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Putin vows to establish leadership in aircraft manufacture

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin kicked off Russia’s biggest post-Soviet air show on Tuesday vowing to use oil windfall to boost the plane-building and other high-tech industries.

Opening the MAKS-2007 international airshow in Zhukovsky near Moscow Mr. Putin called on Russian aircraft manufacturers to “more actively enter the world market for passenger and transport aircraft with competitive products” and “retain leadership in producing combat aircraft”.

“Russia has new economic possibilities and will use them to prioritise high-tech sectors.”

The six-day airshow will showcase Russia’s latest military aircraft, including MiG-35, Su-35, and MiG-29K built for the Indian Navy, as well as helicopters and civilian planes.

More than 780 domestic and foreign producers from 110 countries are participating in the biennial event.

Russia, which once accounted for a quarter of global aircraft production, last year rolled out 26 civilian aircraft.

However, the United Aircraft Corporation set up earlier this year plans to overtake Boeing and Airbus in two decades, and manufacture 300 airliners, 100 transport planes and more than 100 combat aircraft a year by 2025. On the opening day of MAKS-2007, Rosoboronexport signed a $350-million contract with Indonesia for the supply of six Sukhoi fighters.

Organisers hope this year’s airshow will bring in more deals. than the record MAKS-2005, when contracts worth $1 billion were signed.

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