“Boeing” in Russia

(10 years of Beneficial Cooperation)

S.V. Kravchenko

Boeing Russia and CIS

Gazetny Pereulok, 17/9, 7-th fl., Moscow, 103009, Russia

This year is the tenth anniversary since the Scientific Technical Center of the “Boeing” Company has been opened in Moscow. In September 1993, at the ceremony of the Center presentation, for about a hundred meters from the Red Square high-ranking representatives of “Boeing” promised their Russian colleagues that the event will launch a prolonged cooperation with the aerospace science and industry. Today there is much evidence that the “Boeing” Company has kept its word. For the last ten years “Boeing” has invested $1,3 milliards into Russia. And Russia in its turn has become the most vivid example of a successful globalization strategy, carried out by the “Boeing” corporation.

Fill Condit, the head of the Board of Directors and the general Executive Director of the “Boeing” Company, says: “Having united our knowledge and achievements we, in cooperation with our Russian partners, aspire for mutual success and preservation of the leading positions in aviation and space”.

Close cooperation started in early nineties, when the Russian aerospace industry experienced hard times. At that moment the “Boeing” corporation initiated cooperation with the leading research institutes and organizations of Russia over the projects in the field of aerodynamics, liquid bodies physics, vibroacoustics and aircraft design. Since 1993 the Scientific Technical Center in Moscow has coordinated the work at mutual scientific technical projects.

The Center concluded more than 30 contracts with companies in Moscow, St Petersburg, Novosybirsk, Voronezh and Yekaterinburg. Nowadays the Center carries out significant research work in aviation and applied sciences, it also works out new technologies for production processes improvement. The “Boeing” contracts give the leading Russian engineers and scientists the opportunity to raise their professional level and be aware of the latest achievements in aerospace industry without leaving Russia.

Modified aerodynamic models, the elaboration of lighter materials for civil aircrafts and space crafts constructions, the investigation of aircraft carbon brakes and their fatigue characteristics can serve the examples of mutual scientific work.

“Boeing” and its Scientific Technical Center headed the group of American aerospace companies, which together with Tupolev’s Construction Bureau and some other Russian institutes participated in the revival program of the supersonic jet Tu-144. It has performed 18 flights to test economical as well as ecological indicators of supersonic jets. The results were taken into consideration while working out the model of future “Sonic Cruiser” – a new sonic jet, which can change the idea of flights in future. Even nowadays, when “Boeing” temporarily had to put off the elaboration of this airliner because of the world aircraft transport industry crisis, the results obtained throughout the experiment on board of Tu-144 still are the object of great interest of new aircraft elaborators.

For ten years the Scientific Technical Center has acquired and kept such leading research institutes as TsAGI, NIAT, VILS, VIAM, TsIAM, MATI as its partners. Considerable scientific researches in new alloy creation for aviation space industry are carried out in cooperation with scientists from VSMPO.

Hank Queen, vice-president of the Company “Boeing-Civil Aircrafts”, describes the activity of the Scientific Technical Center in the following way: “We have a great respect for the talent and achievements of the Russian scientists. The Scientific Technical Center gives us the opportunity to cooperate and develop beneficial scientific and technical projects”.

Though “Boeing” went further. In 1998 a new Construction Center of the “Boeing” Company was opened in Moscow. It was a step forward, which allowed to preserve and enlarge the intellectual potential of Russian engineers, carrying out the aviation and rocket technique projecting. Moreover, unlike other western companies “Boeing” has never “exported” Russian scientists and engineers. They all worked and are still working in Russia.

In order to achieve professional understanding between Russian and American specialists the Construction Center provides Russian scientists with the “Boeing” engineering technique, computer projecting, quality control system course, as well as the English language studies. Finally, they become the international class specialists.

Nowadays more than 350 engineers from the leading Russian companies, including Ilyushin’s AC, “Sukhoy’s civil aircrafts”, Khrunichev’s GKNPTs, Tupolev’s CB, the companies “Progresstech”, Myasishev’s EMZ and others.

While the Construction Center functioning the team of Russian engineers has been working over more than 50 projects in the sphere of civil aviation and International Space Station. The engineers working in the Construction Center are entitled to be proud of the work fulfilled over re-projecting within modernization of many Boeing 777 components. A new version of this jet – Boeing 777-300 of a high cruising range – has been worked out at the CC engineers’ participation, who created the elements of the airliner wing and fuselage. At the present moment the Construction Center in Moscow is the largest of Eastern European Construction Centers of the “Boeing” corporation.

The mutual work within the project of Russian Regional Jet creation (project RRJ) evidences the “Boeing” cooperation with Russian partners, which leads to concrete considerable results.

Since 2001 the Company “Sukhoy’s civil aircrafts”, Ilyushin’s CB and the leading Russian and CIS companies has started to solve the problem concerning the identification of the jet type, best suited for Russia. According to the results of the Russian companies poll, carried out with the participation of “Boeing” marketing specialists, due to passenger traffic increase Russian carriers need jets for 50-95 places and with a cruising range of 4500 km.

The creation of a new passenger aircraft is a bold project. And the Russian Regional Jet creation is twice as daring. But the idea itself is simple. The Russian side has conducted this project from the jet design up to its construction, and this fact is a serious boost for the creation of its own production. “Boeing” shares its experience in design and construction, its knowledge of the customer’s requirements and international certification. For the last ten decades “Boeing” launched 10 civil jets models to the market and each has become “a hit”. Thus the experience can help Russian partners.

The general director of Sukhoy’s OCB Michael Pogosyan describes the project in the following way: “It’s an excellent opportunity to take up the real needs of aviation market in Russia, the CIS and all over the world”.

The “Boeing” Company has worked in Russia for more than ten years. Since the beginning we managed to solve several complex tasks, among which are the following: the cooperation with Russian airspace specialists and creation of a united team, capable to solve the most complex engineering tasks; the provision of Russian airspace industry with access to the leading technologies, international markets, unique elaborations, having done partnership relations maximum profitable; the support of Russian potential in airspace industry; the support of Engineering Education in aviation and aerospsace domain.

In 2016 the “Boeing” corporation will celebrate its hundred anniversary. For all these years people working in the Company have created the aviation biography, writing plenty of vivid pictures into the history of air and space travels.

Nowadays “Boeing” is the leader of world airspace industry. In 2002 the Company income exceeded US $ 54 milliards.

In its turn the Russian airspace industry possesses a unique experience, original approach to problem solving and excellent possibilities in the sphere of the leading technologies. Thus the cooperation of such powerful partners brings mutually beneficial considerable results.

Our mutual work is carried out in several directions: these are the rocket launch equipment, satellites, civil jet elements design, scientific researches, aerodynamic trials, metallurgy, air traffic control and aviation routs elaboration, aviation safety, information technologies and education. But, speaking about visual results, it’s necessary to mention one more integral part of our cooperation – trust, understanding, mutual respect and confidence. We would have hardly been able to carry out complex scientific and engineering projects without these notions.