Y-10
The development of large aircraft is listed as one of China’s 16 major development plans in the country’s 11th Five-Year Program (2006–2010). The goal is to produce a large transport aircraft for civil and military purposes by 2015, with entry into civilian service by 2020. According to the president of AVIC- I, the first model of China’s LCA, a freighter, should be ready by 2018, followed by a 150-seat passenger aircraft.
In March 2007, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao approved a plan to form a joint-stock company that would be responsible for the production of this large civil aircraft and encouraged “concerned parties” to begin as soon as possible in the endeavor. Professor Guan Zhidong (Beijing University) indicated that, while the expressed timetable is possible, it must be in conjunction with foreign assistance in the areas where China is not globally competitive.
Despite the challenges, China is moving ahead in its pursuit of manufacturing an LCA. On June 8, 2006, Airbus and the Chinese Government announced an agreement to build a factory in Tianjin to produce the Airbus A320; production is scheduled for 2008. This project will give China first-hand knowledge in building another commercially-viable aircraft. Initially costing about $630 million for the production line alone, additional investments of between $375 and $630 million are being considered. A new runway may be built by the local government to accommodate the factory’s needs.
In the past, China has been successful in securing some elements of aerospace technology in conjunction with aircraft orders, which has aided its aerospace industry in areas such as manufacturing and ATC. However, China’s aircraft and systems design and development skills need continued development prior to any meaningful discussion of indigenous LCA production. It also lacks a history of building aircraft to Western standards and supporting aircraft globally, essential aspects to the global acceptance of their aircraft.
China’s ambition to produce commercially-viable LCA faces many obstacles. Competition from Airbus, Boeing, and proposed aircraft from the CIS notwithstanding, a new airframe from a new company must gain the trust of both airlines and travelers, something earned over considerable time with operational experience (e.g., aircraft reliability, maintainability, operating costs, and passenger acceptance). The performance and support of this new aircraft type must, at a minimum, match the performance and capabilities of existing foreign offerings, a formidable and complex undertaking for a new manufacturer. Even success in this area does not assure sales of the aircraft, as airlines considering aircraft purchases look for significant technological or cost-savings from new aircraft; therefore, airlines gravitate towards a manufacturer and an aircraft they are familiar with versus one without discernable advantages or a track record.
The establishment of the jumbo passenger plane company was approved in February 2007 by the State Council, China's cabinet. This was to make the country capable of building aircraft with a take-off weight of more than 100 tons, or planes with more than 150 seats. Reporting on this Large Aircraft frequently states that the goal is to build aircraf that can seat more than 150 passengers or are able to carry a payload of more than 100 tons. But this is evidently in error, since a 150-seat passenger plane would be towards the lower end of the spectrum, while a cargo plane with a payload of more than 100 tons would be the largest carge plane in the world.
2007-04-06 19:47:36
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An ideal image of China's home-developed jumbo aircraft.
XI'AN, April 6 2007 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese official said here on Friday that home-developed jumbo aircraft will be assembled in both Shanghai and Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
Though the project is still in the initial planning phase, Xi'an is expected to shoulder about 50 percent of the manufacturing workload for jumbo airliners and 60 percent for airfreighters, said Jin Qiansheng, deputy director of the administrative committee of Xi'an Yanliang State Aviation High-tech Industry Base.
The Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense disclosed that Shanghai will be the assembly base when it announced last week that the country would launch jumbo aircraft manufacturing.
"Yanliang will also play a key role in developing the country's own jumbo aircraft. It is the only national aviation industry base, and it has China's strongest aviation research and development team," Jin said at an ongoing investment and trade forum in Xi'an.
According to Jin, Yanliang is also responsible for producing the wings and fuselage of China's innovative new regional jet, the ARJ-21.
A jumbo aircraft is an airfreighter with a take-off weight of more than 100 tons or an airliner with more than 150 seats.
However, China will need at least another 10 years before it could make the first jumbo, according to Jin.
Only the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Britain and Spain currently have the ability to build jumbo aircraft, with Boeing and Airbus taking the lion's share of the international market.
"China's jumbo aircraft will initially target the domestic market. But the ultimate aim is to compete with Boeing and Airbus on the international market." Jin said.
Jin did not rule out international cooperation in the project, saying a jumbo plane like a Boeing 747 has about a million parts and manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus have thousands of parts suppliers.
"The involvement of foreign and domestic private aircraft producers is essential to China's jumbo plane project," said Jin.
Yanliang is now seeking cooperation with private helicopter manufacturing companies in eastern Zhejiang Province as well as aircraft manufacturers in Brazil, said Jin.
China started to build jumbo aircraft in 1970, only two years after Airbus went into production, but the project was later shelved despite a promising start.
After a decades-long suspension, the central government last year revived the blueprint in the 11th five-year plan (2006-2010) in order to meet the country's growing demand for air travel.
Guangdong Changsheng Aircraft Design Co., Ltd. (referred as "Changsheng") is a private company, which is established in 2006. We have exhibited the design plans of two series large jet aircrafts. One of them is CS 2000. CS is not only the first capitals of Changsheng, but also the China Star in English. CS 2000 is 200-300 seats dual aisle large aircraft. The other plan is CS 2010, which is a 150-200 seat single aisle aircraft.
According to the decision of State Council on February 26th, 2007, the registration of large aircraft should be operated with joint venture form. The joint venture company will charge the research, manufacture and sales of the large aircraft. At the same time, China encourages social capital and private capital. As a private enterprise, Changsheng is established to join national large aircraft project, including investment, technical support, and enjoying some core research.
If the images portrayed by China’s Xinhua news agency are accurate, China’s jetliner for the 21st century looks suspiciously like a Russian military transport from the 1970s. The high-wing, high-tailed creation, with its multiple banks of landing gear trucks clustered under the fuselage, looks like the big Antonovs that still toil as chartered military cargo aircraft. It looks nothing like the sleek shape of the Boeing 787 that many consider the technology driver of the next generation of commercial airliners. Still, China seems pretty excited about its chances in the world market. "China's jumbo aircraft will initially target the domestic market. But the ultimate aim is to compete with Boeing and Airbus on the international market," said Jin Qiansheng, deputy director of the administrative committee of Xi'an Yanliang State Aviation High-tech Industry Base. According to Xinhua, China considers an aircraft to be in the “jumbo” category if it can carry 150 passengers and has a gross weight of more than 200,000 pounds. There have been no details released on the size of the Chinese jet, but Xinhua did say that cargo and passenger versions are planned. The news service says it will take at least 10 years to develop the aircraft. Meanwhile, final assembly has begun on the first ARJ-21 regional jet and its first flight is expected next March.
The aircraft will be designed and assembled in Shanghai, but will source parts and components globally, which is a model adopted by the two air dominant groups, Boeing and Airbus, according to Wu Guanghui, chief designer of the program and deputy general manager of COMAC. "We will choose international suppliers through bidding. But priority will go to foreign suppliers that design and manufacturer products with domestic companies in China," he said at the November 2008 air show in Zhuhai of south China's Guangdong Province.
On 30 May 2008 a top official from European aircraft maker Airbus said it was negotiating with its Chinese counterparts to join China's jumbo jet manufacturing program, which was officially inaugurated in Shanghai on 11 May 2008. "I'm sure we will expand our business in China, although some factors might make China our competitor," said Laurence Barron, Airbus China president, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Friday at the 18th Asian Corporate Conference of Asia Society. "Not a single country could make a plane on its own. The generator, instruments and even the oil used by Airbus all come from different partners. China need such support." China's first ever jumbo passenger aircraft company, named Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd.(CACC or COMAC), is responsible for researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing the homegrown large passenger aircraft.
China's own large commercial aircraft will be put on the market by 2020, according to Miao Wei, vice-minister of industry and information technology. COMAC will complete the concept design and research on key technologies by 2010 and start production by 2014. The world would need 20,000 single-aisle aircrafts in this category in the next two decades, while China would require 1,400 such jets. According to China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), China needs to replenish 3,815 passenger planes to its civil air fleets in the coming 20 years. The total included 2,822 large jets and 993 regional jets. By 2020, the country's civil aviation sector will have fleets of 4,250 passenger planes and 604 cargo planes in 2027.
Approved by the State Council as a National Significant Science and Technology Project; in May 2008, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) was set up in Shanghai, signifying the commercial aircraft project officially started. Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) is a state-owned limited liability company founded by the approval of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, and is jointly invested by State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, Shanghai Guo Sheng (Group) Co., Ltd., China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I), China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II), Aluminum Corporation of China (CHINALCO), Baosteel Group Corporation and Sinochem Corporation, with 19 billion yuan registered capital (2.7 billion U.S. dollars). The headquarters is located in Shanghai.
CACC's goals within the first few years include finishing delivery and maiden flight of ARJ21 aircraft, establishing an operating system and training talents. Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory and the First Aircraft Institute of AVIC I, which participated in producing the country's first homegrown regional jet ARJ21-700, joined the newly established CACC.
COMAC owns the First aircraft Institute AVICI (former Shanghai Aircraft Design & Research Institute), Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory, AVICI Commercial Aircraft Co., Ltd., Shanghai Aviation Industrial (Group) Corporation (SAIC) and its subsidiaries. COMAC has set up its Beijing office and the representative offices in Europe and in America will also be established. Under the operation mode of main manufacturer-suppliers, COMAC commits itself to a higher aircraft development ability, higher system inegration ability, higher marketing exploration ability, higher customer service ability, and higher certification ability.
The official state news agency Xinhua announced China’s intention of building an LCA and offering it for delivery by 2020. A Cabinet meeting held on February 26, 2007 approved in principle the implementation of a formal production program. If successful, global LCA producers would face new competition from a domestic Chinese manufacturer.
Within a week after Premier Wen Jiabao’s 05 March 2006 report on government work to the Chinese National People’s Congress, it was clear that the development of “jumbo aircraft” was one of 16 new programs for the 11th Five Year Plan from 2006 to 2010. An official from the AVIC-1 aviation consortium clarified that “jumbo aircraft” referred to a planned “150-seat” airliner and a 100-ton capacity cargo transport.
At the 2008 Zhuhai airshow, Antonov displayed a model of the large An-70 military transport aircraft, based on which China and Ukraine could jointly develop the AN-70-600. The new An-70-600 transport aircraft’s maximum payload was expected be 48t-50t compared to An-70’s 47t. One of China’s requirements is that An-70-600’s flight range should be at least 3200km when carrying the maximum load. China also hoped that it can carry at least 3 China-made infantry fighting vehicles, or 120-150 paratroopers.
According to Ukrainian sources, the Antonov bureau had proposed a radical development of its An-70 transport that would replace its current contra-rotating propfan engines with four turbofan engines, lengthen the fuselage and increase cargo capacity to between 50 and 60 tons. This would approach the 70-ton capacity of the Boeing C-17 and exceed the 50-ton capability of the Ilyushin Il-76MD.
The Chinese military transport aircraft will adopt different design concepts and technologies than the An-70 transport aircraft designed by Ukraine and Russia, and will be powered by four jet engines.
Wing span 44.06m (144ft 7in), length 40.25m (132ft 1 in), ...
Wing Span: 44.1 m
Length: 40.7 m
Height: 16.1 m
An-70 models include the basic An-70 military freighter, a two crew An-70-100, an An-77 export version, and a
commercial An-70T version. The proposed An-70TK would be a twin propfan convertible passenger/freight aircraft.
First flight: December 16, 1994 Wingspan: 144 ft. 6 in. / 44.06 m Length: 132 ft. 0 in. / 40.02 m Height: 53 ft. 16.1 m Ceiling: 39,370 ft. Range: 2,800 nm / 5,186 km Weight: 286,000 lbs / 130,000 kg Power plant: Four
Progress D-27 turboprops Speed: 0.73 mach Crew: 5 Accommodation: 52 tons
It appeared the new An-70 variant may be able to carry four of the ZLC-2000 airborne tank revealed in 2005 by the PLA. In September 2005 the PLA agreed to purchase about 32 Il-76MD transports, which can carry three ZLC-2000s, in addition to about 20 acquired during the 1990s. Antonov has also helped China’s Shaanxi Aircraft Company to produce a much improved version of the Y-8 called the Y-9, which can carry 20 tons of cargo. In addition, China has held discussions with Antonov regarding the possible co-production of the 150-ton capacity An-124 Ruslan, which exceeds the 120-ton capacity of the US C-5 transport.
http://www.challenblog.com/
The declared ambition to develop a 150-seat airliner not only signals China’s determination to challenge Boeing and Airbus, it also meant that the PLA will receive several military derivatives.
China’s previous failed attempts to copy the Boeing B707 during the 1970s, co-produce the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 during the 1980s and 90s, and then start a similar sized airliner with European firms during the 1990s, should not lead to conclusions that China will fail again. Unlike the previous periods, today China has a developed market of airline infrastructure and about 600 Boeing and Airbus airliners, and growing demand that can be used to subsidize domestic airline production. Chinese aircraft companies have also been co-producing components for successive Boeing and Airbus airliners, and by 2008 Airbus hopes to assemble its first A320, building to a rate of four a month, which is in the same class of airliner China now intends to build.
It is reasonable to assume that China will apply the knowledge and technology gained from this broad experience to the new 150-seat airliner project. This aircraft will then grow in size, making it a logical candidate for future PLA aerial tanker, AWACS, electronic intelligence and maritime patrol variants.
When it was developing its Y-10 copy of the B707 during the 1970s, Chinese designers went as far as to produce a wind-tunnel model of a Y-10 in AWACS configuration.
