EADS partnership with Russians raises security questions

Defense policymakers in Washington are becoming increasingly concerned at the collaboration between EADS and Russian state-owned military aircraft enterprises.

"We value EADS as a defense partner, but we're troubled by the company's growing closeness with the Putin regime," says a veteran defense analyst close to the White House. "As it did with Hugo Chavez, EADS is getting to the point that it's going to have to choose between the Russian government and the United States military," he said.

Prompting was the comment was news from RIA Novosti, a Kremlin-controlled media outlet, that EADS is set to build transport Airbuses outside Moscow in partnership with Russian military aircraft companies.

The Russian partner is the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UABC), a state-controlled conglomerate that RIA Novosti says "will incorporate commercial and military aircraft makers such as MiG, Sukhoi, Ilyushin and Tupolev, as well as companies involved in distribution, including Aviaexport."