Chinese military aircraft manufacturers complete annual production
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Published: Dec 28, 2022 09:35 PM
An anti-submarine patrol aircraft attached to a naval aviation unit under the PLA Southern Theater Command takes off from the runway for a high-intensity anti-submarine training exercise in mid-November, 2022. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Qin Qianjiang)
Multiple major Chinese military aircraft manufacturers have announced completion of their annually scheduled production plans by the end of December, which will lay a solid foundation for the aviation forces of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) next year.
With an aircraft completing its last test flight objective and delivered to its user on Tuesday, Shaanxi Aircraft Industry (Group) Corp wrapped up its production and test flight mission for 2022, read a release the company published on its social media platform on Tuesday.
Compared with 2021, the company delivered twice as many aircraft, setting a new record, the company said.
The Shaanxi-based company is known as the manufacturer of China's special mission aircraft, including the KJ-500 early warning aircraft, the Y-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft and the Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft.
With its last newly produced aircraft of the year completing test flights on Monday, Shenyang Aircraft Co also announced the completion of its annual production and test flight mission on its social media platform on Monday.
Honored as the cradle of Chinese fighter jets, the Shenyang Aircraft Co produces China's main combat aircraft including the J-15 carrier-based fighter jet, the J-16 multirole fighter jet and the FC-31 stealth fighter jet.
Other aircraft makers, including the Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group Co, which builds the Y-20 large transport aircraft and H-6 series bombers, the Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Co, which builds the Z-9 and Z-20 utility helicopters, as well as the Changhe Aircraft Industry (Group) Corp, which builds the Z-8 transport helicopter and the Z-10 attack helicopter, announced that they had wrapped up annual production on their social media accounts in late December.
The Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co, which builds the J-20 stealth fighter jet, had yet to make a similar announcement as of press time,
, but it is expected to make it in the last days of the year, observers said.
The Chinese aviation industry has been playing a vital role in supporting the modernization of the PLA, and as the PLA is expected to continue its rapid development in the coming year, deliveries of new aircraft are crucial, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday.
New aircraft will replace old ones and expand the whole modernized fleet, the expert said.
