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Airshow China 2010 (Zhuhai)

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Nov 19, 2010



By Reuben F. Johnson
ZHUHAI, China


Chengdu Aerospace’s most famous product, the J-10 fighter aircraft, made its inaugural appearance at Zhuhai’s Air Show China in 2008, offering one of the most remarkable flight displays of the event. In the intervening two years, the program has made notable progress.

The J-10’s evolution mirrors that of another famous single-engine fighter aircraft, the Lockheed Martin F-16 in more than one respect.

One of the F-16’s major developmental milestones was the introduction of a second, alternate engine, the F110-GE-100, which at the time produced 6,000 lbs more thrust than the F-100-PW-100/220 that was the aircraft’s original power plant. In the same vein, Chinese industry has been hard at work to complete testing and development of the Liming Aeroengine Manufacturing Corporation (LMAC) WS-10A engine.

According to Chinese news reports, the WS-10A has been flying on board prototype aircraft of the J-10’s next block-series development, which has been designated as J-10B. The WS-10A will replace the Salyut AL-31FN engine, which was the aircraft’s original power plant.

Included as part of the J-10B’s configuration is an entirely new design for the engine inlet, which has changed from the rectangular configuration developed for the AL-31FN to an oval-shaped inlet. This again parallels the F-16’s development in which a “big mouth” inlet was developed for the aircraft to provide an increase in air flow for the enhanced thrust of the GE F110 engine.

In the modern day, however, what makes the major difference in combat aircraft performance is the capability of the on-board electronic systems. Chinese industry officials told Aviation Weel that a new line of products is in development to replace some of the major pod container systems in use now on the J-10 and other aircraft.

Most notable here is the CETC KG300G electronic warfare pod, which will be redesigned in a new variant that expands the frequency bandwidths it can cover. Also in development is a new-generation active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar that would replace the aircraft’s current mechanically-steered array. “AESA radars are a major improvement for any fighter aircraft,” said one Chinese designer, “in that it provides a significant increase in reliability and radar performance


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China's biennial air show saw 16 deals signed with a total value of four billion dollars and involving 102 aircraft, state media reported on Monday.

The seventh Airshow China closed on Sunday in the southern coastal city of Zhuhai with increased deal-making across the board despite the global financial crisis, the People's Daily said.

During the previous staging of the airshow in 2006, 15 deals were signed involving 98 aircraft valued at three billion dollars.

China's fledgling aerospace industry took a major leap forward at the six-day show this year when it announced its first sale of commercial aircraft to a US company.

Under the agreement, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China will sell five of its domestically produced jets to the aircraft leasing arm of General Electric, which had an option to buy 20 more.

The total value of the deal will reach 732.4 million dollars, making it China's largest-ever aircraft deal for export, the People's Daily said.

About 600 civil and military manufacturers and parts suppliers including Boeing and Airbus attended the air show amid hopes China's growing aviation market could cushion the impact of the world financial crisis on the industry.

Airbus secured an order for 20 of its A320 aircraft from the aviation leasing arm of the Bank of China, one of the country's largest lenders. The deal is valued at 1.1 billion dollars.

The next air show will be held in November 2010 in Zhuhai, show organisers said in a statement on its website
 
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China's New Drones Raise Eyebrows
19 November 2010
The Wall Street Journal Online

ZHUHAI, China—China is ramping up production of unmanned aerial vehicles in an apparent bid to catch up with the U.S. and Israel in developing technology that is considered the future of military aviation.

Western defense officials and experts were surprised to see more than 25 different Chinese models of the unmanned aircraft, known as UAVs, on display at this week's Zhuhai air show in this southern Chinese city. It was a record number for a country that unveiled its first concept UAVs at the same air show only four years ago, and put a handful on display at the last one in 2008.

The apparent progress in UAVs is a stark sign of China's ambition to upgrade its massive military as its global political and economic clout grows.

The U.S. and Israel are currently the world leaders in developing such pilotless drones, which have played a major role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and which analysts say could one day replace the fighter jet.

This year's models in Zhuhai included several designed to fire missiles, and one powered by a jet engine, meaning it could—in theory—fly faster than the propeller-powered Predator and Reaper drones that the U.S. has used in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Exhibitors didn't give precise details of which Chinese drones were fully operational, although one confirmed that the People's Liberation Army, or PLA, had deployed at least two propeller-powered reconnaissance UAVs, which featured in last year's 60th National Day parade.

But the large number of UAVs on display illustrates clearly that China is investing considerable time and money to develop drone technology, and is actively promoting its products on the international market.

That has implications for China's external and domestic security, as well as for many other countries, including Iran, that have sought in vain to acquire drones either for military purposes or for police surveillance and antiterrorist operations.

It is of particular concern to the U.S. and Israel, whose drones are unrivalled in the world today, and could worry China's neighbors, many of which have territorial disputes with China in the East and South China seas.

China's apparent progress is likely to spur others, especially India and Japan, to accelerate their own UAV development or acquisition programs.

U.S. anxiety about China's UAVs were highlighted in a report released Wednesday by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which was formed by Congress in 2000 to assess the national security implications of trade and economic relations with China.

"The PLA Air Force has deployed several types of unmanned aerial vehicles for both reconnaissance and combat purposes," the report said. "In addition, China is developing a variety of medium- and high-altitude long-endurance unmanned vehicles, which when deployed, will expand the PLA Air Force's 'options for long-range reconnaissance and strike,' " it said, citing an earlier Pentagon report.

Military and aviation experts said China's drones are still probably several years behind U.S. and Israeli models, noting that many countries have tried and failed to develop their own UAVs. But they also said that China is catching up fast in other areas of civil and military aviation technology, thanks in large part to technology transferred by foreign aerospace companies in Chinese joint ventures.

They suggested, too, that China had been helped by Israel, which sold China antiradar drones in the 1990s—to the fury of the Pentagon, which has since blocked the Israelis from providing upgrades.

The Chinese drone of greatest potential concern to the U.S. is the one with several missiles and a jet engine—called the WJ600—which was displayed by China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp., or Casic, one of China's top weapons makers.

Casic officials declined to comment, but a video and a two-dimensional display by the company showed Chinese forces using the WJ600 to help attack what appeared to be a U.S. aircraft carrier steaming toward an island off China's coast that many visitors assumed to be Taiwan.

Another company that displayed an attack drone, complete with air-to-ground missiles, was China Aerospace Science & Technology Corp., one of the main contractors in China's space program.

The company showing the most UAVs, with 10, was ASN Technology Group, which claims to control 90% of China's domestic market. ASN officials said two of those are already being used by the PLA but neither was designed to carry weapons.

However, their display also included a model of the largest UAV at the show, the ASN-229A Reconnaissance and Precise Attack UAV, which is designed to carry air-to ground missiles, and to use a satellite link to locate and attack targets over a radius of 2,000 kilometers.

Company officials said that and the other ASN models were all in production, but not yet all on the market, and most could be used for military operations as well as civilian ones such as monitoring electricity pylons and oil and gas pipelines.

One model under development was the ASN-211, which is about the size of a large duck and has flapping wings. It is designed primarily for carrying out reconnaissance behind enemy lines.

"I can't tell you which models we have sold overseas, as that's secret, but of course we're interested in exporting them," said one of the company officials. "That's why we're displaying them here."
 
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China's New Drones Raise Eyebrows

U.S. anxiety about China's UAVs were highlighted in a report......Is a stark sign of China's ambition

Western defense officials and experts were surprised to see more than 25 different Chinese models of the unmanned aircraft,...The U.S. and Israel are currently the world leaders in developing such pilotless drones...It is of particular concern to the U.S. and Israel, whose drones are unrivalled in the world today...China's drones are still probably several years behind U.S. and Israeli models, noting that many countries have tried and failed to develop their own UAVs. But they also said that China is catching up fast in other areas of civil and military aviation technology, thanks in large part to technology transferred by foreign aerospace companies in Chinese joint ventures.



All hail US (with us [submit] or Against us [die])- US is concerned, (yawn) about what remains known only to Israel.
 
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