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On the Record with
MIKHAIL POGOSYAN, GENERAL DIRECTOR, SUKHOI HOLDING
At Farnborough 2004 the Russian aerospace industry has taken only trade stands, with no aircraft on static display or flying. While it is too big an event to ignore, it has too little commercial potential for the full-scale attendance, said Sukhoi general director, Mikhail Pogosyan.
Asian markets still represent the main customer base for Russian manufacturers. Export sales account for 95% of Sukhoi's business, noted Pogosyan. Thus, its 2003 revenues of €1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) were largely driven by sales of Su-27/30 fighters to China and Indonesia. Last year Sukhoi delivered 36 Su-27/30 and Su-24MK combat aircraft, and three Beriev Be-103 light amphibians, all of which are manufactured at the KnAAPO plant at Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
"Modernization programs for military aircraft, as well as plans to enter the commercial aviation market with regional jets, are the keystones for our future business," Pogosyan told Show News.
To secure its military market share Sukhoi is juggling modernization programs for Su-27s, as well as development of new derivatives. The most promising is the multirole single-seat Su-35, proposed for a Brazilian air force requirement, and previously offered to South Korea. Though the future of Brazilian tender remains vague, Pogosyan pins big hopes on the Su-35, which is available for delivery from 2007. Sukhoi sees the Su-35 as an interim solution until fifth-generation Russian fighter—still at the paper project stage—becomes available.
"It is a further development of Su-30 family, and can be regarded as fourth-generation fighter," Pogosyan told Show News. "It is based on Su-27/30 airframe, while the avionics and onboard equipment will be new. I think the baseline version will be equipped with Russian avionics, but we are considering European suppliers. A year ago, Sukhoi made a huge step towards international cooperation by signing agreements with EADS, Thales, Snecma, Sagem, Dassault and MBDA," he added.
International cooperation is the main theme of Sukhoi's fighter efforts. India, already an export customer for the Su-30MKI, is widely regarded as the most likely strategic partner to be enrolled in a fifth-generation fighter program. Though Pogosyan would not elaborate, two weeks before Farnborough started the Russian ambassador to India revealed that the two countries had already reached an agreement on this issue. "We have a stronghold (in India)—our international cooperation experience based on the Su-30MKI program," Pogosyan pointed out. "And India and China (also an Su-30MKI customer) for us now are more than just customers. We have a long-term relationship."
—Artem Fetisov
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