China to Be Armed with Gas Turbines
Federal-run Salut Engineering Production Enterprise of Moscow and China’s maker of aircraft engines, Liming Engine Manufacturing, are setting up a joint venture. Though the aim of Salut is to produce gas turbine stations in China, the latter could be more interested in military technology, the analysts speculate.
Russia’s Salut and Chinese Liming Manufacturing Corp. sealed a protocol of intentions yesterday, which spells out creating a joint venture, Salut-Liming, next year. The plans are to make gas turbines of 20MW to 60MW capacity in China, said Salut General Director Yury Eliseev.
The prototypes of gas turbine units are AL-21 and AL-31 aircraft engines. At present, Salut is producing 60MW units for Mosenergo; the contract budget amounts to $60 million. Eliseev declined to specify the estimated output of Russia’s-Chinese venture.
Salut designs, produces and maintains engines for Su-27 combat aircraft, makes components and parts for engines of Be-200, Yak-130, An-148 aircraft.
In addition to the gas turbines, the future venture will upgrade engines for combat aircraft and develop an engine for a middle transport plane that is being designed in China now, Eliseev specified.
“By cooperating in gas turbine stations, the Chinese are likely to attempt to get the military engine technology,” forecasted Konstantin Makienko, expert of Strategy and Technology Analysis Center. China has tried to clone AL-31F engine for Su-27, but with no success. Now Liming will attempt to get technology through civil cooperation, the analyst explained.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 03, 2006
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