Russia's United Aircraft reaches maturity

For the colossus that is Russia's aerospace industry, matters are coming to a head. The newly created United Aircraft (UAC) has hoovered up the best of the nation's industry, decided which programmes to advance and which to drop, and taken its relationships with Western industry more or less as far as it can for now.

For good or ill it has to proceed with the selected programmes, begin spending substantial money and set off down the one-way street of developing and producing new aircraft.

In the military sector. Russia's fighter expertise and solid prospects among its historic allies give it a moderately secure footing, but in the civil world the extent of the challenge facing it is awesome.

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