Y-7
The Xian Y-7 is a Chinese copy of Antonov An-24; versions include Y-7, Y-7-100, Y-7-100J, Y-7G, Y-7H (was Y-14), Y-7-200A and Y-7-200B. Xian Aircraft builds the Y-7 transport plane, designed to operate on medium-and short-distance feeder lines, with a passenger cabin that accommodates 48-52 seats. All domestic Chinese airlines rely on the Yun-7 passenger planes produced by Xi'an Aircraft as the mainstay for intermediate and short flights, as well as branch routes.
In civilian aircraft, the Y-7 turboprop was able to win only a limited number of domestic orders. In the year 2000, just 64 of the Y-7s were in service in thirteen domestic airlines. In addition, the People’s Liberation Army used the Y-7 as a transporter. Export orders were negligible. By the late 1990s, a total of only 130 Y-7s had been produced, and new orders had dried up completely. To compound matters, in the year 2000, a Y-7 exploded in mid-air. Following the conclusion of the crash investigation, all Y-7s were taken out of service in June 2001.
Before 2015, China would be able to deliver its own turbo-prop regional jet series of the MA60, MA600, MA700 catered to different users. A total of 1,900 turboprops will be sold around the world in the next 20 years, authorities predicted. Turbo propeller regional aircraft are commonly used on short and medium range flights. Nearly half of the regional jets flying in Europe and North America are turbo-propelled. The demand for the relatively environment-friendly aircraft is expected to rise with global oil prices.
Y-14 / Y-7H / Y7H-500
The first flight of the prototype military (Y7H) and civil (Y7H-500) cargo transport was in late 1988. Originally known as the Y-14-100, the Y7H-500 first flight was 24 March 1992; the domestic civil type certificate 30 December 1993, followed by series production certificate 15 June 1994. Three prototypes were built by January 1995.
Y7H-500 aircraft is a short-medium range cargo aircraft. The flight crew consists of a pilot, a copilot and a flight engineer. The cargo compartment is fully pressurized. Y7H-500 aircraft can perform cargo transportation, carry personnel and perform air dropping. It can also execute aerial mapping, geological prospecting, air seeding, artificial rain-making and forest fire-fighting.
Y7H-500 aircraft is equipped with two WJ5E turboprop engines as the main power plant. The maximum power of one engine is 3050 horse power. A PY19A-300 turbojet engine with maximum thrust of 900KG is used as the boost engine. The advanced communication, navigation system and auto-pilot are installed on the aircraft. It is adaptable for different airports, and can accomplish flight missions under severe weather conditions day and night. It is able to take-off with full load in "high and hot" conditions. Y7H-500 aircraft has a good performance in aircraft stability and controllability. It fully meets the demand of commuter transportation.
An electric winch and hydraulic conveyer are installed in the cargo compartment. On the rear section of the fuselage a big cargo door is provided for loading and unloading the cargo. Operation of the cargo can be realized by the following three ways: NORMAL, EMERGENCY and MANUAL. During setting the door to either "DOWN" or "BELLY" position, it can be stopped at any intermediate position. Y7H-500 aircraft features low cost, wide application and high adaptability.
Y-7-200A / Xinzhou 60 / Modern Ark 60
In 2000, Xian Aircraft Company (XAC) launched the MA-60, known as the Xinzhou 60 in China. Developed from the Yun 7-200A, the MA-60 is a 56- to 60-seat turboprop with an extended fuselage, longer range and lighter airframe weight. It is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s engines and equipped with Collins avionics. It costs one-third less than comparable Western turboprops. In 2000, the newly formed Shenzhen Financial Leasing Co. signed an agreement with XAC for 60 MA-60s.
Gas turbine engines produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation of Hartford, Connecticut, power the Y-7 200A aircraft produced by Xian Aircraft. According to the requirement of CCAR-25 and FAR-25,XI'AN AIRCRAFT COMPANY has designed and developed a short-medium range aircraft MA60 (Modem Ark 60) that is a twin turbo-prop multi-role aircraft with a commuter services as its primary roles. It has a maximum take-off weight of 21,800kg and a seating capacity of up to 60 passengers in the high density version. With a pressurized cabin, the aircraft possesses the level of comfort comparable to trunk aircraft. The aircraft is well-suited to fulfil a variety of other roles such as executive transport, light package carrier, remote sensing and aerial research services, coast guard, border patrol, air ambulance and other community services, etc. MA60 is a state-of-art design that can be a cost-effective solution in a wide variety of roles. The MA60, powered by Pratt and Whitney PW-127J turboprop engines, is China's first regional aircraft designed and produced in line with international standards. It has a maximum speed of 514 km per hour and a flight range of 2,450 km or four hours.
The model was first tested in 1993 and approved in June 2000 for commuter services. In May 1998 the Y7-200A airworthiness experiment airplane obtained the type certificate which the Chinese airworthiness authority issues, this symbolizes that the domestically produced airplane's development had stepped up a new stair. In January 1999 efforts began to improve the product system to suitable quality, to enhance the airplane comfort primarily, but also so that the domestically produced new generation regional aircraft would be a “high-quality goods project”. After the improvement modification, new machine is named as “the new boat” 60 (English Modern Ark, abbreviation is officially MA-60). In September, 1999, “the new boat” 60 started with the Chang An Airline to be operational.Producers have received 122 orders, of which 15 have been delivered to Africa, with Zimbabwe and Zambia among the buyers.
However, the market prospects for MA-60 are poor. First, there is already intense international competition in the 50–70 seat turboprop market. Strong global market positions are already held by the ATR 42 (produced by Aerospatiale and Alenia), the Dash 8 (produced by Bombardier), and the Saab 2000 as well as the Russian-built An-24 in former Soviet states. A powerful player in this market, Fokker, with the F-50 turbo-prop, went out of business. China has already imported ATR 42s, five of which were in operation by the late 1990s. Almost 600 ATR aircraft had been sold worldwide by 1998, enabling the company to benefit from economies of scale in a way that the Y-7 was unable to do, and the MA-60 is most unlikely to do. Second, the whole future of turbo-prop feeder planes is in doubt. In the developed countries, competition for small, local feeder aircraft has grown from highspeed trains, a trend that will be accelerated by 11 September 2001. Moreover, there has been a marked shift in airline preference towards jet-engine feeder aircraft. Jet aircraft are preferred for safety, reliability and customer preference. Third, the history of the Y-7 in terms both of its lack of commercial success and question marks about its safety, makes the task of marketing the MA-60 to commercial airlines, that must respond to passenger perceptions and demands, extremely difficult, even within China, let alone internationally.
Xinzhou 600 / Modern Ark 600
The prototype 60-seat Xinzhou 600, or Modern Ark 600, powered by a turboprop engine, slid off the production chain on 29 June 2008 in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, marking another stride toward China's goal of being a global player in aircraft manufacturing. The new 56-seat plane is an upgrade of the first China-designed regional civil airplane, the M-A 60. The new model is said to be safer and of higher quality. The design has also been improved to be more passenger-friendly and has new turboprop engines that are more fuel-efficient. Each plane costs about 15 million US dollars. Developers have targeted 300 orders in the next 10 years.
It is able to take off or land on a runway between 1,200 meters and 2,000 meters long and has an extended flight range of two hours, which lengthens its total voyage capability to 3,000 kilometers in one hop. The 60-seat MA600 was 300 kilograms lighter than the MA60, making it 40 percent more fuel-efficient than turbofan-powered aircraft.
A new updated version of China's Modern Ark 600 passenger plane made a successful maiden flight on 10 November 2008. The aircraft took off and landed in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province in northwestern China. A new-generation short haul passenger aircraft solely developed in China has completed a successful trial flight, paving the way for commercial production in 2009. The turboprop should enter the market in the second half of 2009 and reach an annual capacity of 10 to 15 between 2010 and 2012. Up to 30 a year could be made according to market demand.
Xinzhou 700 / Modern Ark 700
The research and development of the 70-seat MA700 was also underway. The debut of the Modern Ark 700 would expand sales in Europe and North America. It would prove competitive on the global market with the most advanced turboprops from Italian-French firm ATR and Canada's Bombardier Inc.
