CCTV News: The successful first flight of the C919 large passenger plane made many people excited. However, some different voices also appeared on the Internet: saying that many parts of this aircraft are imported goods, and some even said that the Chinese C919 just made a shell. In response, industry insiders responded that even Boeing Airbus cannot produce all parts. Global procurement is a common practice in the aviation manufacturing industry; integrating all components together is the most critical core technology.
The overall plan is determined by itself, and the body manufacturing is completed independently
The autonomy of C919 is firstly reflected in the independent design of the overall plan, without any foreign companies getting involved.
The independence of C919 is also reflected in the independent completion of aerodynamic design and the organization of computer simulations and wind tunnel tests. The body test to the manufacturing are all independently completed.
There are many major technological breakthroughs in the design and development of the C919 aircraft, such as supercritical wing and new material application. For the supercritical wing design alone, more than 2,000 drawings were drawn before the final plan was determined.
In an interview with Xinhua News Agency, General Manager Ye Wei of COMAC USA Co., Ltd. said that some people say that C919 China mainly built a shell. This is a misunderstanding. Overall integration is one of the core technologies of large aircraft manufacturing, and the breakthrough of integration technology is the huge progress of China's aviation manufacturing industry.
Wang Yanan, deputy editor-in-chief of "Aviation Knowledge": The outer shell of a large passenger plane is also a key technology. It is a great thing for the Chinese to do it by themselves. In the 919 project, China does more than just shells. We first completed the top-level design of this passenger plane, in other words this plane was designed by the Chinese. The overall structure of the technical requirements of each subsystem is completed by the Chinese, but the subsystem selects products from foreign suppliers in accordance with our technical requirements.
Breakthrough in key civil aviation technologies to drive the entire industrial chain
Through the design and development of C919, my country has mastered 5 major categories of civil aircraft industry, 20 majors, and more than 6,000 civil aircraft technologies, leading to group breakthroughs in new technologies, new materials, and new processes. It also promotes the development of the entire industrial chain. At present, with Shanghai as the leader, more than 200 enterprises and nearly 200,000 people in 22 provinces including Shaanxi, Sichuan and Liaoning have participated in the development and production of large passenger aircraft projects.
Global procurement is common practice, Airbus and Boeing are the same
In the C919 supplier list, in addition to domestic companies, there are indeed many well-known foreign companies, and core parts such as engines need to be imported. This is because the production of civilian airliners is not like military aircraft. It is not necessary to ask for help. The use of mature technology can increase the speed of research and development, learn from others, and control costs. Wang Yanan, deputy editor-in-chief of "Aviation Knowledge", said that the method of international cooperation is a common practice in modern technology and is nothing new.
At present, even companies with monopolistic positions such as Boeing and Airbus in Europe do not make all the parts themselves. Large aircraft are purchased globally. Airbus has more than 1,500 suppliers in 27 countries, and 30% of its components are manufactured in the United States. Boeing also subcontracts more than 60% of its parts to other suppliers, and 35% is manufactured in Japan. Chinese companies have participated in the manufacture of about 8,000 Boeing aircraft.
After the successful maiden flight, the C919 has to pass the most critical test before it is officially put into commercial operation: to obtain an airworthiness certificate. In order to speed up the progress, COMAC built six demonstrators in one go, and many tests were conducted simultaneously.
It takes time to obtain an airworthiness certificate, and negotiation is needed to go international
After the first flight is successful, C919 will enter the airworthiness certification stage, which will not be a task that can be completed in a short time. Previously, it took 6 years for my country's new domestic regional airliner ARJ21 to complete hundreds of examination subjects before it obtained the airworthiness certification issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
It is not enough to get the airworthiness certification issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. If you want to go abroad and enter the mainstream aviation market, you need European and American airworthiness certification. The Director-General of the European Commission’s Transport and Mobility Directorate Henrik Holole said that C919 will serve as an important part of China-EU bilateral airworthiness negotiations and consultations. The Sino-US bilateral airworthiness agreement is also expected to sign new rules at the end of this year. Once China, Europe and China and the United States have signed a bilateral airworthiness agreement, C919 will be able to go abroad more easily and enter the markets of developed countries without repeated applications and repeated investment of resources.
A large number of fans and business operations are highly anticipated
After completing the first flight yesterday, several major Chinese airlines, also major customers of C919, sent out congratulations on their official Weibo. At present, the C919 large passenger aircraft has received 570 orders from 23 customers at home and abroad, and the market has responded very well. As the first user, Eastern Airlines stated that they look forward to the C919 being put into operation as soon as possible. In the future, they will use the C919 to fly the route from Shanghai to Beijing.
In addition to the airline’s special attention, the beautiful and heroic C919 has also attracted a lot of fans. Many netizens said that after the C919 is put into commercial operation, they should go as soon as possible to experience the domestically-made large airplanes. The paint of the airline.
Internationally highly concerned, the media says it will break the monopoly
In addition to being loved by the Chinese people, the first flight of the C919 has also received a lot of attention in the world. Radio France International reported that the C919 is a new generation of large jetliner with completely independent intellectual property rights in China. The overall plan and aerodynamic shape of the C919 are all independently designed by China. It adopts a full-time full-authority fly-by-wire control system that is more advanced than the Boeing 737, which can compete with Boeing 737 and Airbus A-320. Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao reported that the C919 may break the monopoly of Boeing and Airbus in the global passenger aircraft market. As long as the first flight and subsequent tests go smoothly, there should be no problem for the C919 to obtain the Chinese airworthiness certificate. The most difficult thing is to obtain the US and European airworthiness certificates. Because the issuance of airworthiness certificates is tantamount to opening up the country’s airline procurement market, which means that the large US and European aircraft markets that have been monopolized by Boeing and Airbus for many years will be opened by C919.