Russia sees potential for cooperation with N. Korea in aircraft building, other sectors - minister

MOSCOW. Sept 15 (Interfax) - Russia sees opportunities for cooperation with North Korea in various sectors, including in aircraft building, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said following North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's official visit to aircraft enterprises in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

The North Korean leader was given a tour of the engineering center and manufacturing units of Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAZ, part of the United Aircraft Building Corporation) and a site of the production center of the parent company of JSC Yakovlev's civilian division, the Russian government's press service said.

"We showed the North Korean leader one of our leading aircraft production enterprises. We see potential for cooperation both in aircraft building and in other sectors, which is particularly relevant to accomplishing our countries' objective to achieve technological sovereignty," Manturov, who accompanied Kim on his tour of the enterprises, said.

During the visit, Kim watched a demonstration flight performed by a Sukhoi Su-35 multirole fighter jet, the government said. The North Korean leader, accompanied by Manturov, then visited the plant's subassembly workshops and final assembly unit for Su-35 fighter jets and Su-57 fifth-generation aircraft.

Engineers in the KnAAZ design division showed Kim digital technologies that are used in modern aircraft. The delegation also examined the technological facilities, such as a mechanical processing workshop and a special coating workshop, upgraded as part of efforts to modernize the enterprise and provide it with new equipment.

Kim was also shown the units where work is ongoing as part of cooperation in an import-substitution project for the Superjet 100 (SJ-100) short-haul passenger aircraft. KnAAZ makes fuselage sections and wing units for the SJ-100. The delegation then visited the final assembly workshop for SJ-100 planes at another enterprise, the production center of the parent company of JSC Yakovlev's civilian division, which is currently testing the SJ-100 plane equipped with Russian systems and is making preparations for airfield tests of SJ-100 fitted with Russian PD-8 engines. The first serially produced SJ-100s, which use exclusively domestic components and which will be delivered to air carriers, can also be seen in the assembly building.