Russia's Military Might Is Center Stage At Show

 

By Associated Press

 

ZHUKOVSKY, Russia -- The largest air show in Russia's post-Soviet history opened yesterday to show off the country's growing military might and to try to boost the country's sagging civilian plane-making sector.

 

"The task stands before us of supporting our leadership in the production of military aviation technology," President Vladimir Putin said at the International Aviation and Space Show at the once-secret Zhukovsky military airfield in Moscow's outskirts.

 

He said Russian manufacturers "must more actively enter the world market for passenger and transport aircraft with competitive production."

 

Russian passenger planes are of such outdated design that airlines flying to European and U.S. destinations must use Western-made planes to meet noise and emissions requirements.

 

The six-day exhibition will showcase the enhanced MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets and the new S-400 missile defense system, an outgrowth of massive spending bolstered by Russia's oil and gas revenues.

 

Almost 800 companies from about 100 countries are participating in the biennial show, the state arms trader Rosoboronexport said. The largest foreign delegations are from China, Latin America and Arab countries. The previous show had delegates from 70 countries.

 

The exhibition follows highly visible moves to reassert Russia's military strength, including last week's joint military exercises with China -- the first ever on Russian soil -- and Mr. Putin's announcement that long-range bombers had resumed patrols over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans.

 

The resumption of bomber patrols comes amid a growing chill in U.S.-Russian relations, strained over Washington's criticism of Russia's democracy record, U.S. missile defense plans in Europe, and differences over global crises.

 

"If Russia feels as though they want to take some of these old aircraft out of mothballs and get them flying again, that's their decision," said U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

 

After the Soviet collapse, the Russian government drastically cut spending on its aircraft industry. Factories producing military planes fared better than those building civilian aircraft, in part because they benefited from arms sales abroad. But Russia started to fall behind the West in the design of advanced fighters and other military aircraft.

 

Civilian aircraft manufacturers were much harder hit. Russia's passenger airlines own about 2,500 aircraft -- of which just 100 are Western-made models. But those 100 planes, accounting for just 4% of the Russian fleet, carry nearly one-third of all passengers.

 

Russian officials said they planned to build about 4,500 civilian aircraft by 2025 as part of an ambitious program to revive an industry that fell on hard times.

 

The government will spend about $250 billion to boost the industry, said Alexei Fyodorov, president of state-controlled United Aircraft Corp., an umbrella group for Russia's plane makers.

 

Russian news agencies reported yesterday that Indonesia had signed a memorandum at the show that is effectively a contract for six Su-30 fighter jets.

From Defence Talk

 

Businessman Asks to Buy US Bomber

Agencies | Aug 27, 2007

 

A wealthy Russian tried to buy a U.S. B-52 bomber from a group of shocked American pilots at the MAKS 2007 air show, Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper reported Friday.

 

The unidentified Russian, wearing sunglasses and surrounded by bodyguards, approached the U.S. delegation and asked to buy the bomber, the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper said.

 

An astounded member of the U.S. delegation said the bomber was not for sale but that it would cost at least $500 million if it were to be sold on the spot.

 

"That is no problem. It is such a cool machine," the Russian was quoted as saying by the newspaper, which said its reporter overheard the conversation. The bomber was not sold.

 

The air show closed Sunday, claiming some $3 billion in contracts, three times the amount from the last show in 2005, but far lower than Western shows that Russia wants to emulate.

 

The United Aircraft Corporation, an umbrella for the country's plane makers, signed some $1.5 billion in contracts, Federal Industry Agency chief Boris Alyoshin said in comments on Vesti-24 television.

 

Little action was reported for one of Russia's strongest hopes for the civil air market -- the Sukhoi Superjet 100 -- which seats 75 to 95 passengers. The regional jet includes Boeing among its subcontractors, but reportedly got no new orders during the show, although Sukhoi and Italian company Alenia Aeronautica signed a joint-venture agreement to sell and service the planes.

 

One of the larger deals of this year's air show was the purchase of four Boeing 737s by Atlant-Soyuz, an airline controlled by the Moscow city government.

 

Vladimir Poleshchuk, deputy head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, said military-related contracts had totaled around $400 million, Interfax reported.