At their recent summit in the Slovak capital of Bratislava, the presidents of Russia and the United States agreed to further bilateral cooperation in science and technology, including in the cutting-edge areas of information technology and aerospace.
The International Space Station (ISS) is perhaps the best-known example of U.S-Russian cooperation in the field. The sides are also considering the possibility of working together on lunar exploration programs in the future.
Boeing, the U.S. aerospace giant, has a major role to play in all related projects. For almost 90 years-from its first mail carrier invented by the company's founding father, William Boeing, through to the construction of the ISS-the corporation has played a role in the global community's efforts to develop aviation and space technology.
Boeing is a major global manufacturer of missile carriers, communications satellites, and civil and military aircraft. It also leads the way in areas such as anti-missile defense, manned space missions, and delivery of spacecraft into orbit. It is one of the United States' largest exporters.
But why is Boeing so interested in the Russian market? Why did its staff devote, according to Senior Vice President Thomas Pickering, a quarter of their working time to Russia in 2001? And why were the giant's collaborative programs with Russia last year worth a whopping $2.3 billion?
Mr. Pickering, formerly a high-ranking diplomat and one-time U.S. ambassador in Moscow, explains that Russia's obvious advantage over others stems from its unique intellectual potential in areas that define the scientific and technological capabilities of any nation. These are information technologies, scientific research, and engineering support.
Boeing's only overseas design center is in Moscow, and the corporation maintains close working contacts with companies in Russia's high-tech sector,Mr Pickering says. According to him, Boeing sees this country as its most advanced technological partner.
This is precisely the thinking behind Boeing's interaction with its Russian partners. The group is not trying to make a quick profit on sales on the Russian market, but works methodically to forge a strong strategic partnership, making the most of the local potential This approach opens up new avenues for Russia, creating high-tech and, consequently, competitive sectors in its economy. And it also consolidates Boeing's own positions on the global market and in the world's military political arena.
Some of the joint projects being successfully implemented today will define the global aerospace industry in the months and years ahead, as Boeing and its Russian associates enter the market with products that are the world's best in their class, including as part of the ISS and the Sea Launch programs.
The ISS is the largest international project of the modern day. Russia and the U.S. have pooled their financial and technological resources and expertise for it. Canada, Italy, Japan, and member states of the European Space Agency have contributed, too.
The two main corporate contributors to the project are Russia's Energiya and Boeing. At an October 4, 1993 conference in Moscow, officials from Energiya, Boeing and NASA accepted the Khrunichev Space Center's proposal that the Zarya control module, known by its Russian acronym, FGB-or Functional Cargo Block-should be launched as the first component of the ISS. Zarya is an analogue of heavy transport spaceships and modules for orbital stations that the Khrunichev Center has been developing for 20 years.
While preparing the Zarya module for service, Boeing suggested two major modifications that were to dramatically improve the ISS' performance at the initial stage.
An agreement signed with Boeing in November 2001 identified the main aspects of joint commercial use of a second Russian module, FGB-2, with all the appropriate modifications to be financed with American money.
At a space summit in Montreal last year, Russia and the U.S. reiterated their commitment to completing the International Space Station by 2010. Once the final leg of the construction is over, the ISS will become instrumental in preparing manned missions to Mars and the Moon, which are impossible to implement without the main stages of the long-distance flight being planned in Earth's orbit first.
When speaking about the Sea Launch program, one should point out that it is based on groundbreaking technology for the launch of heavy commercial satellites and that it brings partnership between the public and the private sectors to a new level. Sea Launch is a private international joint venture established by Boeing, the World Bank, Energiya, Ukraine's Yuzhnoye spacecraft design group, and Norway's Kvaerner Maritime.
This program is unique in that it puts satellites into orbit using a rocket booster launched from an offshore platform. A total fifteen launches have taken place since the program began in 1999. Given the number of orders placed for this year and the next, the total turnover of the Russian and Ukrainian companies involved is expected to reach as much as $200 million per annum.
But Boeing would not have been Boeing had it not sought to conquer Russia's promising civil aviation market. Since April 2001, Boeing and the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft group have been cooperating on a program known as Russian Regional Jet (RRJ). This program aims to build the world's best airplane for domestic flights, to be sold inside Russia and beyond.
Russia's aviation market remains largely underdeveloped. Representatives of Aeroflot and other airline operators have repeatedly told manufacturers' attention that they do not have planes for long-distance flights, ones that would sit no more than 90-95 passengers-the optimum capacity for the Russian conditions. Mr. Pickering says the RRJ the project will develop precisely this category of airliners.
Last November marked the beginning of the RRJ program's full-scale launch. This was when Russian Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko and Boeing President & Chief Executive Officer Harry Stonecipher held a working meeting, which culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding. This document envisages, among other things, the development of an RRJ prototype, the Boeing 7E7, with the first aircraft to be released in December 2007.
This and other civil aircraft building programs pursued by Boeing rely upon a solid raw material base. The American manufacturer's main titan suppliers include the Verkhnesaldinsky metallurgical plant, known by its Russian acronym, VSMPO. The two companies are cooperating under a strategic partnership agreement. Late last year, the top management of Boeing said they would increase their titan purchases from Verkhnesaldinsky for the construction of civil aircraft. There are also plans to continue the development of new titan alloys and technologies within a Boeing-VSMPO innovation center.
And all this is part of the unique Boeing in Russia program.
