France Woos Russia With New Aviation Technology
Published: April 10, 2013 (Issue # 1754)
MOSCOW — As organizers of the 50th International Paris Air Show Le Bourget presented a sneak peak of the upcoming event in Moscow last Friday, French firms confirmed they are ramping up their efforts to take advantage of Russia’s goal to bring more foreign technology to its aerospace industry.
“All the major French companies related to the aviation industry are present in Russia. This shows our interest in the development and expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation in this field,” said Emmanuel Quidet, president of the French-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, during the presentation. “Besides Safran there is Thales, as well as Airbus and Eurocopter,” he added.
The Bourget air show will be held on June 17-23 in a suburb of Paris and will feature 150 aircraft and more than 2,000 international exhibitors. More than 150,000 aerospace professionals from 145 countries are expected to attend.
“We are interested in acquiring and developing new technologies,” deputy head of the Federal Space Agency Sergei Savelyev said at the news conference. “The air show is a good opportunity for us to meet again with existing partners and to seek out new ones. Everyone is out there looking for more contacts and possibilities for cooperation,” he added.
Foreign firms are ready to take advantage of Russia’s need for new technologies. One example of such partnership is a joint-venture called RS Alliance between the French company Sagem, from the Safran group, and Russian Technologies. The venture was unveiled by Safran chief executive Jean-Paul Herteman and general director of Russian Technologies Sergei Chemezov in August 2011 during the MAKS air show held near Moscow. The company started to function in December 2012 and will specialize in producing military navigation systems. Annual turnover is expected to range from 25 million to 30 million euros ($19 million to $23 million). By 2020 RS Alliance plans to have 70 to 75 percent market share for combat aircraft navigation systems in Russia.
Russia is bringing to the show — and for the first time abroad — its new Sukhoi Su-35 fighter plane and the Russian Helicopters Ka-52 Alligator, said United Aircraft Corporation spokesman Boris Krylov.
All these craft will make live flyovers at the show. The performance is highly anticipated, as demonstration flights of Russian warplanes are very popular with spectators, International Paris Air Show managing director Gilles Fournier said. So far no other countries have confirmed that they are going to display their new combat aircraft.
But the show is more about civilian jets than warplanes. About 70 percent of the aircraft presented there are for civilian use. The latest models of all the major producers are going to be displayed at Le Bourget, including the Boeing Dreamliner, Airbus A380, and Sukhoi Superjet.