China’s domestically built C919 plane is full of foreign technology (2023)

FAQs

What are the specifications of the C919? ›

Built by COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) in China, the first C919 was delivered to China Eastern Airlines in December 2022 and in the months since has been put through a series of test flights.

COMAC, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, was established on 11 May 2008 in Shanghai.

China Airlines (CAL), based in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, provides international passenger and cargo air transportation services. CAL has two subsidiary airlines: Mandarin Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan.

“We estimate that the [manufacturing] capacity for the C919 will reach 150 within five years, or even more. It is also a self-challenging duration for us,” Zhang added. “The domestic large-aircraft business will transform from comprehensive development to industrialisation.”

It is too early to say whether the C919 will be a threat to Airbus and Boeing - in China or elsewhere. It is very early days for the aircraft in service, and performance and reliability are still to be determined. This will be an essential factor for more airlines to consider it.

COMAC delivered the first plane to China Eastern in December 2022. China Eastern now expects to put the C919 into regular commercial service, including a route between Shanghai and Chengdu, in China's southwestern Sichuan province.

The aircraft, primarily constructed with aluminium alloys, is powered by CFM International LEAP turbofan engines and carries 156 to 168 passengers in a normal operating configuration over up to 5,555 km (3000 nmi).

China's first domestically built passenger jet flew its maiden commercial flight on Sunday (May 28), in what state media celebrated as the first step towards breaking the aircraft manufacturing duopoly of Boeing and Airbus.

China's 1st domestically made passenger plane completes maiden commercial flight. BEIJING (AP) — China's first domestically made passenger jet flew its maiden commercial flight on Sunday, as China looks to compete with industry giants such as Boeing and Airbus in the global aircraft market.

Can China make plane engines? ›

[31] China is now able to develop and produce advanced airframes, although it still lacks the capacity to build fully indigenous aircraft engines. While China has certainly made improvements, it still lacks the manufacturing expertise and tacit knowledge required to build modern turbofan engines.

China Airlines (CAL; Chinese: 中華航空; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Hángkōng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tiong-hôa Hâng-khong) is the state-owned flag carrier of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and one of its two major airlines along with EVA Air.

The C919 made its first flight in 2017 after years of delays and has undergone numerous test flights since. State-backed China Eastern Airlines ordered five of the jets in March 2021. It took delivery of the first in December and has said it expects to receive the remainder this year.

Bloomberg reported the list price of the C919 is about $99 million — nearly double the $50 million that experts estimated.

The C919, for instance, has already cost an estimated $49 billion, according to CSIS, though it says pinning down precisely how much is an almost impossible task because COMAC's finances are opaque. While it's not COMAC's first homegrown plane, more attention has been directed to this model because of its size.

Following 16 years of development and six years of rigorous flight testing, China's first narrowbody jet, the C919, entered commercial service on May 28, marking the beginning of a new era for China's aerospace industry.

The J-20 is the world's third operational fifth-generation fighter aircraft after the American F-22 and American F-35.

State-backed China Eastern Airline has ordered five of the newer, bigger planes. Comac - which plans to produce 150 planes annually in five years' time - says it has already secured more than 1,200 orders for the C919.

Then, in 1971, the U.S. government cut funding to the company's supersonic transport (SST) program, and the project was cancelled soon after. By the time that layoffs ceased, Boeing had lost more than 60 percent of its workforce.

Civil unrest impacting aircrew during their layovers away from their home base. Flights operating in the vicinity of airspace with conflict zones. Lone-wolf and terrorism incidents compromising security.

Why did Lockheed stop making airliners? ›

Lockheed needed to sell 500 airliners to break even, but in 1981, the company announced production would end with the delivery of the 250th and last L-1011 on order in 1984. The TriStar's failure to achieve profitability caused Lockheed to withdraw from the civilian aircraft business.

Not able to descend to a safe altitude in an emergency

The leading reason for aircraft avoiding the region is the high average height of the terrain. This is over 14,000 feet. Aircraft, of course, cruise much higher than this.

A made-in-China aircraft to rival Boeing Co. and Airbus SE underwent its maiden commercial flight on Sunday, almost six months after being delivered to China Eastern Airlines Corp. Flight MU9191 took off from Shanghai at 10:32 a.m. local time, China Eastern said on its Weibo account.

The gas engine that goes with it is powered by premium gasoline. Aska debuted its first flying car prototype in 2019 and started taking preorders in 2021 with an expected 2026 ship date for the first aircraft. Flying cars sound exciting, but the engineering and regulatory challenges are formidable.

As per Global Commercial Aircraft Turbofan Engines Market Report 2022-2041, the top four engine manufacturers were GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, & Safran (CFM International). GE and Safran of France have a joint venture, called CFM International.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

At number seven is the most advanced airliner, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. After scrapping its Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing started the development of an efficient airliner in 2003.

Thus, assuming an average density of 0.8 liters per kilogram and using the C919's fuel capacity of 19560 kg provided by COMAC, we have a figure of 2.43 liters per seat per 100 kilometers.

China has made significant progress in building its aircraft carrier fleet in the past decade since the first, the Liaoning, was commissioned on September 25, 2012. China refurbished the old Soviet model after purchasing it secondhand in 1999, making it the country's first carrier.

European plane manufacturer Airbus announced on Thursday it would open a second assembly line in its China factory as part of agreements between Beijing and Paris to deepen trade and tech cooperation.

Possessing a highly developed defense industrial base is a prerequisite to becoming a leading military power. While China is already the world's second largest arms producer, the ability of its arms industry to domestically develop certain advanced weapon systems is still growing.

What aircraft did Chinese invent? ›

The kite, a Chinese invention, has been praised as the forerunner of the modern aeroplane. In the pavilion of aircraft of the National Aeronautics and Space Museum, Washington DC, a plaque says, "the earliest aircraft are the kites and missiles of China".

The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft manufactured by Boeing in Renton Factory, Washington. It is the most produced aircraft in commercial aviation, with 10,877 planes delivered as of December 2021.

While the parts that make up its aircraft may come from many places across the world, all of Boeing's final assembly lines (FAL) are based in the US, with a bonus completion and delivery center for the 737 in China. Let's take a closer look at what goes on where.

It is very difficult to trade off performance demands against the high thermal, mechanical and aerodynamic loads placed on the turbine parts. The hot gas path is so hot that the gas literally softens and melts metal. Naturally, this is a problem when trying to build something made of metal that spins very fast.

The People's Liberation Army Air Force operates a large and varied fleet of some 4,000 aircraft, of which around 2,566 are combat aircraft (fighter, attack, and bombers). According to FlightGlobal, China has the second-largest active combat aircraft fleet and the third-largest total aircraft fleet in the world.

The current PM2. 5 concentration in China is 1.3 times above the recommended limit given by the WHO 24 hrs air quality guidelines value.

Since 2013, PM_2.5 levels have steadily declined, and in 2021, the average annual exposure was 33.3 micrograms per cubic metre (see 'Fresh air').

WHAT'S FALSE. The companies selling the air are not Chinese firms, the air is sold in compressed form in cans or in bottles (not in plastic bags), and the product is not necessarily being bought as a practical source of clean air.

What are the technical specifications of the C295 aircraft? The C295MW is a transport aircraft with 5 to 10-tonne capacity and a maximum speed of 480 kmph. It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo. Short take-off and landing from semi-prepared surfaces are some other features.

The aircraft, primarily constructed with aluminium alloys, is powered by CFM International LEAP turbofan engines and carries 156 to 168 passengers in a normal operating configuration over up to 5,555 km (3000 nmi).

What materials are used in the Comac C919? ›

The airframe, made entirely in China, is primarily constructed of aluminium alloy (fuselage and wing boxes) with 8.8% of structure from aluminium-lithium alloys and less than 10% of composite materials (tailbone, tailplane and fin).

Military transport version. Capacity for 71 troops, 48 paratroops, 27 stretchers, five 2.24 × 2.74 m (88 × 108 inches) pallets, or three light vehicles.

The aircraft, with a flight endurance of up to 11 hours, can carry out multi-role operations under all weather conditions. It can routinely operate day as well as night combat missions from desert to maritime environments. It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo.

India acquired 56 C295 aircraft in September 2021 to replace the (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet.

Bloomberg reported the list price of the C919 is about $99 million — nearly double the $50 million that experts estimated.

The C919, which had been in development for 16 years, has a maximum range of about 3,500 miles (5,630 kilometers) and is designed to carry between 158 and 168 passengers.

[31] China is now able to develop and produce advanced airframes, although it still lacks the capacity to build fully indigenous aircraft engines. While China has certainly made improvements, it still lacks the manufacturing expertise and tacit knowledge required to build modern turbofan engines.

The main groups of materials used in aircraft construction nowadays are steel, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, and fibre-reinforced composites.