Finmeccanica group companies Alenia Aeronautica and Aermacchi are to establish industrial and commercial partnerships with two of Russia’s leading aviation companies, Irkut and its subsidiary Yakovlev.
The partnerships will be in the fields of aircraft design, training aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology. The deal was secured today with the signing of three different agreements by Finmeccanica and Rosoboroexport at the MAKS 2005 air show in Moscow, respecting the guidelines set by the Russian federal agency for industry.
Under the first agreement, Alenia Aeronautica and Irkut will set up a management company in Moscow, owned 51% by Alenia and 49% by Irkut, to carry out engineering activities in the civil aircraft sector. The aim is to create a joint think tank of highly specialised staff, which will develop civil engineering projects.
The second agreement, signed by Aermacchi, Yakovlev and Rosoboroexport, redefines the geographic areas of responsibility for the sale of the next generation M346 and Yak-130 trainers, manufactured by Aermacchi and Yakovlev respectively. The two companies will also work together in developing new models based on the Yak-130, for export outside Italy and Russia, as well as jointly designing and promoting a new international version of the aircraft.
Finally, Alenia Aeronautica, Aermacchi, Rosoboroexport, Irkut and Yakovlev will begin jointly developing and testing leading-edge technologies in the UAV field. These will use the Yak-130 as a platform, and testing will be carried out at Russian centres.
“These agreements are of strategic value for the group”, said Giorgio Zappa, General Manager of Finmeccanica, “as we consider Russia not only as a market with great potential, but more importantly as a valued industrial partner with excellent prospects in sectors where demand is growing strongly”.
Finmeccanica is Italy’s leading high-tech company, operating in the design and manufacture of aerostructures, helicopters, satellites, space infrastructure, missiles and defence electronics. The group is listed on the Milan stock exchange, and operates in Italy and abroad through 16 companies and 6 joint ventures. It employs around 51,000 staff in total. As part of its drive to maintain and build on its technological expertise, Finmeccanica spends the equivalent of over 16% of its revenues on research and development.
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Alenia Aeronautica and Aermacchi Sign Partnership Agreements with the Russian Companies Irkut and Yakovlev
