MOSCOW. Nov 30 (Interfax-AVN) - The Oboronprom united industrial corporation will eventually transform into a large versatile industrial giant, the company's Director General Denis Manturov told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday.
"Our strategic objective is to evolve into a versatile corporation that will deal with large-scale projects in machine building and hi-end technologies, rather than helicopter building only," he said.
Manturov pointed out that Oboronprom now includes the Oboronitelnye Sistemy company, whose specialization is to develop and modernize air defense systems. "It will be the groundwork for enhancing electronic warfare products. We are also willing to give serious consideration to machine-building projects. There are quite some new ideas. Perhaps, we will start making engines," he said.
He maintained, however that, helicopter building will remain the leading sphere of the company's business for the time being in terms of prevailing assets and projects. It is exactly helicopter building that brings the greater bulk of profits to the company now.
"Export sales of helicopters show positive dynamics. According to our assessments, we will enjoy a 10% growth in this sector this year," Manturov said.
He added that the corporation started deliveries of helicopters to the Russian Air Force as well, but the share in the total sales is still small.
"In other countries, 95% of defense products are sold in the internal market and only 5% are exported. It is quite the other way in Russia. We hope that the situation will change in the future, as the trend of growth in the internal defense order is now clearly observed. We expect that by 2010-2015 our deliveries to domestic customers will be equal with export sales, but as a matter of fact, we would like it to be even higher," he said.
The director general pointed out that the helicopter holding company being formed can supply the Russian Air Force with state-of-the-art and unique Mi-28N and Ka-50 (Ka-52) helicopters and a long model line of other aircraft. "We are interested in supplying the Russian Air Force with the helicopters we manufacture. However, it is up to the customer what equipment and in what amounts he would like to buy," he said.
Speaking of the corporation's new projects, Manturov said that Russian helicopter builders do have something in store, but Mi-28, Ka-50 and KA-52 meet the most advanced present-day requirements in full and therefore will continue competitive in helicopter markets for quite some time.
He added that next generation helicopters will not enter service soon, as a general breakthrough in material science should first occur. According to experts, this can happen no earlier than ten years from now.
Oboronprom is a multi-profile industrial and investment group. It is the managing company of the helicopter building holding company being developed following the decree of the Russian president dated November 29, 2004 and governmental resolution dated May 6, 2005. The holding company under development brings together the Mil helicopter plant, the Ulan-Ude aircraft plant, the Kazan helicopter plant, the Stupino machine-building production enterprise, and the Vpered machine-building plant.
When an additional emission of shares is placed, the Federal Property Management Agency will hold 51 percent of shares in Oboronprom's registered capital, Rosoboronexport 31.12 percent, Russia's internal republic of Tatarstan 15.07 percent, and Rostvertol 2.79 percent.
Oboronprom also controls over 75 percent of shares in the Oboronitelnye Sistemy JSO and owns 100 percent of shares in the Oboronpromlizing JSC.