Media: US needs Russian rocket engines and can not replace them

The United States will not be able to produce rocket engines instead of the Russians by the deadline, reports The Wall Street Journal.

It adds that this is linked to technical and financial problems.

"Despite Congressional demands to abort rapidly and gradually from the RD-180 engines, for national security reasons, in reality everything has proven to be much more complicated and time-consuming," the WSJ reports.

The Pentagon will have to use the Russian RD-180 engines at least until the middle of the next decade.

In December 2016, the Russian company Energomash reported that it would provide 19 more rocket engines to the US.

The edition adds that the US industrial sector is preparing for the potential shortage of these engines.


Earlier, the US Congress required the Pentagon to abandon the purchase of Russian rocket engines by 2019, referring to political differences with Russia.

In May it was reported that the US company Blue Origin failed to test its BE-4 rocket engine, which was to replace the Russian RD-180s.