance and repair of Zhuk-ME on-board radars, MiG representatives said. The second, $12 million contract provides for the creation in India of a servicing center for modernized MiG-29UPG fighter jets.

Russia will deliver six MiG-29K Fulcrum “generation 4++” fighters to India this year as part of a 2010 contract for 29 planes worth $1.5 billion, MiG CEO Sergei Korotkov said. India currently has 21 aircraft. Under the contract, MiG is to deliver 29 planes before 2015, Korotkov said. Last year four aircraft were delivered and one has been delivered so far this year, he added.

Civil Aviation Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co., the UTair airline and VEB Leasing signed a contract for the delivery of six Sukhoi Superjet-100LR planes, worth $217.2 million. Deliveries of the 103-seat planes will start next year. The three companies previously signed a preliminary agreement for the delivery of 24 Superjets as the first stage of the implementation of a leasing agreement signed prior to that. UTair is planning to operate the planes both on domestic flights (western Siberia and European Russia) and on flights to Europe. The Superjet-100 (SSJ-100) is a short-to-medium-haul passenger aircraft developed by Sukhoi in collaboration with US and European aviation corporations including Boeing, Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace and Honeywell.

UTair and VEB Leasing also signed a memorandum of intent for the lease of 10 MS-21-300 airliners. Under the deal, the aircraft will be provided between 2018 and 2020. MS-21 aircraft, currently in development, are to replace all models of Tu-154 and Tu-134 aircraft, as well as the Yak-42 in Russia, with initial deliveries due to start in 2017.

Ukraine’s Antonov aircraft maker has handed over a third An-158 passenger airliner to Cuba and signed a contract for the delivery of three more. Ramon Martinez Echevarria, president of the Cuban Civil Aviation Corporation, thanked Russia’s leasing company, Ilyushin Finance Co., and the Antonov aircraft manufacturer for making the deal possible. The delivery of the other three aircraft has been planned for next year, Echevarria said, adding that they would help boost the tourist flow to and from Cuba.

The An-158 is made by Ukraine, but about 60 percent of its components are Russian-produced, which is why Russia has an interest in facilitating such deals, Russian minister for industry and trade, Denis Manturov, told a group of aviation students in Moscow in February. The aircraft also uses components that are French, German and US made, with the share of this last being under the 10 percent cutoff point that would prevent it being sold to Cuba under US sanctions.

Bombardier Q400 NextGen Russian state corporation Rostec and Bombardier announced Wednesday that they had signed a letter of intent for the sale of 50 Q400 NextGen aircraft, The Wall Street Journal reported. The two companies also signed a memorandum of understanding to validate the opportunity to set up a Q400 NextGen final assembly line in Russia. If definitive agreements are reached, a firm-order contract for 100 Q400 NextGen aircraft would be valued at around $3.39 billion, the WSJ said. At present there are more than 120 Bombardier commercial aircraft in service in Russia and other the CIS states, Bombardier forecasts a market demand of about 400 aircraft in the region over the next two decades, the WSJ said.

Helicoptes

In a groundbreaking deal, Russia on Wednesday inked a deal to deliver Mi-17 military transport helicopters to Cameroon. The deal was signed by Cameroon’s Defense Ministry and Russia’s state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport, which is part of Russian Technologies. It was not immediately clear how many helicopters Russia would deliver under the contract or when.

Drones

Russian Defense Ministry will sign a contract with the Kazan-based Enix company for 34 short-range reconnaissance drones before the end of the year, said Enix General Designer Valery Pobezhimov. Deliveries of 17 Eleron-3SVcomplexes comprising 34 drones should start in the first quarter of next year, he said.

Eleron-3SV is a modernized unmanned aerial vehicle that was approved for service with the Russian Armed Forces earlier this year. The system is about five times cheaper than its Western analogues, Pobezhimov said.

MAKS marks its 20th anniversary

The International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS) is marking its 20th anniversary. It was held for the first time in 1993, after the “Mosairshow-92” that proved a successful experience. 11 forums have been held over the past period, and now the International Aviation and Space Salon has acquired certain traditions and history, which makes it possible to track down its history.

The well-developed propaganda machine of the former USSR was unable to ensure the coverage of the tangible achievements of the Soviet industry, as well as the military parades of November 7th and May 9th ( in the Soviet era times the latter were held on special dates – to mark a certain anniversary of the V-Day). Air parades were held even far more seldom. The air parade of July 9th, 1967, in Domodedovo in the Moscow Region, was the last parade that was held before a 25-year-long break during which the Soviet people received information about the new aviation models, mainly, from the foreign press – from the Polish and East German magazines, and also from the well -known Jane’s Airport Review.

The reasons for such “modesty” are very difficult to understand but the result proved to be mainly negative – amid very active advertising campaign to promote Western weapons. The Soviet propaganda campaigns contained severe criticism of the NATO warmongering. Therefore, the presentation of the MiG -29 fighter jets in Farnborough in 1988 and the Su-27 fighter jets in Le Bourget in 1989 became a far bigger sensation for the Soviet people than for the West.

After the collapse of the USSR the age of old stereotypes was abruptly brought to a halt. The successful experience of the “Mosairshow -92” served as a catalyst for the survival of the aviation and space industry in Russia and finally, gave it a boost. The first International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS) was held in 1993. The potential of the Russian aviation and space industry was no more top secret for the Russian citizens, who showed a great deal of interest in the aviation and space salons.

The history of the International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS), conditionally, comprises three stages. The first stage – from 1993 to 2001 – was closer to what could be termed as a show. Under the conditions of a total collapse, the reduction of arms procurement orders and the survival of export-oriented industries, the MAKS salon was a “ show-off event” rather than something else . Practiccally, no deals were made at that time.

In 2003 the situation started undergoing changes. Deals worth 1.5 billion dollars were made at the 6th International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS -2003, and since then this figure has been growing, with the exception of 2007 ( three billion dollars against 5 billion in 2005). The third stage started in 2009. The Russian market of aircraft and accompanying services is increasingly growing . In 2009 Russia made many big purchases for its air forces. In 2011 many contracts for the purchase of aircraft were signed. This tendency has continued in 2013 as well.

Russia’s business activity is on the rise today. On August 29th, which is the first day of the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2013, Russia’s Defence Ministry and the OAK corporation signed a contract for servicing aircraft nearly 3 billion dollar worth ( of the total sum of the first day of the show which reached 7.7 billion dollars).

A show remains … a show. An extensive fly programme and a very rich exposition have become the visiting card of the International Aviation and Space Salons.

UAC to deliver 65 new airplanes to Russian Defense Ministry in 2013 – Pogosyan

The Russian United Aircraft Corporation has successfully been implementing contracts on the delivery of combat airplanes to the country’s Defense Ministry, UAC President Mikhail Pogosyan said.

“This year, we will supply 65 combat airplanes, as compared with 35 combat and training aircraft delivered the year before. The volume of deliveries in 2014 will be even larger than that in 2013,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the MAKS-2013 international air show in the town of Zhukovsky outside Moscow on Thursday.

The state weapons procurement program for the period up to 2020 envisions the delivery of around 600 airplanes to the Defense Ministry, Pogosyan said.

“None of the previously concluded contracts has been reviewed. Some 70% of contracts have already been signed as part of the weapons procurement program. New contracts are currently being prepared,” he said.

Ukraine and Russia plan to resume production of An-124 planes

 

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Ukraine and Russia have finalized a draft agreement to resume batch production of the An-124 “Ruslan,” and are now coordinating technicalities, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Boiko said at the MAKS 2013 air show on Thursday.

The signing of the agreement is scheduled for September-October 2013, at a session of the economic cooperation committee under the Ukrainian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission, according to the Ukrainian official.

He underlined the significance of resuming the production of An-124, one of the largest aircraft in the world. “We’ll have a huge market and the opportunity to manufacture as many An-124 planes as to make it economically attractive. It will give an impulse not only to the producer company, but also to a range of other enterprises involved in this program,” his press service quoted him as saying.

Moscow and Kiev had decided to set up a joint venture to implement the project. Ukraine might contribute technology and innovations, while Russia will provide funding and a sales market.

“We’re interested in the joint venture’s beginning to work as soon as possible. Russia and Ukraine have know-how of their own. If we properly pool efforts, it will certainly yield a positive result,” Boiko noted.

The An-124 project would be pilot; if it is effective, the two countries might consider closer integration in the production of both civil and specialized aircraft, the Ukrainian minister said.

Russia and Italy to establish joint production of BE-103 and BE-112 amphibious aircraft – Rosoboronexport

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Russian state-owned arms trader Rosoboronexport signed five new aircraft contracts with its Italian partners during the MAKS-2013 international air show in the town of Zhukovsky outside Moscow on Thursday, a Rosoboronexport spokesman said.

 

“One of the agreements paves the way to the establishment of a joint venture to produce the new modification of the [Beriev] Be-103 amphibious airplane, which is used by special operations forces,” the spokesman said.

 

The new joint venture will include Rosoboronexport, Selex Electronics System S.p.A a Sinmeccanica and “OMA Sud S.p.A”.

 

Another document is “intended to create the conditions needed to jointly manufacture new Be 112-type light amphibious airplanes [up to 20 seats in the passenger version], which will be used in maritime patrol, humanitarian and other missions,” he said.

 

This joint venture will be established by Rosoboronexport and OMA Sud S.p.A.

 

MAKS-2013: Russia to supply Mi-17 helicopters to Cameroon

 

Rosoboronexport, which is part of the state corporation Rostekh, signed a contract with the Cameroonian Defense Ministry for a shipment of Mi-17 helicopters at the MAKS 2013 air show, the enterprise’s press service told Interfax-AVN on Wednesday.

 

“The contract was signed by Rosoboronexport General Director Anatoly Isaikin and Cameroonian Defense Minister Alain Mebe Ngo’o,” the press service said.

 

“It is the first contract in the sphere of military-technical cooperation signed by Russia and Cameroon. It is a new country for us and we are hoping that the cooperation that began today will be successful,” Isaikin said.

 

“The development of military-technical cooperation with African countries is Rosoboronexport’s marketing priority. In the past year, we resumed our connections with Botswana, Ghana, and Equatorial Guinea,” the press service said.

 

The press service recalled that the export of Russian helicopter equipment has been confidently increasing since 2000. In 2001, Rosoboronexport supplied 12 units of equipment to its foreign clients, and expects to supply 130 units in 2013. The amount of helicopter equipment supplied in 2013 is projected to increase by over 20 percent from 2012.

 

MAKS-2013 the first day: novelties in business and in the sky

 

The first day of the 11th international aviation salon MAKS-2013 went by in the town of Zhukovsky near Moscow. Already at the outset of the show several supply and service contracts for the Russian aviation equipment were signed. Participants and experts at the show have shared with the Voice of Russia their impressions of the work of the MAKS-2013 salon.

 

The first three days of the aviation salon are dedicated to strictly business events. However, already during the opening day an unusually great number of visitors showed at the MAKS-2013. The majority of the visitors were ordinary viewers. Despite it being a workday, there were plenty of people willing to look at the land-based exposition and watch the demonstration flights. According to Cosmonaut Sergey Tresvyatsky, executive director of the Flight and Test Center and an experienced test pilot, people were attracted by the opportunity to be the first to see the team of the Russian fifth generation fighter planes:

 

“In my opinion, it is T-50. I saw its demonstration flights during the preparation. I was impressed by its super-maneuverability mode. The amount of training of the pilot group was sufficient to show a good quality pilotage. I think the new aircraft would appeal to everybody”.

 

His intuition did not fail the expert. Group pilotage of three new aircraft at the same time followed by a solo show of the T-50 was the most capturing moments of the first day of the show. Meanwhile, intensive work was in progress at the exhibition grounds of the aviation salon. In his interview to the Voice of Russia Alexander Strekalov, first vice-president of the Russian Space Corporation Energia, the participation in the aviation show allowed his company to make at the highest level a clear statement about its success:

 

“The greatest novelty we have is the piloted spacecraft of the new generation, which represents the next stage of our development. It is like the second wind for our company. Today we are exhibiting a mockup. But it is not simply the same concept that we introduced at the previous salon. We have entered the state of detailed work, which followed the technical drafting process. We have started the stage of developing the working documentation as well as experimental stage”.

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MAKS also became the grounds for the promotion of small business projects. The first day of work revealed the effectiveness of our participation in the aviation salon, noticed Alexey Poluboyarinov, director of SMP-service, a design company focusing on robotics surveillance systems:

“We are exhibiting our products at the MAKS for the first time. The visitors here are quite specific. I believe that here we will find our clients. Representatives of the Russian EMERCOM and various research and production companies have approached us, as they see ways to apply our platform. We have talked to the representatives of the special services. We would like to find new markets for applying our platform as initially our company started with the security systems market. At present we would like to see new applications, which would be related to the military sphere and closer to the rescue equipment. We are looking to people who might be interested in this”.

Ahead lie two more days of intensive business activities of the International aviation and space salon, followed by the time of mass visits. Beginning with August 30 until September 1 one will be able to see a broad demonstration flight program. The guests will be able to see the capabilities of the Russian as well as foreign aviation technology.

Voice of Russia, Interfax, TASS, RIA

 

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