Cooperate to Survive: Strategic Alliances in the Russian Aerospace Industry

The structure and evolution of international strategic alliances in the Russian aerospace industry shares some common features similar to those that have been found in other central European countries during post-socialist transformation. However, there are also some very specific factors rooted in the particular characteristic of post-socialist transformation in aerospace in Russia: Firstly, the complicated and cumbersome process of privatisation due to its military importance in conjunction with a deep transitional crisis in the sector. Secondly, the high quality - and in some cases - unique science and technological potential of the Russian defence sector. These factors provide the basis for the exceptional situation with respect to international technology transfer processes. This chapter documents the empirical evidence on processes of international strategic alliance activity in three sub-sectors of the Russian aerospace sector: the space industry (section 8.1), aviation (section 8.2) and aerospace research and development (RD thirdly, characterizing the main factors in the development of these companies; fourthly, describing the role of government agencies in regulating the aerospace industry in terms of its restructuring and in area of international cooperation; and fifthly, providing in-detail case-study evidence on international strategic alliances established by these companies. To gain original insights into the function and structure of strategic technology alliances in the Russian aerospace industry, an industry analysis combined with a case study approach (utilizing standardized questionnaires) has been chosen.