Chinese Aviation Industry

China C919 preliminary design has been approved and now enter Detail design stage. It will probably take 2 years to complete the design and prototype

2011-12-21 (China Military News cited from Xinhua) -- On the morning of Dec. 9, Su Bo, vice minister of Industry and Information Technology announced that the research and development work of the preliminary design stage for C919 large passenger aircraft had been complete and valid, and the overall technical scheme of the aircraft was reasonable and feasible, so that the project was ready to enter the detailed design stage.

Overcome technical difficulties

C919 large passenger aircraft is designed to consume 12 percent to 15 percent less fuel than today’s similar sized aircraft per seat per kilometer, with two percent reduction in empty weight per seat and 50 percent reduction in pollution emissions.

Wu Guanghui, vice president of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China and chief designer of C919 large aircraft said the corporation has developed 40 key technologies and solved more than 100 technical problems. Since its establishment, the corporation has applied for over 170 pieces of patent, of which more than 40 pieces have been granted.

Innovation ultimately relies on talents

The manufacturing of large aircraft relies on national power and comprehensive capabilities of technology; but ultimately, it relies on talents, and to be specific, on designers.

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China actively implements the talents strategy to strengthen the enterprise, and increased its number of employees from more than 3,800 at its establishment to more than 7,100 at present, brought in 669 overseas talents, among which 13 were selected for the "Thousand Talents Program".

A technical talents team is formed with over a hundred technical personnel above the rank of deputy director of designers, supporting the R&D of the aircraft model and the development construction of the company.

"In a way, 'Thousands Talents Program’ gives the most benefit to the large aircraft project; it has provided the wings for the project to soar.”

Gather talents from across the country

For Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, the schedule of year 2012 is overflowing with tasks. Now that the C919 large aircraft project has entered the engineering development stage, the design work becomes even more arduous since more than 60 key technologies are still to be overcome.

The large aircraft project argumentation started with an innovative organizational model by gathering the effort and talents from across the country.

The corporation organized a joint engineering team with the Aircraft Design Institute of Shanghai as the core and was actively responded and supported by 47 organizations from 13 provinces and cities, including aviation, aerospace, electronics, metallurgical materials and other industries and sectors as well as colleges and universities; there have been 468 experts gathering on the joint office in Shanghai. China's civil aircraft industry chain has taken shape.


C919 Starts Development Phase
Assembly, Contract Manufacturing, Industry News

An expert team of the C919 project has approved the overall preliminary development review of the passenger jet.

China's homegrown C919 large passenger plane has finished its preliminary development review and entered the development phase, a senior executive of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd (COMAC) in Shanghai said Friday.

An expert team of the C919 project has approved the overall preliminary development review (PDR) of the passenger jet, said Jin Zhuanglong, president of the Shanghai-based COMAC.

It is expected that the manufacturing process for the components of the prototype will begin by the end of 2011.

COMAC signed a deal to sell 20 C919 large passenger planes to China Aircraft Leasing Company Limited (CALC).

Up to now, the users of C919 large passenger planes have reached 10 and total orders amount to 215 units.

COMAC said earlier it would develop both 168-seat and 156-seat models of the jet, with more models to be developed in the future.

It also said that test flights for the single-aisle C919 were scheduled for 2014, and delivery is slated for 2016.

New order for C919.



February 14, 2012

Chinese aircraft leasing company BOC Aviation said on Tuesday that it has ordered 20 C919 aircraft from China's state-owned plane maker, a deal it says will help the country's first home-grown large passenger jet gain access to new markets.

Singapore-based BOC Aviation, a subsidiary of Bank of China, signed the deal with Commercial Aircraft of China (COMAC), whose aircraft is designed to compete with Boeing's 737 and Airbus's A320 in the narrow body segment.

BOC Aviation said the deal would make it the eleventh customer of C919, but did not give financial details.

"With a global reach and long-term commitment to the industry, BOC Aviation is confident we can help COMAC open markets for the C919 first in China and then globally," said BOC Aviation managing director Robert Martin in a statement.

Martin said the deal would build on a CNY50 billion yuan (USD$7.94 billion) cooperation agreement signed between Bank of China and COMAC in June 2011.

Major Chinese airlines, China Development Bank's CDB Leasing, General Electric's GE Capital Aviation Services and the leasing arms of Industrial and Commercial bank of China and Bank of Communications have also ordered C919s.

BOC Aviation ordered 15 Embraer E190 aircraft last November worth USD$642 million at list price, in a bid to meet demand from airlines for smaller passenger jets to develop new markets.

Martin said in September last year that problems faced by European banks provided an opportunity to grab market share in the aircraft financing industry.

(Reuters)

Schumacher said:

New order for C919.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

February 14, 2012

Chinese aircraft leasing company BOC Aviation said on Tuesday that it has ordered 20 C919 aircraft from China's state-owned plane maker, a deal it says will help the country's first home-grown large passenger jet gain access to new markets.

Singapore-based BOC Aviation, a subsidiary of Bank of China, signed the deal with Commercial Aircraft of China (COMAC), whose aircraft is designed to compete with Boeing's 737 and Airbus's A320 in the narrow body segment.

BOC Aviation said the deal would make it the eleventh customer of C919, but did not give financial details.

"With a global reach and long-term commitment to the industry, BOC Aviation is confident we can help COMAC open markets for the C919 first in China and then globally," said BOC Aviation managing director Robert Martin in a statement.

Martin said the deal would build on a CNY50 billion yuan (USD$7.94 billion) cooperation agreement signed between Bank of China and COMAC in June 2011.

Major Chinese airlines, China Development Bank's CDB Leasing, General Electric's GE Capital Aviation Services and the leasing arms of Industrial and Commercial bank of China and Bank of Communications have also ordered C919s.

BOC Aviation ordered 15 Embraer E190 aircraft last November worth USD$642 million at list price, in a bid to meet demand from airlines for smaller passenger jets to develop new markets.

Martin said in September last year that problems faced by European banks provided an opportunity to grab market share in the aircraft financing industry.

(Reuters)

Click to expand...

Total order reach 235

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, the maker of the nation's first large passenger jet, the C919, expects to sign all key suppliers for the aircraft by June as it works toward a 2014 deadline for the jet's maiden flight.On Tuesday, the company, also known as COMAC, named AVIC Landing Gear Advanced Manufacturing Co, Liebherr and Moog Inc as suppliers for the C919, according to a statement from the plane maker at the Singapore air show. All 33 major systems providers will be signed up in the first half, it said.

COMAC also expects to reach an agreement with Bombardier Inc within two months to secure the coopperation of the Canadian aircraft manufacturer on the jet's development, said Han Kecen, the Chinese aircraft company's vice-president, on Tuesday. The companies are both working on new aircraft as they try to break the grip of Airbus SAS and Boeing Co on the global market for single-aisle planes.

"China has invested huge money in the project and is determined to make it successful," said David Wei, an analyst with Shanghai Securities Co. "Domestic airlines and State-backed lessors are likely to keep placing orders."

COMAC won an order for 20 C919s from BOC Aviation PTE, the aircraft-leasing arm of Bank of China Ltd, the company said on Tuesday. The agreement raises orders and commitments for the plane to 235, COMAC said. BOC Aviation is the 11th customer for the plane.

Among the existing customers for the 168-seat plane, as many as 10 are State-backed Chinese companies, including the nation's big three airlines: Air China Ltd, China Southern Airlines Co and China Eastern Airlines Corp. The leasing arms of Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd and Bank of Communications Co have also signed deals.

COMAC's only overseas customer so far is the leasing unit of General Electric Co. The company is also forming an avionics venture with COMAC's parent, Aviation Industry Corp of China.

State-owned COMAC has already signed up the engine maker CFM International Inc, a venture between General Electric Co and Safran SA, and Honeywell International Inc.

Bombardier separately said it continues to talk to COMAC for jet programs and the two companies may consider teaming up to manufacture planes. "These are all types of discussions we can undertake with COMAC," said Philippe Poutissou, Bombardier's vice-president of marketing, in an interview on Tuesday.

The Canadian company is developing the C-Series, which seats as many as 149, while COMAC is working on the larger C919. Montreal-based Bombardier had five teams working on the potential tie-up, it said last year.

COMAC hopes to have as many as 300 orders and commitments for the plane by the end of this year, Chief Designer Wu Guanghui told reporters on Tuesday.

The company is working on detailed designs of the plane after passing a preliminary technical review by the Chinese government in December. The C919 is due to make its first flight in 2014 and to enter service two years later, according to the schedule.

The jet will be 20 percent lighter and 10 percent cheaper than existing aircraft of similar size, as it will be built with composite materials and aluminum-lithium alloys, according to COMAC.

To meet its 2014 deadline, the Chinese company will probably have to assemble its first C919 within a year of completing the detailed designs, Shanghai Securities' Wei said. The plane maker may struggle to achieve this, given that Airbus and Boeing, which have more experience, usually take longer, he said.

The company is sticking to the 2014 schedule for the first flight, said Han.

The first delivery of COMAC's 90-seat ARJ21 has slipped by at least four years from a previously planned 2007 debut.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

JAKARTA: Ailing state-owned airline company PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines plans to buy 40 100-seat ARJ 21-700 jet aircraft from China for approximately US$1.2 billion, a company executive said.

Merpati’s president director Sardjono Jhony said Monday that Merpati has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), AVIC International Holding Corporation and state aircraft firm PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) to buy the planes.

“This year is our golden anniversary and we aim to fly higher and grow stronger,” he told The Jakarta Post.

The airline will receive four RJ 21-700 units in 2013 and the rest will arrive gradually until 2017, Jhony said. “By the end of 2017 we will have 75 airplanes.”

The airline currently has 35 aircraft; 25 of them are operating in a daily basis, including six Boeing 737 series units, five Twin Otters, two Casas, one Fokker-100 and 11 MA 60 11 units.

escobar said:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

JAKARTA: Ailing state-owned airline company PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines plans to buy 40 100-seat ARJ 21-700 jet aircraft from China for approximately US$1.2 billion, a company executive said.

Merpati’s president director Sardjono Jhony said Monday that Merpati has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), AVIC International Holding Corporation and state aircraft firm PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) to buy the planes.

“This year is our golden anniversary and we aim to fly higher and grow stronger,” he told The Jakarta Post.

The airline will receive four RJ 21-700 units in 2013 and the rest will arrive gradually until 2017, Jhony said. “By the end of 2017 we will have 75 airplanes.”

The airline currently has 35 aircraft; 25 of them are operating in a daily basis, including six Boeing 737 series units, five Twin Otters, two Casas, one Fokker-100 and 11 MA 60 11 units.

Click to expand...

Nice, they say ARJ will get all its certifications done this year.

FAA is behind the testing.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

The Pre-Flight Type Certification Board (TCB) Meeting for ARJ21-700 was held at Shanghai from February 13th to 14th, 2012. The ARJ21-700 Type Certification Leadership Team of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) signed and issued the type inspection authorization (TIA), which meant that ARJ21-700 aircraft enters into the CAAC certification flight tests phase.

Present at the meeting were VP Luo Ronghuai, Yin Shijun, Deputy Director General of Aircraft Airworthiness Certification Department of CAAC and Director of ARJ21-700 TCB, Wu Jian, Deputy Director of East China Branch of CAAC and Deputy Director of ARJ21-700 TCB, Shen Xiaoming, Director of Shanghai Aircraft Airworthiness Certification Center of CAAC and Deputy Director of ARJ21-700 TCB, Yang Zhenmei, Division Director of Aircraft Airworthiness Certification Department of CAAC and Deputy Director of ARJ21-700 TCB, and Thomas Starfford, Head of ARJ21-700 Shadow Certification Leadership Team, FAA. The meeting was presided over by Yang Zhenmei.

---------- Post added at 01:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:38 AM ----------


Master Contracts of C919 Airborne Systems signed at the Singapore Air Show


Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) signed the master contract for C919's landing gear with Liebherr and AVIC Landing Gear Advanced Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the master contract for C919's air management system with Liebherr, and the master contract for C919's high lift system with Moog Inc. at the Singapore Air Show 2012 on February 14th, 2012. This signified that C919 Program enters engineering development phase.

Present at the signing ceremony were Mr. Jin Zhuanglong, Chairman of COMAC, Mr. Wu Guanghui, VP of COMAC and Chief Designer of C919, Mr. Zhang Xinguo, VP of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), Mr. Francis Niss, President of Liebherr, Mr. Nicolas Bonleux, VP of Liebherr, Mr. Warren Johnson, President of Moog Inc, and Mr. Crag Sando, VP of Moog Inc.

According to the contract, Liebherr will supply the C919 landing gear and air management systems, and AVIC Landing Gear Advanced Manufacturing Co., Ltd. as the Chinese partner of Liebherr, will participate in the development of the C919 landing gear; Moog Inc. will supply the C919 high lift system, and AVIC Qing'an Group Co., Ltd., as the Chinese partner of Moog, will participate in the development of the C919 high lift system.

btw China is also making a new turbo-prop aircraft called MA-700 which will be a new version of the older MA-600, which itself is pretty new aircraft

MA-60 did some good sales lets hope MA-600 and MA-700 also secure orders from international customers

in addition some export orders of some civilian helicopters like the AC313 would be great!

growing markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America will benifit from such projects as will home grown customers

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

China's civil aviation regulator yesterday launched the final flight test certification on the country's first homegrown passenger jet, the ARJ21-700, in northwest China.

Two officials from the Civil Aviation Administration of China flew the 90-seat regional plane made by the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China for two hours, taking off and landing at an airport in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province mainly to check aircraft's speed control, COMAC said.

The final test will include another about 500 checks, COMAC added.

But the CAAC didn't say how long it will take to complete the tests before issuing the final certification.

C919 jumbo jet orders reach 235

China's home-made C919 large passenger plane has received a total order of 235 units from both domestic and overseas buyers, said Wu Guanghui, deputy general manager of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC), on Monday.

According to Wu, orders mostly come from domestic buyers, with a few from the United States and southeast Asian countries.

Development for the C919, which is China's first home-made single aisle passenger plane, is well under way, and its first test flight is scheduled for 2014.

In the initial stage, C919 will be powered by advanced LEAP-X1C engines that are installed in Boeing and Airbus aircraft, said Wu.

The engine, jointly developed by General Electric Company and Safran, is able to lower fuel consumption by 13 to 15 percent and cut emissions by 50 percent, said Wu.

Wu disclosed that China has also designed an engine for the plane, coded "Yangtze 1000," which is undergoing certification in Shanghai.

"There will be a choice of two engines for the C919 in the future, and the plane will definitely have a 'Chinese heart'," Wu said.

The C919's most recent order came from BOC Aviation, which placed an order for 20 C919 aircrafts. This deal makes BOC Aviation the eleventh customer of the C919.

Click to expand...

---------- Post added at 04:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:59 AM ----------

Final work on C919 by year's end

THE Commercial Aircraft Corp of China will finish work on the country's first homemade jumbo jet, the C919, by the end of this year, and the aviation regulator encourages domestic airlines to buy the plane, whose maiden flight will be 2014.

COMAC will finish designing, manufacturing and launching experiments on the 150-seat jet, which has a flying range of 4,075 kilometers this year, said Wu Guanghui, vice manager of COMAC and chief designer of the aircraft.

He said the final assembly of the jet will be done at the new COMAC assembly center, which is nearing completion in Shanghai's Pudong New Area.

Wu said the C919 would first fly with imported engines from CFM International, which also supplies engines to Boeing and Airbus.

There are plans for the jet to fly with homemade engines by 2020.

Li Jiaxiang, director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the regulator, said: "Domestic airlines should choose the C919 because the Chinese plane has advantage on price."

Click to expand...