MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - Contracts totaling $10 billion dollars were signed during the MAKS-2009 air show outside Moscow, setting a record for Russia's most important biennial aerospace exhibition.
A total of 711 companies from 34 countries, including 436 Russian firms, took part in the air show in Zhukovsky, near Moscow, on August 18-23.
MAKS bills itself as "a demonstration of the advantages and development trends of Russian science and industry in such high-tech areas as aviation, space, missile engineering."
DEALS
Several agreements and contracts were signed at MAKS-2009 worth an estimated $10 billion, which is much more than the deals signed at the previous exhibitions in 2005 ($5 billion) and in 2007 ($3 billion).
Major deals at MAKS-2009 included:
Russia's Defense Ministry and the Sukhoi aircraft maker signed a 80 billion-ruble ($2.5 billion) contract on the delivery of 48 Su-35S, 12 Su-27SM and four Su-30M2 fighter jets to the Russian Air Force.
The Russian Air Force and the Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation signed a 6 billion-ruble ($190 mln) contract for modern air-launched missiles.
Atlant-Soyuz and Ilyushin Finance Co leasing company and Atlant-Soyuz aircarrier signed a binding contract for the delivery of 30 AN-148 and 15 Tu-204 passenger aircraft.
EXHIBITS AND FUTURE AIRCRAFT
Overall, 1,449 exhibits were on display, including 470 full-scale models.
Russia exhibited for the first time a model of the Dozor-600 unmanned aerial vehicle with strike capability. According to developers, the vehicle will conduct first flight tests next year and is comparable to the best foreign models in its class.
The Russian Defense Ministry and the Tupolev aircraft maker signed a contract on the development of a new-generation strategic bomber to be delivered to the Russian Air Force by 2020.
The Sukhoi aircraft maker, part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), announced the flight tests of Russia's fifth-generation multirole fighter were underway and the new aircraft could be put into service in the next few years.
However, Russia's Air Force chief acknowledged faults in engines for the future fighter and said "for the time being the aircraft will use Saturn [Al-31] engines."
Overall, experts believe that the MAKS-2009 was a success despite the current economic crisis and the collision of two Russian Su-27 fighters during a rehearsal for the air show on August 16.
Commander of the Russian Knights aerobatics team, Col. Igor Tkachenko, was killed and two other elite pilots were injured.
According to preliminary findings, the crash was caused by pilot error. Senior military officials said more practice, particularly with flight simulators, would be a significant step in improving the Air Force's flight safety regime.
