SINGAPORE, February 14 (Itar-Tass) — The largest aerospace and defense event in the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore Airshow 2012, opens here on Tuesday. A total of 226 delegations from 80 countries, including Russia, take part.
To compare – two years ago 250 delegations from 70 countries took part in the air show, which is the third biggest in the world after Le Bourget in France and Farnborough in Great Britain. However, sources from the German delegation have told Tass that after reconstruction and infrastructure work is completed, the Berlin Air Show that will be held at Schoenefeld next September will become the third biggest.
Twenty-two national pavilions will open on Tuesday at Singapore Airshow, held every two years. Despite the global crisis, contracts worth ten billion dollars were signed at the airshow in 2010. Organizers believe the amount of contracts signed at this airshow will be at the same level or bigger.
Russia presents its Be-200 amphibious aircraft as well as models of Su-35, Yak-130, Sukhoi Superjet-100 and MS-21. According to experts of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation, its civil planes have big potentials in the Asia-Pacific region. At the present moment, the designer of Sukhoi Superjet has firm contracts for the supply of 45 aircraft to Laos and Indonesia.
The United Aircraft Corporation expects that Superjet planes may get up to 14 percent of the regional market. More than 300 planes are expected to be sold before 2030.
Presentations of Sukhoi Superjet-100 and MS-21 programs will be held to advance them to markets of the Asia-Pacific region, which is the fastest growing and most promising in the world at the present moment.
According to different estimations, an average yearly growth in the turnover of passengers in Asia will be one to two percent bigger than across the globe. Positions of Russian combat planes in that region are traditionally strong. Asia-Pacific region’s countries have received more than 350 Sukhoi and MiG aircraft. Su-30 fighter jets have been chosen as the main combat planes by the air forces of several countries. At the Singapore Air Show, Russia will present its newest Su-35 fighter jet.
Last year, Irkut Corporation began first export deliveries of Yak-130 aircraft, selling 16 aircraft to Algeria.
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force Colonel-General Alexander Zelin takes part in Singapore Airshow. Organizers believe that about 100,000 people will visit the airshow that will run till February 19.