Actuality August 2007

In Zhukovskiy near Moscow closed the 8th International aerospace show “MAX-2007″. 787 companies from more than 40 countries of the world participated in it. Its important features were the participation of China which didn’t take part in the previous show, and United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), with which today the aircraft future of Russia is connected. Besides, undoubtedly, spectacular air show and large amount of manifold equipment spectators of “МAX-2007″ remembered this event also by kilometers-long jams, terrible heat and unpretentious Russian service.

Unfortunately, simple visitors of the show were not able to see the only innovation deserving attention, the real sensation of this year. It was the mockup of a battle pilotless aircraft (BPA) “Skat” (”the Scate”), engineered by Russian Aircraft Corporation “MiG” and intended for striking air defense assets, mobile ground and naval targets. The fully-automatic aircraft can fly at a speed of more than 800 kilometers per hour with a range of 4 thousand kilometers. In the arsenal of that pilotless aircraft there are two air-to-surface and air-to-radar station missiles. BPA is also able to apply two adjusted air bombs of 250 and 500 kilograms calibers. Other novelties of aeronautic engineering were presented neither from Russian side, nor from the foreign companies.

However, all the same it was extremely interesting for ordinary visitors to look at Russian fighters МiG-35, Su-35, and МiG-29K/FulcrumD, American fighters F-15 and F-16, strategic bomber B-52, French “Mirage” and also to watch flight maneuvers of “Russian Heroes”, “Swifts” and Frenchmen from Patrole de France. For specialists whom there were more than 150 thousand for the first three days it was important to understand, that their colleagues and competitors had reached for the last two years. And in this relation the real sensation was the exposure of China which presented at “MAX” the whole range of aeronautic and space engineering. These were passenger and military airplanes, spaceships, carrier rockets, BPA, systems of air and ground electronic reconnaissance, and also antisatellite defense.

Russia didn’t present anything new and extraordinary, except “Skat”, there even were no mockup of Russian super airplane Sukhoi SuperJet-100 which is being discussed for a long time. This can be explained by the fact that the optimal model of this aircraft is not chosen yet. Development engineers suggest 95-seater version, but airlines, “Aeroflot” in particular, want to get an airliner for 110 or 130 passengers. To obtain it, the airplane needs to be lengthened, it is necessary to make two insertions in a fuselage, to strengthen wings and center wing section, and then, naturally, to carry out necessary flight tests and certification. However, it is quite possible, that “taking care” of Russian aircraft American Boeing, that didn’t invest a kopeck into this project, can in this case revive the prohibition of producing by company Sukhoi of airplanes with capacity of more than 110 persons. It will be recalled that earlier for the “consultation services” rendered to the Russian firm Boeing demanded that it would not produce airplanes with the capacity of more than 110 places because in this case Russian airliner would be able to compete Boeing В-717-300X, which is also designed for 130 places.

Note should be taken about arrangement of the show. Mad from heat and standing in kilometers-long jams visitors went to it, as to the storm of enemy fortress. Many of them, excited with the burning sun and the overdrinking of beer, plunged into dissipation. One of the most anxious “fans of aircraft” made off with a model of an airplane at the cost of dozens thousand dollars. However, he didn’t manage to go far with such valuable souvenir: the thief was detained by officers keeping order at “MAX”.