Airbus Industrie details subcontracts for A3XX and anticipates more business for the Russian aerospace industry

Published: 9/6/1999

Following the announcement of the recent completion of a joint feasibility study examining the potential for Russian involvement in the development of the A3XX (www.concise.org 22nd June 1999) Airbus Industrie have revealed some more details of their ongoing contracts in Russia. The feasibility study followed the signing of a letter of agreement in May 1998 between Airbus Industrie and Aviation Euro-Russian Consortium AERC at the Berlin Air Show. It concluded that there are a number of opportunities for cooperation in both engineering and manufacturing, which could, in fact, embrace the whole of Airbus Industrie"s aircraft range, as well as the A3XX. According to Airbus Industrie, three subcontracting contracts related to the A3XX have already been signed and are operating to schedule. The first was signed in summer 1998 with TsAGI for wake vortex studies. A comprehensive report was published in February 1999. Other companies, such as France"s ONERA and Germany"s DLR, are also working in this field. A second contract was also awarded to TsAGI for general wind tunnel testing. The third contract was awarded in December1998 to AERC, involving Tupolev and TsAGI, for wing sensitivity analysis. Russian specialists have been participating in a training programme in Toulouse, France, in order to become more familiar with western European aviation industrial processes. Airbus Industrie and AERC are currently negotiating additional subcontracting agreements in the light of this latest report.

Article ID: 837