European aerospace and defence group EADS and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) have signed four agreements which further specify cooperation programmes under discussion between the partners. The agreements are based on the findings of a top-level working group which has been set up end of last year.
The first agreement covers the partnership in the Airbus A350XWB programme. Airbus is offering a five percent airframe participation to the Russian industry. The discussions about which components of the aircraft will be designed and built in Russia are still ongoing.
The second agreement provides for the establishment of a joint venture located in Dresden, which will have the task of setting up freighter conversion centres for the Airbus A320 Family at Lukhovitsy near Moscow in Russia and the German site.
The third agreement foresees a joint study of the transport aircraft market and possible cooperation between EADS and the Russian industry in this field.
The fourth agreement defines a shareholder change in the Engineering Centre Airbus Russia (ECAR): UAC will purchase the Kaskol Group shareholding.
The agreements were signed by EADS CEO Tom Enders, Airbus COO Fabrice Brégier and EADS EFW CEO Andreas Sperl on behalf of EADS, UAC President Alexey Fedorov on behalf of UAC.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2006, EADS generated revenues of € 39.4 billion and employed a workforce of about 116,000. The Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and EADS Astrium, the European leader in space programmes from Ariane to Galileo. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and holds a stake in the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems.
United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is the parent company of a group of major Russian aircraft building companies, production plants and design bureaus, providing a support of a complete cycle of work in aircraft engineering, manufacturing and after sale support in the civil and defence aeronautics. Expected UAC revenue in 2007 is 3 billion euros. The current programs include the Su 30 family, MiG-29 family, Yak 130, SSJ-100, Tu-204, Il-96 and Il-76.
