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Viewing cable 08VLADIVOSTOK31, SUPERJET READYING FOR TAKEOFF IN KOMSOMOLSK

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08VLADIVOSTOK31 2008-03-26 06:36 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Consulate Vladivostok
VZCZCXRO4631
RR RUEHCHI RUEHFK RUEHHM RUEHKSO RUEHLN RUEHNAG RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHYG
DE RUEHVK #0031 0860636
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 260636Z MAR 08
FM AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0913
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 0035
RUEHXD/MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHZU/ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 0985
UNCLAS VLADIVOSTOK 000031 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EINV PGOV RS
SUBJECT: SUPERJET READYING FOR TAKEOFF IN KOMSOMOLSK 
 
1.  (U)  Komsomol'sk-na-Amure is the third largest city in the 
Russian Far East and home to the Sukhoi Superjet, a 
multinational project that involves Boeing and a half a dozen 
other U.S. firms, as well as German and French aviation 
companies.  At the Sukhoi assembly plant, CG saw one Superjet 
that appeared to be almost complete, and another two jets under 
construction.  Superjet is meant to be a fuel efficient, quiet, 
medium range regional jet capable of handling 75-95 passengers. 
The jet can be configured for commercial passenger airlines, or 
as a luxury business jet with a speed of 780 kilometers per 
hour.  Most of the customers so far are Russian firms, according 
to General Director Sergey Skryabin, but Sukhoi sees a lot of 
potential in Asia and hopes to expand rapidly. 
 
2.  (U)  Skryabin said on March 19 that the first test flight 
would be in April, but recent news reports say test flights may 
be delayed.  Other American firms involved in the Superjet 
include Goodrich, Thales, Vibro-meter, Hamilton Sundstrand, 
Curtiss Wright, B/E Aerospace and Honeywell.  A request for 
photos made Skryabin a bit nervous so we had to settle for a 
photo of the Superjet on a city billboard for the Consulate 
website, but the factory floor looked immaculate and fully up to 
international standards. 
 
3.  (U)  Ironically, for a Mayor with one of the most successful 
U.S.-Russian joint ventures in his town, Komsomol'sk Mayor 
Vladimir Mikhalyev seemed singularly uninterested in developing 
further U.S.-Russian economic ties.  The Mayor and his staff met 
with CG for 15 minutes, dismissed the idea of a sister city 
relationship, and even made sure his aides did not include the 
press in the perfunctory meeting.  The Mayor, a former engineer, 
has 17 years of experience running Komsomol'sk, an industrial 
city upriver from Khabarvosk on the Amur River.  City population 
has dropped from a peak of 300,000 to some 270,000, the majority 
employed in the city's aircraft and ship manufacturing plants, 
wood processing facilities, and oil and gas refineries.  The 
Mayor did say that the city has room to expand and plenty of 
energy and infrastructure for new firms, as well as a tax free 
zone.  But so far, foreign firms are concentrated in the 
aviation sector.  Unemployment is less than two percent, and the 
city looks relatively prosperous, clean, and busy.  Komsomol'sk 
has not requested a quota of Chinese laborers, but the Mayor 
admits that the population drain creates a labor shortage that 
is a major challenge for the city. 
 
4.  (U)  CG delivered a lecture on American Diplomacy to some 80 
students at the Amurskiy Pedagogical State University.  In 
contrast to the Mayor, the Rector was extremely welcoming and 
eager to expand bilateral contacts.  The students spoke English 
well and participated in a lively exchange on international 
affairs.  Four American teachers working at the University for a 
month long teaching program also attended, and shared their 
experiences living in Komsomol'sk.  English remains the number 
one foreign language at the University, although Chinese is 
gaining fast.  As with most Russian Far East universities, few 
of the students have been to the U.S., but almost all of them 
have been to China.  In fact, more have traveled to China than 
Moscow because of the expense of air travel between the RFE and 
Russia's capital. 
 
5.  (U)  Comment:  Komsomol'sk has many advantages, good 
infrastructure, an educated populace, and significant natural 
resources, but the somewhat unreconstructed attitude towards 
Americans makes it hard to list the city administration as 
"business friendly."  Still, Boeing and other American companies 
have found a way to do business that is mutually beneficial, has 
great long term prospects, and that could lead to spin-offs in 
other directions.  The Mayor may well be open to concrete 
American proposals, but it's not likely he will be sending any 
trade missions to the U.S. anytime soon. 
 
ARMBRUSTER