Главная / Archive / N5 2009 / Competitive Produce Is Impossible Without Cooperation
Competitive Produce Is Impossible Without Cooperation
Cooperation of SAFRAN international group with Russia is going on since 1990 and incorporates a number of important programs, including in the sphere of aviation and rocket propulsion systems and avionics. In the course of the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS we decided to ask Emeric d'Arcimoles, Deputy General Director for International Cooperation of SAFRAN group about his vision of the partnership with Russian side in the period of crisis.- Mr. D'Arcimoles, could you please tell us about your impressions of the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2009?
- I have the impression that the aviation salon is becoming ever more professional. Despite the crisis, Russian aviation industry is maintaining the development dynamics and is ready to launch new projects. And since at present not a single country has enough possibilities, including financial capacity to work all alone in civil aviation, this is a certain chance for us to develop our cooperation. However, on this stage of partnership relations a very complicated work is in store for Russian engineers, since they have never had the experience of cooperation of such scope and scale.
- Do you mean some specific projects, for instance, SaM146 engine?
- It is related to the entire Russian industry, which has previously been working for itself, for domestic market. At present it evinces the desire to enter the international market and supply competitive produce to the market. Along with that, three obligatory components should be taken into account. First of all, as Mr. Putin said, it is necessary to create competitive produce, secondly, to borrow all the best available in this or that direction, not obligatorily abroad, and thirdly, to organize cooperation and integration of all of these components in order to create high quality end products.
- What difficulties are encountered in the joint work with Russian side? There are a lot of programs and there surely are some underlying potential problems?
- It is so. The phase of present day cooperation requires engineering experience, besides, each side has to create and develop certain technologies for cooperation. It means that on the one hand, one must be able to share what has been achieved in cooperation, and on the other hand, it requires courage to realize and accept the fact that the solutions of partners may turn out to be better than yours due to economic or other reasons. After all, the objective is to create competitive product.
The other difficulty is that the new system of cooperation requires changes in the approach to understanding the capabilities and priorities of economy. Some journalists, ignorant in the technologies of industry and situation on the market, are nostalgic about the past. In the era of the USSR all the products were manufactured in Russia, for Russian customers. And now, they say, not a single purely Russian aircraft is manufactured at present. However, specialists know that in the whole world, be it in China or in America, there are no aircraft created without cooperation. True, there is one exception - in military sphere.
- What can you say about the future of the SAFRAN Company in the Russian market?
- As far as you know, we began our cooperation in 1991, that was the rocket engines programme, but nowadays we have other big industrial and near industrial programmes. First of all new engines for the Ka-226 helicopter, and also for the Mi-34 and Ka-62 helicopters (it is under discussion now). What is more we have interesting projects in avionics in the field of inertial systems and new equipment for the infantry personnel. By the way the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation had a great interest for it. And, of course, the most serious project is the SaM 146 engine.
- What future do you see for the development of the aviation market in Russia?
- Prospects are significant. Since the country is enormous, the need for the aircraft industry production is great; and the market of helicopters is especially capacious and promising. But one weak component exists: it is necessary to convince your young people to work in science and technology. This is the international problem. Young people more willingly go into the art, literature, fashion and other spheres. But everybody understands: it is impossible to provide the development of industry without young scientists and technicians.
- It seems as if in France this problem is solved better?
- No, this problem in France is very serious too. The less the young people go to study in this field, the less instructors it is required, and teaching staff is to be reduced also, and at the same time the instruction cycle is sufficiently big. The only country that doesn't face that problem is China.
