Move is part of manufacturer's plans to place Russian subcontracts worth $350m
Airbus has signed a $200 million, 10-year deal with Russian manufacturer Irkut for the supply of parts for its A320 family. Airbus plans to expand its supplier base in Russia further by subcontracting another $150 million of component manufacturing work to Russian aviation companies over the next decade.
The deal is part of a programme aiming to yield about $800 million-worth of co-operation between Airbus and the Russian aviation industry over the next decade through component manufacture, material procurement, engineering, certification, research and technology, and training. EADS, which owns 80% of Airbus, signed an agreement with Russian aviation and space agency Rosaviakosmos in July 2001.
Irkut is to begin delivering work packages for nose landing-gear bay components, keel beams, flap tracks and floor grid sections for the A320 in 2006. A joint working group is checking and upgrading Irkut's manufacturing plant for certification before production begins.
EADS founded its Russian subsidiary OOOEADS in March 2004 to oversee and increase business activities and research and technology collaboration in Russia. At the time president and chief executive of the new company Vadim Vlasov said: "Our target is to increase manufacturing progressively to reach a volume of up to $40 million annual production work for Airbus in the forthcoming years."
Airbus agreed its first supply contract with the Sokol aircraft production plant in December 2003. It has also invested $1.5 million in long-term research into aerodynamics with Russia's Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI).
Airbus and Russian aerospace company Kaskol also have a joint engineering centre, ECAR, employing around 100 Russian engineers. The facility deals with fuselage structure design, stress analysis, systems installation and design work.
In November the Russian government gave EADS approval to buy a $50 million, 10% stake in Irkut. EADS says it expects to complete the purchase of 5-10% of the company in the first half of 2005.
HELEN MASSY-BERESFORD / LONDON
Source: Flight International
