Russian Aviaprom Will Become a Third
// Centre of World Aircraft Industry
Project
It has become known that the Ministry of Industry and Energy has completed the elaboration of the development strategy for the period ending 2015. This document was presented to President Putin by Minister Victor Khristenko on February 8, and it looked quite liberal both by the methods suggested to reform the branch, and by the attitude to international cooperation. The main aim of the project is to turn Russia into the third centre of the world aircraft industry with a view to winning 10% of the world market of selling airplanes t of different types. The volume of sales of Russian passenger planes alone is to comprise almost $6 billion roubles. It is planned to set up a private-cum-government aircraft manufacturing company.
The authors of the strategy concept analysed two possible directions of the development of the aircraft industry as an independent branch, with preserving the leading role of the state in its management and making it a product of the common efforts of the Russian government and business and also part of international cooperation. The emphasis was made on the second variant, because the first one presupposed greater state financing, actual nationalization, and the loss of interest of private owners and investors.
The second variant is more attractive because its realization will make it possible, in the view of the government, to achieve success with smaller budget expenditures due to drawing more means from Russian enterprises and foreign partners. Besides, commercial credits and portfolio investments can also be drawn to the project. It is planned to concentrate efforts on the modernization of the certificated aircraft manufactured at present (Il-96, Tu-204/214, Tu-334) with a view to increasing its attractiveness for purchasers both abroad and inside the country, with a radical reorganization of the systems of sale and maintenance. In the opinion of the authors of the new strategy, this will enable the branch not only to successfully operate during the 2005 – 2010 period, but also to begin the implementation of new projects in the conditions of a falling demand (above all, RRJ and MC-21), as well as a number of unique programmes realized now and promising for the future (Be-200 and AN-124M), which will last on the world market up to 2018.
However, the real coming of Russia on to the world aviation market will be ensured by creating a new, “breakthrough” project. So far it is impossible because Russia is lagging behind western competitors in both the level of technology in the aircraft industry and the management level of creating new planes. This is why Moscow intends to take part, as the first stage, in a big project of one of the four leading world producers (Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Embraer) as the developer and supplier of a big unit of an aircradt under construction. In doing this Moscow intends to look for an absolutely new project, but not join those already started, such as B787 and A380. As the authors of the project suppose, Russia will be able not only to start working on its own “breakthrough” design of a plane of a new generation, but also come out as a systemic integrator of this project, drawing international cooperation.
This project should become the basis for the operation of a joint aircraft building company (Ú wrote about the principles of its formation on December 20, 2004). Now the new strategy speaks of the necessity to form innovation and venture funds with the full state participation and the right to operate not only on the domestic, but also the world market. Leasing companies will also have to play their role in drawing commercial credits and orders for the aircraft industry. It is planned to considerably enlarge the leasing mechanism also for supplying Russian military aircraft to foreign countries. The export crediting of the aircraft industry should also be revised with a view to enabling Russian banks to issue export credits under the guarantees of importer-countries.
In order to create competitive aicraft industry products the government will have to revise the operating standards of ICAO concerning noise, emission and precision of navigation. It will also be necessary to amend four federal laws. One of them should be revised with a view to broadening the opportunities of foreigners to participate in the joint-stock capital of aircraft industry enterprises over and above the existing limit of 25% minus one share. The Ministry of Industry and Energy suggests that the government take individual decisions on the matter.
To better finance research and development work it is suggested to amend the law “On State Military Order” and also revise the law “On Military-technical Cooperation”. It is suggested, among other things, to restrict the rights of “Rosoboronexport” because it actually operates not so much in the interests of enteprises as in its own interests, thus violating the basic premises of Civil law. The authors of the concept also propose to allow enterprises which have less than 51% share of state property to sell the military hardware they manufacture.
But the most radical change is suggested to the law “On Competition and Restriction of Monopoly Operation on Commodity Markets”. Its essence boil down to taking out the corporative integrated structures from the category of natural monopolies and also to lift the restictions on the creation of corporative structures connected with the development and production of arms and military hardware and the formation of holdings.
Alena Kornysheva, Ivan Safronov
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 10, 2005
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