Its great achievement for both Russia and China for MC21 and C919. In a friendly comparison which one fares better from technology, business and passenger prospective? For example MC21 taken number of steps in using composite wing, increase fuel efficiency, wide isle for faster boarding etc.
What are C919 exceptional features?
Also, there was a program both Russia and China to jointly develop bigger class, long range aircraft; anyone knows what is the status?
AFAIK for C919, the body was locally manufactured and we have used as much composite material as we could
This graphic described which parts are to be done locally and which to be procured from overseas:
You can see there a lot of imports, but this is also true for most other commercial jet models from Boeing to Airbus et al and we are going to scale down the % of imports over time As a relatively newbie in commerical airliner production, the steps taken by COMAC is necessary. The benefits which bring about with this production strategy are multifolds.
We have these promises from the following supplier:
From Passenger Safety and Comfort to Operational Efficiencies, COMAC C919 Takes Off with UTC Aerospace Systems Onboard
Advanced integrated systems help China's first large commercial jetliner take flight
- Seven advanced integrated systems from UTC Aerospace Systems make the C919 more intelligent
- Proven technologies from UTC Aerospace Systems help launch commercial aviation in China
- Successful outcome of relationship with COMAC that began in 2002
May 5, 2017
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 5, 2017 /
PRNewswire/ -- UTC Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), today joined with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) in celebrating the first flight of the C919, the first large commercial jetliner designed and built in China.
The first flight of the C919 marks China's first step in entering the narrow-body commercial aviation arena and offers COMAC the opportunity to capitalize on the forecasted growth of aviation in China, considered the world's fastest growing aviation market. COMAC has already secured more than 500 C919 orders from 23 customers.
"At UTC Aerospace Systems, we have a broad and deep portfolio of systems-level solutions that enables airframers to build aircraft customized to their customers' unique specifications," said Dave Gitlin, President, UTC Aerospace Systems. "We are thrilled to see COMAC's tremendous progress, and we congratulate them on the first flight of the C919. We are proud to be onboard."
UTC Aerospace Systems' technology can be found throughout the C919. Key systems include: electric power, emergency power, cockpit and thrust controllers, interior and exterior lighting, emergency passenger door actuation, fire protection, and ice detection and prevention.
"Our systems expertise, deep industry knowledge and in-country investment have helped us build a strong working relationship with COMAC," added Gitlin. "And we look forward to celebrating many more milestones with COMAC in the future."
About UTC Aerospace Systems
UTC Aerospace Systems is one of the world's largest suppliers of technologically advanced aerospace and defense products. UTC Aerospace Systems designs, manufactures and services integrated systems and components for the aerospace and defense industries, supporting a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and customer service facilities. For more information about the company, visit our website at
www.utcaerospacesystems.com or follow us on Twitter:
@utcaerosystems
About United Technologies Corporation
United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. By combining a passion for science with precision engineering, the company is creating smart, sustainable solutions the world needs. For more information about the company, visit our website at
www.utc.com or follow us on Twitter:
@UTC
http://news.utcaerospacesystems.com...-Takes-Off-with-UTC-Aerospace-Systems-Onboard
SOURCE UTC Aerospace Systems
For the engines. We are using CFM LEAP-1C which is produced by a Safran (France)/GE(US) JV
The quality of the engine is described in the following article:
CFM LEAP-1C-powered COMAC C919 completes successful maiden flight
- Another step closer to entry into service
SHANGHAI, China — 5 May 2017 — The first COMAC C919, powered by CFM International’s advanced LEAP-1C integrated propulsion system, successfully completed a 79- minute first flight, marking the launch of the certification flight test program for the 150-passenger aircraft. The engines performed flawlessly.
“This is a great day for all of us,” said He Dongfeng, president of COMAC. “We are very happy with the LEAP-1C engine and have been pleased to work with CFM on this program. The engines performed beautifully during today’s flight and we believe they will bring our customers the levels of fuel efficiency and reliability they will require in their daily operations.”
“This is an epic moment,” said Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM International. “On behalf of everyone at CFM, I expend our warmest congratulations to everyone at COMAC on achieving this great milestone. Our relationship with the aviation industry in China goes back more than 30 years and it is an honor to be part of the COMAC team as it launches the next exciting era in the country’s aviation history.”
To date, more than 5,000 CFM engines have been ordered/committed in China, including orders for more than 1,000 LEAP-1C integrated propulsion systems. The LEAP-1C integrated propulsion system was simultaneously awarded Type Certificates by both the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in December 2016. Since then, COMAC has performed a series of ground tests, including low-speed and high-speed taxi tests leading up to today’s flight.
The LEAP engine was officially launched in December 2009 when COMAC selected the LEAP-1C as the sole Western powerplant for its 150-passenger C919 airplane. The engine incorporates a unique fully-integrated propulsion system (IPS), which includes the engine, nacelle, and thrust reverser. The IPS, along with the pylon developed by COMAC, were designed in conjunction with each other, resulting in improved aerodynamics, lower weight, and easier maintenance.
The LEAP-1C’s composite O-Duct thrust reverser was developed by Nexcelle*, with its unique one-piece configuration contributing to a reduced overall structural weight and larger acoustic treatment surface.
In addition to the IPS, the LEAP-1C engine features some of the industry’s most advanced technologies, including 3-D woven carbon fiber composite fan blades and fan case; a unique debris rejection system; 4th generation three dimensional aerodynamic designs; the Twin-Annular, Pre-Swirl (TAPS) combustor featuring additively manufactured fuel nozzles; ceramics matrix composite shrouds in the high-pressure turbine; and titanium aluminide (Ti-Al) blades in the low-pressure turbine.
The LEAP engine entered commercial service in August 2016 and is currently in operation with more than 10 airlines worldwide. The engines are providing operators with a 15 percent improvement in fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions compared to today’s best CFM engine, along with dramatic reductions in engine noise and exhaust gaseous emissions. All this technology is bringing with it CFM’s legendary reliability and low maintenance costs.
About CFM International
The LEAP engine is a product of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines. This engine has experienced the fastest order ramp up in commercial aviation history, with the company receiving orders and commitments for a total of more than 12,230 engines across all three models. For more information, visit us at www.cfmaeroengines.com or follow us on Twitter @CFM_engines.
* Nexcelle is a joint venture between Safran Nacelles and GE Aviation’s Middle River Aircraft Systems (MRAS),
https://www.cfmaeroengines.com/pres...omac-c919-completes-successful-maiden-flight/
An article hereunder fairly depicted what's going on with our commercial jet liners' development, past present and future:
China has a new jetliner—here's what that means
How the C919 airliner fits into China's larger aviation future.
By
Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer May 8, 2017
http://www.popsci.com/where-chinas-new-jetliner-fits-into-its-larger-aviation-future
7
C919
The C919 airliner, built by the Commercial Aviation Corporation of China (COMAC), had its maiden flight last week.
Chinese Internet, via Andreas Rupprecht
On May 5, the COMAC C919 jetliner made its first flight. It's a major triumph for China, who has invested a lot to build up its civilian aerospace industry.
Let's talk about the plane: The twin-engined, narrow-body C919 has a maximum takeoff weight of 77 tons, a range of about 2,500 miles (about 3,400 miles for the extended-range version), and space for 160 passengers. Its contemporaries in the world of twin-engine single-aisle crafts are the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, so the market is projected to make up the majority value of $1 trillion, with an estimated 6,000 airliner sales in China over the next two decades. China's also taken a lead ahead of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), whose similar MC-21 jetliner has yet to make its first flight.
Smartphones of the Skies
The C919 uses LEAP-1C engines made by the French-American joint venture CFM. Longshi
Today, aircraft makers like Airbus, Boeing, and COMAC are similar to smartphone makers in that they buy and integrate highly specific, third-party manufactured equipment into the end product, with much of the profit margins coming from maintenance, service, and upgrade contracts. Just like its Airbus and Boeing counterparts, the C919 relies on outside suppliers—often western ones—to supply critical systems like the LEAP-1 engines, avionics, and the landing gear. China hopes, though, that Chinese suppliers will start supplying the C919 and other jetliners with parts. Beijing hopes that the C919 and any eventual domestic supply chain will boost efforts to establish a domestic supply and research base.
Landing
After a 90-minute flight, the C919 prototype returned to its home airfield in Shanghai. With already 500 (mostly domestic) preorders, China hopes that the C919 will also have significant export prospects. Andreas Rupprecht
Currently, the vast majority of the C919's 500-plus preorders have come from Chinese airlines. In April 2017, European Aviation Safety Association (EASA) agreed to help validate Chinese aviation authorities' certifying process of the C919's airworthiness. An EASA endorsement of the C919's airworthiness would increase its export prospects, especially in Asia and the Middle East. After EASA certification, the C919 could hope to win approval from the FAA sometime in the mid 2020s.
Y-10
Designed by the Shanghai Aircraft Research Institute, the Y-10 first flew in 1980, but its outdated technology meant that only three were built. It was retired in 1984, four years after its first flight. Hush Kit
Despite claims elsewhere, the C919 is not China's first large jetliner. The Shanghai Y-10 was a four-engine narrow-body airliner (like the Boeing 707 and 720) that carried up to 178 passengers and had a 110-ton maximum takeoff weight. It first flew in 1980, after years of development, but retired in after only three aircraft were built, due to its outdated technology (it had to use Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B engines) and fuel inefficiency. Its autarkist connections to Red Guard ideology did not help it politically, either. Its chief designer, Wu Xingshi, would also design the ARJ-21, the next Chinese jetliner.
ARJ-21
The ARJ-21, which first flew in 2006, is a regional passenger jet that marked the revival of China's ambitions in the jetliner business. Jordan
The ARJ-21, China's first jetliner since the Y-10, would have different problems. As COMAC's first jetliner, the ARJ-21 is a 98-passenger, 47-ton twin-engine jet in the same class as the Bombardier CRJ700 and Embrarer E Jets. However, the ARJ-21 suffered the indignity of an eight-year gap from its first flight in 2008 to entering service with launch customer Chengdu Airlines in 2016.
This delay can be attributed to COMAC's inexperience in obtain a flight worthiness certificate from Chinese authorities and quality control issues on the prototype. Presumably, EASA's willingness to sign onto the C919's certification process suggests that COMAC has learned from the ARJ-21 experience.
"C929"
The Sino-Russian jumbo jet, tentatively designated C929, will be assembled in Shanghai with a service entry date of 2025. COMAC and UAC are already working on establishing the preliminary design, with a first flight in 2022-23. Research and development is estimated to be $20 billion.
Chinese Internet
If the C919 is a success in domestic and export markets, it would be a huge step forward for the Chinese aerospace industry. COMAC also has big plans for building jumbo jets.
In 2016, COMAC and UAC signed an agreement to co-develop a 250-seat, 290-ton, 7,450-mile-range plane tentatively designated the C929. Its first flight is targeted for 2022, and it will potentially enter into service by 2025. The C929's construction will use large percentages of composite and titanium parts in order to reduce its weight, thus boosting payload, range, and fuel efficiency to compete with the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350. Like the C919 (and MC-21 for the matter), the C929 will likely use foreign parts, especially in the engines.
The C919 still faces large challenges, even with its successful flight. Its test flight and targeted entry to service dates have so far slipped from 2014 and 2016 to 2017 and 2020.
But to be fair, almost all ambitious aerospace projects (including the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380) suffered delays, missing the initial service dates by years.
Dont be discouraged by the mishaps to Superjet cause we have had our big teething problems as described above in the now defunct Y-10 project and (not in the above report) the incidents of our Xian MA-60 turbopop. I wish our Russian friends the best with their Superjets corrections, and their going well with their MC-21. Also eagerly looking forward to a cordial and productive C929 cooperation
