Everything You See In This Video ...

... is made in Russia. All three of them finished the certification for Arctic extreme cold conditions. All three have done very well. 

Serial Production ...

 ... fully Russian SSJ. Outside ...

And inside:

Yes, all Russian-designed and made, from engines to avionics, to cabin, to APU ... That's technological independence. 24 of them are getting ready ... And then--MC-21, also all-Russian. Some people may not still grasp the scale of this achievement--it is massive in technological and geopolitical senses. Massive. 

To Create The New System Of Standards ...

 ... you have to have those standards be among if not the best. For those people who still continue to reside in this La La Land of Chinese commercial aerospace--just signing some agreements is not enough. 

To dual-track certification mechanism away from FAA and EASA you need to be able to have a complete enclosed cycle of the commercial aerospace--in other words you have to SET those standards which are very competitive (if not the same) beyond the West's framework. China DOES NOT have it. The whole idea behind COMAC 919 was to get this rather un-remarkable aircraft stuffed with Western-made ... everything and thus follow the path of Sukhoi Super Jet which was certified in the West and flew for a number of Western airlines. But then again, here is an interesting historical bit. This is Haneda airport in Tokyo, 1971. Il-62 with KLM sticker (some flew with Japan Airlines livery) hauling passengers on Trans-Siberian route Tokyo-Moscow-Amsterdam. They were leasing those planes--yes, KLM and JAL. 

Like this. 

In other words, USSR (historic Russia) have been not only a provider of the commercial air transport for Eastern block and the third world, but was a direct competitor to West's commercial aerospace. So, in this case--Russia's leaving global aerospace market due to economic atrocity and its effects in 1990s-2000s was a TEMPORARY thing, and the plans for the return have been already in the making in 2000s. Russian planes also will not be certified by EASA--it is a given (FAA--we may have to give it a bit longer to understand their "approach"), but they are Russian-made. Forget about all critical systems such as engines, APU, avionics, mechanics, what have you. Russians told all those Western designers to go and pound sand. 

BTW, do you know that it is not just about appearances (looks), nope--to design a seat in the aircraft in the US you MUST have at least a Bachelor degree in either aerospace engineering or a mechanical one. It is a hell of an important part in any aircraft. So, guess who is ready now to roll out those standards, granted it is an immense work to create this certification mechanism for BRICS and Global South. To forestall the assault of China fanboys (not to be mistaken for people who greatly appreciate China's magnificent achievements but also point out obvious facts)--China is only now evolving with her competitive (emphasis--competitive) commercial aerospace and it is a long and arduous journey. This is clear to anyone who ever worked in any capacity in commercial aerospace and who saw what and how Standards and Quality Management Systems (QMS) dominate the process, until cretins with MBAs begin to interfere to keep shareholders "happy". You all know what I am talking about. In conclusion: YES--to dual track, NO--it is not going to be China, especially NOW when MC-21 is finishing certification, and SSJ is doing the same. Not to mention Tu-214 and its two pilot cockpit version. Is China ready to break away from the West? I thought so.  

Chinese Are Practical People.

And when they see this flying yesterday from Irkutsk to Moscow non-stop for final certs:

Or this, also flying beautifully (ahem...):

Both being fully Russian aircraft which are powered by state-of-the-art PD-8, PD-14 and use Russian avionics, composites et al, Chinese know that PD-35 is coming and is not far away. You all remember how joint Russian-Chinese wide body aircraft CR-929 became C-929, because Russians didn't like how Chinese side viewed profits share. Now Chinese know that Russia fully recovered her commercial aircraft mojo and can do it all completely on her own. And suddenly, Russians are also practical and very delicate people who know that after all, it is Russia which is not only second (after the US) nation in the world capable totally out of own resources build state-of-the-art aircraft, but also the nation which tied all West's resources which otherwise would have been thrown against China. Comrade Xi is very sincere when stating today: 

ПЕКИН, 9 мая – РИА Новости. Россия и Китай должны быть настоящими друзьями, закаленными, как сталь, заявил председатель КНР Си Цзиньпин. "Необходимо поддерживать дружбу из поколения в поколение и быть настоящими друзьями, закаленными, как сталь", - приводит МИД КНР слова китайского лидера, сказанные во время встречи с журналистами после переговоров с президентом России Владимиром Путиным.

Translation: BEIJING, May 9 – RIA Novosti. Russia and China must be true friends, tempered like steel, said Chinese President Xi Jinping. "We must maintain friendship from generation to generation and be true friends, tempered like steel," the Chinese Foreign Ministry quotes the Chinese leader as saying during a meeting with journalists after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

And lo and behold:

Москва. 8 мая. ИНТЕРФАКС - Россия и Китай намерены продолжить сотрудничество по созданию дальнемагистрального широкофюзеляжного самолета, оно не прекращалось, заявил "Интерфаксу" первый вице-премьер РФ Денис Мантуров. Отвечая на вопрос о том, может ли РФ вернуться к кооперации с КНР по созданию широкофюзеляжного самолета, он сказал: "Может, мы его (сотрудничество - ИФ) и не прекращали".  ... В августе 2022 года руководство ОАК сообщило, что работа над CR929 продолжается, но с учетом последствий пандемии и введения против РФ санкций из-за конфликта на Украине формат участия в проекте придется "актуализировать". Мантуров тогда уточнял, что РФ будет участвовать в статусе поставщика агрегатов и компонентов для самолета, в мае прошлого года он подтверждал готовность России участвовать в проекте "на основе договора исполнителей". Вместе с тем, в феврале этого года совместное предприятие ООО "Инженерный центр программы СиАр929", учрежденное CRAIC в 2019 году под проект разработки дальнемагистрального пассажирского самолета CR929, подало заявление о ликвидации юрлица. Сейчас компания проходит соответствующие процедуры.

Translation: Moscow. May 8. INTERFAX - Russia and China intend to continue cooperation on the creation of a long-range wide-body aircraft; it has not stopped, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov told Interfax. Answering a question about whether Russia could return to cooperation with China on the creation of a wide-body aircraft, he said: "Maybe we have not stopped it (cooperation - IF)." ... In August 2022, the UAC management reported that work on the CR929 was continuing, but given the consequences of the pandemic and the introduction of sanctions against Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine, the format of participation in the project would have to be "updated." Manturov then clarified that Russia would participate as a supplier of units and components for the aircraft; in May last year, he confirmed Russia's readiness to participate in the project "based on a contractor agreement." At the same time, in February of this year, the joint venture Engineering Center for the CR929 Program LLC, established by CRAIC in 2019 for the project to develop the CR929 long-range passenger aircraft, filed an application for liquidation of the legal entity. The company is currently undergoing the relevant procedures.

Go figure, right? Well, there is nothing to figure here, actually. China knows that sanctions are coming and no amount of maneuvering can save both Comac-919 powered by US-French LEAP engines and, let alone, perspective "Chinese" C-929 which was planned as the aircraft (after letter "R" disappeared) which could be remotorized on the variety of the American and Rolls-Royce engines. And no, world-class competitive high bypass ratio Chinese engines are not coming any time soon. And here is this trick--any commercial aircraft Russia produces can be exported anywhere, because they are all Russian-manufactured. The only thing the US can do is to try blackmail potential buyers, but that's for other time to discuss--Boeing and Airbus have all reasons to sweat about MC-21. China, however, is pinned down now to its, however large, internal market and IS under the Sword of Damocles of not quite adequate POTUS who may, in the last ditch attempts to stop Chinese economic juggernaut, simply sanction jet engines and that will be it for Chinese attempt not only at competition abroad, but even domestically. So, enter PD-14 and PD-35 and Russian made subsystems from avionics to APU, to composites. Make your own conclusions. As I stated--Russians are very delicate people, apart from being very practical, like Chinese.

Not An Exaggeration.

This is literally Boeing and Airbus' worst nightmare, which they did all in their power to avert but failed. 

No aircraft in history has been subjected to so many sanctions and outright sabotage. But here it is--fully Russian MC-21. Everything, from engines, to APU, to composites and state-of-the-art wing, to cabin and advanced avionics, to other systems--all made in Russia. That makes this state-of-the-art aircraft impervious to any sanctions from the West and it makes it a direct (no, not COMAC-919) and tough competitor to Boeing and Airbus aircraft (B-737 and A-320,321) in the most lucrative segment--single isle, narrow body medium range commercial aircraft. It is a historic event. 

Very Significant.

Thanks to our very own BAROTIKI for pointing this news out. This is very significant because it is one of those cases when the plans are not shifted "to the right"--a euphemism for a delay--but "to the left", meaning meeting deadlines earlier.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has advanced deliveries of MC-21 and SJ-100 aircraft to Aeroflot airlines from 2025 to 2024 having completed the process of replacing western components with domestically-made ones. Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Rostec Corp., the holding of company of UAC has been quoted as saying today on the UAC’s Telegram channel. “More than 10 aircraft - MC-21 and SJ-100 - are already being built for Aeroflot, some aircraft are at a high degree of readiness. The timing of bringing new models of domestic aircraft to the market has shifted ‘to the left’ by a year. If we initially aimed for 2025, now large-scale deliveries should start in 2024.” Financial lease agreements for 18 MC-21-310 aircraft and 34 SJ-100 aircraft were signed between the leasing company Aviacapital-Service of the Rostec State Corporation and Aeroflot. These agreements were inked during the Eastern Economic Forum. Chemezov highlighted the significance of these agreements and the Russian government support that has made the prices of these domestically-produced aircraft considerably lower than comparable Boeing and Airbus models.

And here is the MAIN issue which I point out non-stop. These aircraft are fully Russian-built from engines, to systems, to avionics, to what have you. Unlike it is the case with Chinese COMAC 919 which is in reality not Chinese at all but 90% Europe and US built aircraft. COMAC 919 exports can always be immediately stopped by the US or EU in case China decides to promote this plane on Asian and African markets. This, however, cannot be done to MS-21 and SJ-100. All of these aircraft are well over 90% domestic built (at 10% of import parts the aircraft export can be blocked), and that opens vast Asian and African markets, especially with B737 reaching its modernization limits some time two decades ago. 

In related news, BTW, do you know that more than 20 serial SU-57s have been already produced and that starting from 2025 around 30 of them will be produced annually? So, count yourself how plans on initially planned 72 SU-57s by the year 2030 now look like. More like around 200 give and take. You see, this is what Russia's real economy and Pentagon's ignorance are. And yes, be them MC-21, SJ-100, SU-57 or SU-35 they still cost less than anything produced in the West and that doesn't show well in Wall Street "statistics" and fake GDP numbers, but it sure as hell gives massive competitive advantages, not to speak of a highest quality of a product.

Larry About "Counter-Offensive" And Other Items.

Larry wrote an excellent piece about never-ending promises of VSU's "counter-offensive". 

Even If Ukraine is able to scrounge up troops and vehicles that surpass anything the Russians have in place on the front-lines in the Donbass (a dubious assumption), it still lacks the artillery, air support, logistics and ammunition to sustain such an attack. How do I know? Very simple. Just look at how Ukraine currently is performing in Bakhmut, Ugledar, and Avdevka. In every case, Ukrainian forces are retreating, albeit slowly, rather than blunting the Russian offensive. The following image (taken from liveuamap.com, a pro-Ukrainian site) shows the harrowing situation the Ukrainian troops confront.

Exactly. This proverbial "Required Force" (Наряд Сил) which is counted not as mere quantities, however important, but as forces acting against other forces through not just numbers, but combat effectiveness. As I pointed out many times before--even at the start of SMO one could see what modern army can do in mobile defense while being outnumbered several fold. This too is being studied by serious military and intel professionals and Russian Army taught a serious lesson in this matter to anyone who were watching. 

Now, the situation is reversed and Russia, after annihilating several iterations of VSU, is simply waiting for the remainder of NATO run forces to impale themselves and then... we'll see. Which brings us to these two French Nazis who executed Russian POWs. These two cowards have been apprehended in France upon their return but on unrelated charges connected with arms deals--they face up to 15 months in prison. France doesn't care about executed Russian POWs. Russians, however, do and Investigative Committee is on it and at first legal ways will be tried. Paris, as always, will decline and will expose itself, yet again, as a poodle of globalists, and then Plan B may go into effect. Meanwhile Nazi sympathizers in WaPo sing praises to Azov and other Nazi formations in 404. So, you get the idea. 

In related news, though, is a video totally in Russian (but you don't need a translation), which shows the work at Ulyanovsk Aerocomposit. Text in itself can be distilled into this: everything you see in the video is Russian-made, from carbon fiber, resins, paints, instruments, even tape-laying machines--all of it Russian-made. 

They show current work on four kits for serial MC-21 composite wings (I assume wing-to-body assembly is also done there) and this is just one of many plants Russia built literally from Ground Zero starting from 2016-2017. And this is just one example of import substitution in a full swing among numerous ones. This is happening across the whole spectrum of productive industries and it is difficult to describe the whole scale of it because how massive it is. 

Meanwhile, "strategirists" from London's own The Economist still wet dreaming on how to defeat those nasty Russkies and they found a new wunderwaffe in Swedish Gripen. 

Ukraine’s top guns need new jets to win the war. There is a dogfight between Swedish Gripens and American F-16s.

This kindergarten level delirium from globalist sewer is expected because you cannot explain to any graduate of Oxford with degree in journalism and economics what modern integrated aerospace force is--they don't have the tool kit for that. Not to mention the fact that modern RAF is rather pathetic third rate force barely able to keep anything flying at all, not to mention being dependent on bankrupt American air war doctrine and procurement policy built around stuffing "Allies" with lame duck weapon systems such as F-35 and, while still relevant, but not survivable modern battlefield, F-16. But in the end, the question persists--where did those meaningless words' jugglers see Ukraine's "top guns"? I have news for them--Ukraine has none, all of them have been shot down and what Ukie AF has today as pilots are dead men walking because their "top gunning" is usually limited to a half mission. The half being the take off, landing being substituted with receiving R-33, R-37 or 40N6E into the empennage and then bailing out in case they survive.  

But behind those wet dreams of European midgets such as France or UK, hides not only a desperation from evaporating self-awareness as once, long time ago, great powers, which none European country is anymore, but a sheer, astounding illiteracy of their elites who literally have no clue, even when allowed for spewing propaganda. But even in this they fail because they are so UNeducated--a death sentence for the most "elite producing" machines in the combined West. This is the tragedy which is not into your face unlike histrionics of once PM BoJo or childish unsure posture of the French boy Macron, not to mention a pathetic spectacle of senior citizen abuse in Washington. No, the tragedy is in West's "elite" educational institutions producing consistently ignorant and illiterate people who are utterly unqualified to be engaged in any serious professional activity. That is why they continue to delude themselves thinking that 30-40 Gripens will make any difference in 404. But you cannot educate them, so let them dream.

About Composites.

Ah, look at that. Funny, I spoke about it in my yesterday's video:

МОСКВА, 28 марта. /ТАСС/. "Аэрокомпозит" изготовил и поставил на испытания в ЦАГИ прототип крыла российско-китайского широкофюзеляжного дальнемагистрального самолета CR929. Об этом в ходе форума "Композиты без границ" заявил гендиректор "Аэрокомпозита", первый замгендиректора корпорации "Иркут" Анатолий Гайданский. "Мы в этом году закончили и сейчас поставили на испытание в ЦАГИ прототип крыла композитного для самолета CR-929. Это вы знаете наш совместный с нашими китайскими партнерами проект, который мы сейчас готовим к испытаниям и до середины наверное этого года проведем испытания", - сказал он. Как уточнили в пресс-службе корпорации "Иркут", куда входит АО "Аэрокомпозит", крыло перспективного широкофюзеляжного дальнемагистрального самолета будет представлено на авиасалоне МАКС-2023. Самолет несколько лет разрабатывался ОАК совместно с китайской CRAIC. Планировалось, что российская сторона возьмет на себя инженерные работы, а в Китае будет налажена окончательная сборка воздушных судов. Самолет планировалось вывести на рынок в 2025-2027 годах. Он должен был быть представлен в трех версиях. В базовой комплектации авиалайнер должен был перевозить 280 пассажиров.

Translation: MOSCOW, March 28. /TASS/. "Aerocomposite" has manufactured and tested at TsAGI a prototype wing of the Russian-Chinese wide-body long-haul aircraft CR929. Anatoly Gaidansky, General Director of Aerocomposite, First Deputy General Director of the Irkut Corporation, stated this during the Composites Without Borders forum. "We have finished this year and have now put a prototype of a composite wing for the CR-929 aircraft for testing at TsAGI. You know this is our joint project with our Chinese partners, which we are now preparing for testing and will probably be tested by the middle of this year," he said. According to the press service of the Irkut Corporation, which includes JSC Aerocomposite, the wing of a promising wide-body long-range aircraft will be presented at the MAKS-2023 air show. The aircraft was developed for several years by the UAC together with the Chinese CRAIC. It was planned that the Russian side would take over the engineering work, and the final assembly of aircraft would be arranged in China. The aircraft was supposed to be put on the market in 2025-2027. It was to be presented in three versions. In the basic configuration, the airliner was supposed to carry 280 passengers.

I will repeat it again: Russia does not need China for CR 929 because Russia has the state-of-the-art IL-96 400, PD-35 in development and all composite industry she needs. Flying from Kaliningrad to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky could be done in one stop by TU-214 or MC-21 somewhere in Novosibirsk or Krasnoyarsk, or, eventually, with MC-21 Extended Range non-stop. 

Yes, they are flying the thing in experimental mode now. 

Per situation with children and their psycho-bitch murderer. I can not easily take this, but I 100% agree with Larry:

This has the potential to be a watershed moment and mark the start of the political pendulum shifting from demanding that all sane people genuflect at the altar of transgender fantasy towards the traditional belief grounded in biology — i.e., transgenderism is a phantasm.

I am on record--most of the US media and "intellectual" class are war criminals and criminals against humanity. There are no normal people working for the US MSM--none.

A Tiny Piece Of News.

Behind all the chaos of modern world and a wall of BS by the so called "legacy" media, one piece of news is of a particular interest. While MAKS-2019 proceeds as planned, with MC-21 making a flying (public) debut, news of CR-929 getting to fly in 2023 are a huge deal. As Izvestiya reports two days ago (in Russian), Chief Designer of CR-929 program Maxim Litvinov (I wonder if he is related to Stalin's 1930s Peoples' Commissar of Foreign Affairs) stated that the first flight of CR-929 will happen in 2023 while serial production will start in 2025. This is fast, folks, for a project of such a scale, it is really fast. Russia, in this joint venture, is responsible for a design of the wing and center section of aircraft (in Russian) and, drum roll, for PD-35 engine, which will power this machine. 

As you know, PD-14 already received the certificate of a type and is in serial production for MC-21. Here is what was stated about PD-35 in 2017:

Russia’s new bypass turbofan engine, dubbed PD-35, will be developed in the next six years, Alexander Inozemtsev, chief designer of Aviadvigatel (a subsidiary of the United Engine Corporation), has told TASS news wire. The engine is intended to power future wide body aircraft, including the Russo-Chinese C929. Inozemtsev said the powerplant program is currently in the scientific research phase. Total investment in the project will amount to almost 180 billion rubles (approximately $3 billion). Of this sum, 60 billion rubles will be spent on test benches and laboratory equipment. The PD-35 is a turbofan engine projected to develop 35 tons of thrust. The program was launched in the summer of 2016 as a joint effort by Russia’s largest powerplant specialists, Perm-based Aviadvigatel and NPO Saturn, which is located in Rybinsk (both are part of the United Engine Corporation). The plan is to scale up the core of the PD-14 engine, which is currently being developed for the Irkut MC-21 narrow body airliner, and add a stage to its high-pressure compressor. There will be nine stages in the compressor and two stages in the turbine.

So, these latest news about CR-929 taking to the skies in 2023, then, could be viewed as a confirmation that PD-35 development is on schedule (give and take a year). This is also a confirmation of Russian civil aviation not just taking off--we knew that it was taking off years ago--but getting to the cruise echelon. As Yvonne Lorenzo reports (in her wonderful review of my new book):

Russian-based MAKS 2019 aviation exposition, Boeing was an exhibitor, and the news was reported on the site included, “Boeing Company will announce new strategic initiatives and sign agreements with Russian partners at the International Aviation and Space Salon, according to the press service of the American aerospace manufacturer. Boeing will sign a number of agreements with Russian companies at MAKS-2019. ‘Agreements will be signed with Russian partners and will strengthen long-term obligations within the framework of the company’s partnership with the Russian aerospace industry,’ the statement says.” Thus, sanctions notwithstanding, Russian companies continue to buy—or at least have an interest—in Boeing products and “god-emperor” Trump, “grand and glorious” though he may think himself has—as of now—not prohibited any such sales to Russia by a vital member of the Military-Industrial complex.

What do ya know. Of course, one should remember that a lot of things, including a wing for B-787, were designed at Boeing's engineering facility in Moscow. So, while the United States sanctions Russia non-stop and insists, especially, on Europe doing the same (those morons evidently took it too far for their own comfort now), somehow Boeing continues to operate in Russia and even, well look at that, hosts Russian school kids, the winners of the contest Aviation From A to Z in 2018 (in Russian). Indeed, and why would Boeing do such a thing (wink, wink). 

But all this brings us back to a purely geopolitical question. Whose side is Russia on?  The answer is very simple: Russia is on Russia's side, period. Moreover, pushing on with the development of the MC-21 and CR-929 and the line of their power-plants such as PD-14 and PD-35 Russia not only returns to own domestic civil aviation market with a vengeance, she made sure she will have a huge share of a Chinese one. While public at MAKS 2019, traditionally, was treated to a dizzying display by Russian combat aviation, it was this bird which stole the show for people who look at the world not just through the aiming device. 

In related news, Europe (the United States is not far behind, but there is still a hope, maybe) continues her descend into madness and totalitarianism with Thought Crimes exposed now by Thought Police non-stop. 

PHP Central Europe would have gathered hundreds of users of PHP, a popular programing language, together in Dresden in October, if not for one seemingly innocuous tweet that sowed the seed of destruction coated in a shell of positive verbiage. “This year's PHP CE conference seems to have gone with the ‘White Males Only’ conference lineup. Shame. It's 2019, we can do better,” wrote Karl L Hughes, an obscure tech industry figure and “concerned citizen”, who had no plans to travel to Germany himself. The tweet went viral....  after the brouhaha, “ticket sales stopped.” This week, organizers published a notice saying that the event in Dresden was canceled, citing the tweets and articles as the reason. They say that there will be no PHP CE conference next year or ever again.

I am not sure in 20 years Europe will be able to produce a decent kitchen combine, let alone aircraft, because it will be too busy developing mechanisms of upholding gender, race and religious quotas, lest there be a dominance of smart white males in manufacturing of the technologies for the XXI century.    

It Did Happen!

No, not the Ukraine electing a certified clown as her President. But the delivery (in Russian) of a first couple of serial production PD-14 engines (first batch numbers 16 engines) to Irkut corp to be installed at the serial MC-21 commercial aircraft. This is huge and I cannot emphasize enough how huge it is. It is a state-of-the-art engine which is very competitive with Western analogues, getting pretty close in terms of bypass ratio, while being better in fuel economy. EASA is due to certify it this year, while in Russia it already received the certificate of type. This is a new era in modern Russian commercial aerospace and implications are gigantic. 

No, Boeing-Airbus duopoly will not get crushed immediately but the fact that Russia already has a line of very competitive aircraft, from SSJ-100 to MC-21, to upcoming Il-96 with PD-35 for own market and that of former USSR should give some people a pause when framing global commercial aviation mostly in terms of this duopoly as a constant. But, as we all know, everything changes, all the time. 

An Interesting Coincidence?

It is a very peculiar coincidence. First, Yahoo publishes this:

That the U.S. and EU bolster their respective aerospace giants is a basic fact of the industry at this point. Yet the firms’ fierce rivalry and the enormous market share at stake means the U.S. and EU have challenged the other’s state-sponsored support—It’s fundamentally unfair! It’s market-distorting!—for well over a decade. Both sides’ claims have been at least partially upheld by the World Trade Organization, and those victories mean that each has the opportunity to hammer the other with tariffs. In other words: it’s payback time. But as the U.S. and EU trade threats on behalf of their industrial champions, an upstart aerospace firm could pose a threat to Boeing and Airbus’s long-term lock on the market. And it’s not wasting time worrying about subsidies; in fact, it’s welcoming state aid from an enthusiastic booster: China.

Of course down the article Yahoo makes a distinction: 

In fact, France has warned against any escalation of the trans-Atlantic subsidies argument, with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire saying last week that it could “play into the hands” of a potentially significant competitor to both companies: the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, or Comac. Comac, in partnership with Russia’s United Aircraft Corp, recently unveiled proposals for a long-haul widebody jet. It is already selling smaller models to Chinese carriers such as Chengdu Airlines, and trying to target some emerging markets such as Ghana with those regional planes. And all with the Chinese government’s support.

I have news for France's Finance Minister, who, obviously, having degree in literature from Sorbonne, before enrolling into Government Administration program, may not know it, but there are few very, how to put it politely, noticeable issues with this statement. Good that at least UAC and Russia were mentioned there. COMAC-919 is being created as primarily internal Chinese commercial aviation market filler for the nearest (10-30 years) future. COMAC-919 which still continues to have issues, is an outdated design and, apart from being a thoroughly "Western" aircraft it doesn't have...drum roll... indigenous competitive engine. It is simply not there, apart from few demonstrators which are not in the production and God knows when will be. 

And here is a Russian "coincidence: in Vzglyad with a telling title:

Китай ждет помощи от России в области авиации (China expects help from Russia in aviation field). 

Here is in English. 

Enter life-giving US sanctions on Russia. Only totally delusional people will continue to believe BS of sanctions in military and aerospace field against Russia as having something to do with politics--BS. It is all about Boeing and American Military-Industrial Complex. After all, none other than Russia's PM Dmitry Medvedev (whose role I am in the process of reassessing in a very positive direction now, after some new facts) today already reported Russia's military contracts portfolio worth $54.5 billion. Thankfully, by imposing sanction, such as those on composites by Hexcell, US, thinking that they damage MC-21 program, merely accelerated and to a breakneck speed localization of this aircraft, which will be a direct, unlike is the case of COMAC-919, competitor to both A-320neo and whatever the ill-fated B-737Max 8 will become.   

But that is the whole point, for the first time in history China was invited to become a co-organizer of the famed MAKS air exhibition, MAKS-2019. It will be at this massive salon that China will feature own progress but also the mock-up of  CR-929, Russian-Chinese wide-body airliner--the actual article, which together with MC-21 is honed to break up Boeing-Airbus duopoly. Behind all that one can see the shadow of not only majority of Russian home-made systems ranging from APU to avionics, and composites, which are already part of the newly constructed MC-21s, but of PD-14 engine which already received the certificate of type, while Russian-made APU received certificate from EASA. Russia ALREADY has certified PD-14 and the logical next step of PD-35 for wide-bodied intercontinental CR-929 and, wait a minute, IL-96, is being taken as I type this.

In the end, it is about more than just Boeing-Airbus saga, it is about those shady Russkies, hiding behind the tree in the ambush and waiting for their chance. So, let me reiterate--no own engine, no great aviation power. COMAC-919 will be powered undeniably by P&W or CFM. PD-14 is competitive and it already flies and is being produced, actually. Chinese AJ-1000A, will see. But in any case, Russia's return to commercial aircraft market will be noticed. Hell, it is already noticed, hence US sanctions--sanctity of Boeing, especially after this gigantic FUBAR with B-737 Max 8, must be well-guarded. Make no mistake, I am not sarcastic here, when I type this. The duopoly will be broken one way or another and behind it, apart from obvious advanced avionics, materials and design, all of which Russia has, is a massive Soviet/Russian school of engine manufacturing which was and is behind some of the most outstanding military aircraft in history. This experience is a key--that is why China paid billions to get her hands on Russian version of SU-35, that is why Egypt wants it, Indonesia signed the contract for 11 of them and that is why United States slaps economic sanctions on anything Russian--because it is too damn good and competitive. So simple, really.  

As per MAKS-2019. That is going to be a treat for aerospace obsessed and an eye candy. It always is.       

Commercial Shipbuilding in Russia.

No, it is not about monster Zvezda shipyard whose portfolio now is more than impressive:

In the second six-month period of 2018, Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex’s portfolio of orders grew by 42 percent, and currently Zvezda has contracts for construction of 37 vessels. Zvezda’s anchor customer is Rosneft, which placed an order for 26 vessels, including 12 Arc6 and Arc7 ice-class tankers, 4 ice-class multi-purpose support vessels, and 10 Aframax tankers. Gazprom ordered 3 support vessels, 1 vessel for transporting drilling crews, and 1 multi-purpose service vessel for offshore production unit. Rosmorport ordered 1 shallow-draft icebreaker. The contract also provides for an option to build three similar vessels. Sovcomflot ordered at Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex 2 Aframax tankers and 3 medium-range tankers of the MR class.

The news is actually about Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard which in 1960s-80s was known for building project 670 SSNs (NATO Charlie-class). The shipyard for all intents and purposes was dead by the end of 1990s--courtesy of young "effective managers" (euphemism for thieves and criminals) who apart from being greedy are, for some reason, incapable to produce anything of value. Yet, the shipyard endured somehow and after recovery started to build ships again. Here is the economy of scale kicking in:

Krasnoye Sormovo Shipyard, a unit of Russia's largest shipbuilding company United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), has been awarded a contract to build dry cargo ships under Project RSD59 for State Transport Leasing Company (STLC). Three vessels from the batch are set to be delivered by December 2019, another four are to join the fleet by the end of 2020, while the remaining four units would be delivered by the end of 2021. According to a press release, Krasnoye Sormovo has won an open competition for construction of 11 ships over a period of three years, by the end of 2021.  Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard was the only participant of the competition announced by STLC. The tender is valued at approximately 10.67 rubles (US$161 million). This is the third series of RSD59 ships ordered by STLC to Krasnoye Sormovo. The first series of five ships was completed in October 2018, the second one numbering four units is under construction.

These 141 meter long, 8,093 tons of DWT (for sea), vessels are nothing to sneeze at--these are very respectable dry and general cargo transports capable to navigate Russian rivers and coastal sea areas. 

And here is the question--what's the deal with this "economy growth" thingy, which, supposedly, barely grows? Russian "opposition", especially its so called liberal part is in constant agony of this backward "Russhka", yet this "backward" country seems to be doing pretty well in restoring once mighty shipbuilding industry. The first one, medium tanker for Russian Navy, Academic Pashin is on trials now. 

Really fascinating how things pick up speed in Russia. Which merely confirms some of my suspicions on what really drives Russia's economic policies. For people who fanatically believe in monetarism and post-industrial myth it will be very difficult to comprehend how, somehow, Russian industry is not only increasing the number of enclosed technological cycles, but is getting ready for space arms race. There were some other, non shipbuilding related news--about MC-21. Borisov today stated that MC-21 by 2022 will be localized 97%. That means that 97% of parts for MC-21 will be manufactured in Russia. What are the remaining 3%? Who knows, some electronic parts, maybe some other few trinkets. Judging by the way MC-21 will be introduced into service through Aeroflot, which is main MC-21 customer (wink, wink), one has to ask--what does this remind me of?