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Xi calls for large aircraft to boost power

Russia, China plane makers plan rivals for Airbus and Boeing

It will be the first in a family of airliners to be built on a modular design basis

Plane makers in Russia and China have confirmed plans to build a 400-seat, wide-body, long-range passenger aircraft. It will be the first in a family of airliners to be built on a modular design basis.

Industry leaders signed a memorandum in the Chinese city of Shanghai on Tuesday, according to an announcement by the Russian side. The deal will pit the new airliner against Europe's Airbus and Boeing of the US as rivals in the sky.

Russian United Aircraft Corporation president Mikhail Pogosyan and Jin Zhuanglong, chairman of China's Commercial Aircraft Corporation COMAC, launched the initiative, which promises a feasibility study for delivery to respective governments in the summer.

Agreement is the result of two years' joint work by Russian and Chinese experts, said Russia's Pogosyan. "Joint efforts which COMAC and the United Aircraft Corporation are taking to produce jointly a family of wide-body airliners is bringing co-operation between the two countries in aircraft building to an essentially new level.”

The programme is expected to become one of the largest-scale projects of international co-operation in airliner construction and high technology. “The airliner can account for substantial shares on the markets of Russia, China and third countries,” the Russian corporation's press service said.

Plans are already advanced, the partners say, discussing the joint venture's structure and design options for the new transport.
 
Russia, China Plan Joint Widebody Effort

Russo-Chinese widebody could begin service in 2023-25

In about three years, according to current plans, Russia and China will each begin delivering a national narrowbody airliner, the Irkut MS-21 and Comac C919, respectively. And 6-8 years later, they may have a jointly developed widebody ready for service.

These plans are maturing as Comac continues to struggle with the C919. Challenged in obtaining FAA endorsement of the C919's intended Chinese certification, the manufacturer is raising the possibility of alternative approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

A feasibility study for the widebody will be finished within a few months, after which the program will be ready for launch, Mikhail Pogosyan, president of Irkut owner United Aircraft Corp. (UAC), tells Aviation Week. The target for entry into service is 2023-25. “The long-range widebody aircraft segment is quite interesting for us,” Pogosyan says. “But we should study the market very closely and define clearly the level of technology we need . . . to enter a very competitive market with a product that provides qualitatively new solutions.”

The widebody studies have focused on an aircraft rather like the Airbus A330, say industry executives in China. Comac thinks airlines will need a replacement for that Airbus type next decade. That implies competition with the 787, a seemingly daunting challenge, but the Russo-Chinese aircraft will have access to technology, especially for propulsion, more than a decade newer than that available to the Boeing type when the 787 was launched in 2004.

Pogosyan does not mention a specific Chinese partner for the widebody, but it must be Comac, with which the Russian state company signed an agreement in 2012 to study joint development of a widebody aircraft. The program, targeting domestic and export markets, calls for Chinese involvement from design to after-sales support. The Russian government's Aircraft 2020 program can support technological development, says Pogosyan. UAC estimates airlines globally will need 8,000 airliners in the 20 years to 2033, including 1,000 in China.

The MS-21 and C919 programs are moving ahead in parallel. Pogosyan says Irkut has begun building flight and static test prototypes of the MS-21; the government says the first flight is due at the end of 2015 and deliveries in 2017.

Comac is also aiming for the C919 to make its first flight by the end of 2015, which implies a 2017 entry into service, one year later than first planned, although industry officials close to the program would not be surprised by further slippage, to 2018. Supplier management has been a particular problem. “They need really more experienced program management, and they're poking around and trying to find that experience and bring that in-house,” says Chaker Chahrour, executive vice president of the C919's engine supplier, CFM.

Comac and suppliers have begun making detail parts for the first C919, Dang Tiehong, deputy general manager of Comac's sales and marketing department, told reporters at the Singapore Airshow last week. “Our current plan is to begin final assembly at the end of this year, and we will make our best effort to make the first flight by the end of next year.”

As the first C919 begins to come together late in 2014, the first operational unit of its ARJ21 regional jet sibling should be handed over to Chengdu Airlines, a carrier from southwestern China that belongs to Comac. Chengdu will then need some time to prepare for operations, which it has said will begin in April or May 2015, fully 13 years after program launch.

The C919 program originally relied on timely ARJ21 certification—by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) with FAA supervision—to pioneer U.S. acceptance of Chinese type certificates. But to keep C919 development moving ahead, the CAAC has had to act on that program without waiting for ARJ21 certification, with the result that if the FAA is to endorse the C919's Chinese certification, then it will have to retrospectively recognize years of CAAC work.

“It is not smooth sailing right now between the CAAC and FAA on when they come together,” says Chahrour. “It is a resources issue for the FAA,” he adds, referring to the effort that would be needed to review the CAAC's work on the C919. “They have to come to a deal where the CAAC does most of the work and the FAA is satisfied.” FAA endorsement of the C919 is an inter-government matter, Dang says, apparently referring to the same question of resources.

Dang and Comac CFO Tian Min raise the possibility of EASA endorsement of the type certificate instead. However, EASA is even less familiar with the CAAC's processes for commercial aircraft certification than the FAA.
This article is another China bashing. The experience gain in AR-21is more than enough to move C9190 ahead. The team leading C919 is not that novice. See how our Y-20,more or less show our depth of knowledge in making large aircraft.
 
It would be a great achievement... C 929 will look even better

comac-house-colors-C919-fsx1.jpg


And this beast looks pretty cool..

Y-20-render-3.jpg
 
I'm even more excited at someday Military AEW&C/MPA variant.

@ChineseTiger1986 could we expect Military variants; A product to replace good size of Y-8/Y-9 based MPA and AEW&C and SIGINT/ELINT. Are there any other 4 Engined Airliner programs apart from C919.

The C919 can be customized into the AEW&C or anti-sub airplane.
 
Xi becoming a great leader. He is well spoken and articulate. He speaks the mind of the average Chinese people. We love him and should work extra hard to achieve national goal. This project is not about profit. It is more important than that. It's national goal to become self-reliant. This goal will be achieved at all cost.
 
Xi becoming a great leader. He is well spoken and articulate. He speaks the mind of the average Chinese people. We love him and should work extra hard to achieve national goal. This project is not about profit. It is more important than that. It's national goal to become self-reliant. This goal will be achieved at all cost.

Building a commercial aircraft is probably the most difficult civilian technology to master. I think it's more difficult than making the latest microprocessor or operating system software. Not sure what other civilian technology can be as difficult as building a commercial aircraft.
 
US will never allow their companies to sell components for Chinese military-oriented aircraft. This is why China is developing all the components to replace the western components later on for military use. China is using western components because its much easier to get certificate from the US and EU to sell to their markets.

You are indeed correct, for components all with be indigenous and 3-4 Year enough time to develop in house.

My point is regarding different Variants are planned with or without US-French Engines, billions of dollars have been invested into Engines development but I also think China might initially opt for Russian Engines or the French-Russian joint engine that powers superjet series.
 

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