Clienti russi fregati

[W. Von Braun]

Componenti riciclati e difettosi, costi esponenzialmente al rialzo, contratti persi, i clienti dell'industria russa cominciano a perdere le staffe.


Reports: Algeria Wants to Return Jets

MOSCOW (AP) — Algeria has demanded that Moscow take back several MiG fighter jets supplied under a major arms deal because of quality concerns, dealing a painful blow to Russian pride, news reports said Tuesday.
The effort to return the planes, which is expected to top the agenda of visiting Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's talks Tuesday in the Kremlin, could tarnish Russia's reputation as a reliable supplier and damage its hopes to expand its niche in the world's arms market.
"The return of the planes would be unprecedented for Russia," said Alexander Khramchikhin, a senior researcher at the Moscow-based Institute for Political and Military Analysis.
Algeria said it wanted to return the first 15 MiG-29 fighter jets supplied last year and refused to take the remaining aircraft under a $1.3 billion contract, Russian news reports said. The 2006 deal envisaged the delivery of 34 MiG-29s in 2007-2008.
Algerian officials said the planes had some old and substandard parts. After months of talks, Russian and Algerian officials reached a deal last week on details of their return, the business daily Kommersant said. It said penalties and other aspects of the issue had yet to be worked out.
Officials at the Algerian Defense Ministry and the government headquarters would not comment on the reports, which cited sources in Russian weapons industries. A spokesman for Russia's state arms trading monopoly, Rosoboronexport, also refused to comment Tuesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bouteflika did not publicly mention the MiG deal as they sat down for talks, but Putin said they had "many issues to discuss, including military-technical cooperation."
The MiG contract was part of a package of arms deals signed during Putin's trip to Algeria in March 2006, worth an estimated $8 billion. In return, Russia has agreed to write off Algeria's $4.7 billion Soviet-era debt to Moscow — much of it owed for weapons deliveries.
Some Russian experts said the collapse of the Algerian contract reflected the steady decline of the nation's weapons industries, which fell on hard times after the 1991 Soviet collapse. Top weapons manufacturers such as MiG have survived largely thanks to export orders.
"The military-industrial complex has degraded because of the personnel exodus and the loss of key technologies," Khramchikhin said. "Control over quality of manufacturing is virtually nonexistent. The number of complaints has grown sharply."

While Russian arms sales have grown steadily, reaching a post-Soviet record of $7.5 billion last year, some deals have caused controversy.
India, a top customer for Russian weapons, has been involved in a broadly publicized dispute over a contract for Russia to refurbish a Soviet-built aircraft carrier. A Russian shipyard has fallen behind schedule on it and demanded a higher price; the Indians protested loudly and the bickering continues.
Russia has been courting India to win a multibillion-dollar contract to supply it with 126 new fighter planes, offering the MiG-35, an advanced version of the MiG-29. Problems with the Algerian deal, on top of the aircraft carrier dispute, could hurt MiG's chances in tough competition from U.S., French and Swedish companies.
Some commentators said that pressure from France, which wants to sell its Rafale jets to Algeria, could also be a factor behind Algeria's reported rejection of the MiGs.
Andrei Maslov, head of a Russian think-tank specializing in African studies, Rosafroexpertiza, said that Algeria could be tempted to purchase French jets as a complement to booming energy sales to France. "The money spent on Rafales would be just a fraction of what it will earn by selling gas to France," said Maslov.



http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g...Uij9QD8UTEEVG4

[Lorenzo]

Cooperazione energetica più intensa con sullo sfondo l'ipotesi della nascita di un'Opec del gas, rilancio della cooperazione commerciale dopo il calo del 2007, un nuovo accordo sulla circolazione aerea dopo quello degli anni settanta e il mantenimento della cooperazione tecnico-militare nonostante la restituzione di 15 Mig 29: è il frutto della visita del presidente algerino Abdelaziz Bouteflika a Mosca, dove martedì 19 febbraio ha incontrato il leader del Cremlino Vladimir Putin.

In coincidenza con la visita di Bouteflika è stato reso noto dalla stampa russa un fatto senza precedenti: viene rimandata indietro a Mosca una (pur piccola) parte della grande partita di armamenti che il monopolio dell'export del settore Rosoboroneksport aveva venduto all'Algeria, nel quadro del contratto miliardario firmato nel marzo di due anni fa durante la visita del residente Putin nella repubblica nord-africana: circa 7,5 miliardi di dollari. Come condizione preliminare, l'impegno della Russia a cancellare il debito (ormai inesigibile) di Algeri contratto a suo tempo con l'Urss: 4,7 miliardi di dollari. Il fatto è che per importanti difetti tecnici saranno rispediti nei prossimi mesi in Russia ben 15 caccia bombardieri Mig-29 Smt multifunzionali dei 36 dello stesso tipo ordinati in quell'occasione assieme ad altri tipi di aerei da combattimento (come 28 caccia Sukhoj-30 mka), a sette complessi missilistici terra-aria S300 Pmu 2, "Favorit", con in più una partita di carri armati T-90 S e l'impegno ad ammodernare aerei e tank in dotazione all'esercito algerino dall'epoca sovietica.

Il mega-contratto rappresentò un ulteriore balzo in avanti nel campo delle vendite all'estero di armamenti russi da parte del monopolio Rosoboronexport: inferiore solo a quelli conclusi da Mosca con Cina, India e Iran, i principali partner di Mosca nel settore degli armamenti. Si trattò di un ritorno alla grande di Mosca in un Paese che aveva avuto con l'Urss stretti rapporti di collaborazione sul piano militare, oltre che su quello politico diplomatico. Fu un grande successo personale del presidente Putin. Ora, in una parte dei Mig-29 i tecnici dell'aviazione algerina hanno riscontrato «la presenza di componenti già usate e di bassa qualità».

«Un grande scandalo – commentano le "Izvestiya" – mai prima d'ora ai reclami del cliente era seguita la restituzione dei prodotti contestato». In questo senso, invece, si sono accordati, alla vigilia della visita di Bouteflika, il capo di S.M. algerino Akhmed Haid e direttore del Servizio federale per la cooperazione tecnico-militareMikhajl Dmitriev. Gli aerei contestati saranno rimandati in Russia nei prossimi mesi. «Ad Algeri – scrive "Kommersant" – Mosca aveva proposto in cambio due altri modelli di caccia di nuova generazione (Mig-29 o Mig-35), ma il loro costo è stato giudicato tropo alto dalla controparte.

Mosca ha respinto le contestazioni degli algerini: «Non si tratta di parti usate o di bassa qualità, ma solo costruite negli anni 90». Gli algerini hanno interrotto i pagamenti (oltre che sospeso un contratto nel settore gas, tra Gazprom e Sonocotra). Alla fine, però, si è arrivati all'accordo sottoscritto dalle due parti il 6 febbraio scorso, che prevede la restituzione dei 15 aerei. Mosca è interessata a minimizzare l'incidente e continuare la partnership con Algeri in questo settore e in quello energetico. Tuttavia la causa del clamoroso fatto potrebbe risiedere nella volontà di una parte del gruppo dirigente algerino di mettere in difficoltà il presidente Bouteflika artefice del contratto di due anni fa e il suo capo di Stato Maggiore, contestando la qualità delle armi russe. In concomitanza con le pressioni di Parigi interessata, oltre che a rafforzare i suoi rapporti con Algeri, a conservare il monopolio della vendita di propri armamenti, in particolare il caccia bombardiere "Rafale". Inoltre, l'affacciarsi della Russia sulle sponde sud-occidentali del Mediterraneo ha non poco preoccupato le potenze occidentali: USA e Francia in particolare. Tuttavia, anche se questo sottofondo politico non è affatto da escludere (si ricorderanno, nell'altro emisfero, le critiche furibonde degli Usa per gli acquisti di armi russe da parte del presidente venezuelano Hugo Chavez), sicuramente è l'industria russa degli armamenti, segnatamente quella aerea a subire un grave danno di immagine.

Cordiali Saluti

Lorenzo
Miles Insulae

[W. Von Braun]

Norwegian company cancels contract with Russian shipyard


MOSCOW: A Russian shipyard lost a lucrative contract for building commercial vessels for a Norwegian company, which said its terms were violated — a failure some Russian media described Tuesday as a reflection of inefficiencies within the nation's heavy industries.



Norway's Odfjell announced last week that it decided to cancel a contract of Russia's Sevmash plant for up to 12 bulk chemical product carriers because of production delays and demands for price increases.
Sevmash, located in Severodvinsk on the White Sea, denied breaching the contract and accused the Norwegian company of failing to agree on a "fair price" for its work.
Sevmash spokesman Mikhail Starozhilov said in a telephone interview Tuesday that the yard would continue building the vessels and try to find another customer. He refused to comment on the details of disagreements with Odfjell.
Odfjell said it would further claim full compensation for its costs and losses caused by what it called "willful misconduct and massive contract breaches" by the Russian yard.

Odfjell said fixed total contract price for all 12 vessels was about US$500 million (€337 million) and later increased to US$544 million (€367 million).
The contract's cancellation was a new humiliation to Sevmash, which was already under criticism for failing to meet contract terms for upgrading an aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy. There have also been a series of other disputes with foreign customers that have tarnished Russia's image as a reliable supplier.
"Russia's reputation as a country capable to compete with other countries in the production and exports of high-tech equipment has received a new heavy blow," the daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta said in a commentary.
The business daily Kommersant said Tuesday that the yard would find it hard to sell the ships because there is little market demand for that kind of ship in Russia and it would be hard to sell the overpriced vessels to foreign customers.
In a similar conflict, Sevmash has fallen behind the schedule on the US$1 billion (US$670 million) contract to modernize the Soviet-built Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy and demanded to more than double the price. The Indians have complained vociferously, and the talks are still ongoing.
Amid the acrimony over the carrier contract, media reports said that the U.S. could offer New Delhi one of its aircraft carriers, USS Kitty Hawk, after its expected decommissioning in the near future.
India has been a top customer for Russian weapons since the 1960s, and its shift to the U.S. would be a major embarrassment to Moscow.
The Sevmash's troubles follow problems faced by other Russian companies. Algeria has recently decided to return 15 Russian MiG-29 fighter jets, saying they were of poor quality and contained old parts
Previously, another Russian yard fell behind schedule in building frigates for the Indian navy and Russia failed to meet the contract's term for the delivery of heavy transport and tanker planes to China.
Commentators blame the failures on a steady degradation of Russian defense industries, whose efficiency has been crippled by the failure to modernize aging Soviet-era equipment and an exodus of qualified personnel.
Russian plants have lured foreign customers with low prices for their products and then tried to re-negotiate contracts when they saw rising costs.
"The latest failures stem from inability to make viable economic forecasts," Nezavisimaya Gazeta quoted analyst Agvan Mikaelian as saying. "In the end, prices are higher because of low production efficiency and higher consumption of metals and energy."



http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/...t-Canceled.php

[W. Von Braun]

India might not get its Russian aircraft carrier



2008-02-19


The "Admiral Gorshkov"

The aircraft carrier “Admiral Gorshkov” has become the centrepiece of a military scandal in Russian-Indian relations. Now, Russia might end up not selling the vessel to the Indian Navy, after all.

The “Admiral Gorshkov” is currently under reconstruction at the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast.
A source in the Russian military establishment confirms to RBC.ru that Russia and India currently are trying to re-negotiate an agreement from 2004, according to which India was to take over the vessel after an upgrade process in 2008.
The two countries might however not be able to agree about the issue. According to the defence source, Russian authorities demand that India pay about one billion USD extra for the vessel. India on the other hand demands the takeover of the vessel as agreed upon in 2004.
Should the parts fail to agree, Russia is likely to return the aircraft carrier to its Navy.
Russia and India in 2004 signed a contract on the Indian free-of-charge takeover of the vessel. Part of the deal was about 800 million USD upgrade of the vessel, to take place at the Sevmash construction plant in Severodvinsk.
The military order was to be fulfilled in the course of 2008. However, now the Sevmash plant says the aircraft carrier – now named “Vikramâditya” – will be completed only in 2012, and become more than two times more expensive than anticipated.
India is among Russia’s strategic partners and is said to have paid already more than 400 million USD for the “Vikramâditya”. Head of the Indian Navy Sureesh Mehta has previously said that India already considers the vessel part of its fleet and that it does not intend to renegotiate the contract with Russian Armed Forces.
The construction of the “Admiral Gorshkov” was started in 1978. The vessel was completed in 1986 after which it served only eight years before it was retired in 2002.



http://www.barentsobserver.com/india...123-16149.html

[Cesare]

Che la Russia venda, prima di tutto, armi vecchie e usate è palese. Secondo voi Mosca dà a paesi l'Algeria e l'India mezzi nuovi di produzione e si tiene per sé quelli con oltre una decade sulle spalle? Mica sono scemi i russi, eh.

Per intenderci, ora che hanno iniziato la produzione di S-400 inizieranno a vendere gli S-300. Questi ultimi saranno ovviamente usati, e saranno venduti non per altruismo russo (sono know how importantissimo e delicato) ma per guadagnare qualcosa su armamenti che, altrimenti, presto o tardi sarebbero stati mandati in discariche russe.

[ulver81 (POL)]

Russia's fleet of military transport planes obsolete - Ivanov


12:11|27/ 02/ 2008


MOSCOW, February 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's fleet of military transport aircraft has become dangerously obsolete and the country may be left without military cargo planes by 2015, a first deputy prime minister said on Wednesday. "The existing fleet of [military] transport aircraft has become, to a large extent, obsolete," Sergei Ivanov said at a meeting of the Russian government's military-industrial commission.
"Without urgent measures to extend the service life and resources [of the aircraft], we will see more than 90% of the military transport aircraft decommissioned by 2015," he said.
According to various sources, there are up to 300 transport aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force, including An-12 Cub, An-72 Coaler, An-124 Condor and Il-76 Candid planes.
Most of the aircraft entered service in the 1960s and 1970s and are considered unsafe according to modern safety requirements. Comprehensive upgrading may extend their service life until 2020-2025.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080227/100133047.html

[Peucezio (POL)]

Bene, bene. Ci sarebbe mancato solo che i russi si fossero messi a dotare di armi efficienti e moderne un paese mussulmano, oltretutto stretto alleato degli americani e dell'occidente.

[Generale gothic]

He he, avranno pensato che tanto quei beduini non se ne sarebbero accorti e gli hanno rifilato materiale difettato