ASIA PACIFIC
Date Posted: 23-Nov-2010
Jane's Defence Weekly
AVIC reports 28 contracts signed at Zhuhai airshow.
Jon Grevatt Jane's Asia-Pacific Industry Reporter - Bangkok
Chinese aviation companies signed 28 contracts totalling USD9.3 billion during the 8th Airshow China exhibition in Zhuhai, which concluded on 21 November, said the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) in a statement.
AVIC said the contracts were awarded to national and regional Chinese aviation companies for both military and commercial platforms.
The figure, it added, did not include an order placed by local Chinese airlines for 100 AVIC-made C919 passenger airliners, which was announced on 16 November, but it is likely that commercial aviation deals would have made up the bulk of these contracts.
AVIC did not mention any specific military aviation contracts, although it made reference to a number of air defence missile, advanced missile system and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programmes that "showcased the rising status of the Chinese aerospace industry".
Jane's had earlier reported that the exhibition featured more than 25 UAV designs - a number that exceeded previous shows, indicating progress being made by Chinese industry as well as the growing significance of UAV platforms to the People's Liberation Army as it attempts to achieve a 2020 goal of conducting 'informationised' warfare.