Sino-Russian Rocket Engine Talk Raise US Concerns

choi

Charles Clover, Sino-Russian Rocket Engine Talk Raise US Concerns. Financial Times, Jan 19, 2018.

Quote:

"Great Wall Industry [Corp 中国长城工业集团有限公司], the Chinese space launch company, is negotiating with Russia's top rocket maker to procure sensitive engine technology
NPO Energomash "confirmed to Financial Times that the talks were taking place, although attempts to reach Great Wall Industries [sic] were unsuccessful.

"Energomash's engine, the RD-180 [RD is the initials of Russian words for 'Rocket Engine'; en.wikipedia.org], os so highly rated that it is used by the US for its own satellite launches -- a curious exception to Washington's sanctions on Russia implemented following the 2014 invasion of Crimea.  US politicians have threatened to block future purchase * * * That uncertainty surrounding the RD-180 has given special significance Russia's negotiations with China. While the RD-180 is intended for civil rockets it has obvious military applications, with China creating a new generation of ballistic missiles including 'carrier killers' designed to sink ships. Great Wall's parent company, China Aerospace Science and Technology Company [sic, should be Corporation 中国航天科技集团公司] (CASC) is China's most prominent developer of intercontinental ballistic missile.

"Igor Arbuzov, Energomash's director general, told the FT that another obstacle to a sale was that China has not formally joined the Missile Technology Control Regime, a non-proliferation pact. China applied to join MTCR in 2004 but has not yet been admitted.

"The RD-180 is three times more powerful than China's most advanced engine, the YF-100 [no Chinese name], he [Chad Ohlandt, senior engineer at Rand,] said.

"The RD-180 would help China speed up the development of its own launch systems. 'It costs Russia very little to share 40-year-old technology, Mr Ohlandt said [but 2 paragraphs later mentions Russian fear].

"Mr Arbuzov said in an interview with Izvestia, the Moscow newspaper, last week that China does not want to buy finished engines, but rather acquire or license the technology.

My comment: There is no need to read the rest of this report, which the www.ftchinese.com does not translate.