Perestroika and Change in Soviet Weapons ... - The Black Vault

25
in 1988 to 27-30 percent in 1988.28 In the formerly all-military Sukhoi
design bureau, four new civil designs are in progess. The goal is to
expand civil aircraft activities to 50 percent of the design bureau effort
General designer Mikhail Simonov has said that the shift is prompted
by substantial military spending cuts. 2 In the Progress engine desg
bureau (previously headed by general designers Ivchenko and Lotarev),
the scaling back of military production has led to the recent decline in
the technical work force. 5 The exporting agency Aviaexport is
attempting to push civil aviation sales and consumer goods produced in
aviation plants to ameliorate the projected 20 percent reduction in primarily
military aviation production in 1989.2 And in late 1989, G. I.
Zaiganov, the head of the premier Central Aero-hydrodynamic
Research Institute (TsAGI) was actively seeking joint ventures in the
United States, noting, -I have thousands of talented scientists,
engineers, mathematicians, and programmers, and unique types of
equipment such as hypersonic wind tunnels, that can be put to commercial
aviation use. We can offer cheap, experienced brain power to a
world market."*2
This sequence of events indicates an accelerated pace of defense
industry involvement in civilian output since early 1988. Events began
to move faster than plans and enunciated policy, cancellations of
defense orders occurring in late 1988 and early 1989 seem to have
resulted from the defense expenditures reduction policy rather than
from the narrower INF treaty obligations, for which there was considerable
planning lead time. Defense plants were being told of cancellations
without the opportunity to plan or prepare for alternative outputs.
Oleg I. Malyga, a missile design bureau designer with 32 years
experience, three special state awards, and 56 inventions to his credit
told about his dismay at the turn of events: "I was shaken by the
news-no one now needed what I had been doing all my life. I heard
about it at a very large meeting that I attended as an expert." 28
UsMotormwlm Ts* Skills of Severa Factore to Produce Powerplants," Aviation
WMee & Space T*rA, June 5, 19B, p. 50.
SbukboI De nuu 19- a n Ciwil Aircraft Develpment Rfftaw,- Araon
Week & Specs Tehkwv June 5. 1I6, p. 90.
u M Prpem Enone DeaWn Bureu Reepmeib for Wid Product ne." Avaho
Week & SPe Technokoy, June 5, 1969, p. 4&
wAvksqmt Bmpoft Surp in Forne Orders After Res of New Tramapqo"t
Aglmd Wek & Span Tehnkv, Jun 5, 196,
O'Pa cmmu November 1M.
p. A
MThe Ecomis of Disarmamet," , u
p.2 OFBS4OVM0 Ap 27,1 I, p. 10).
u IndusWAe April 13, 1960,