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2017-07-10
Will China’s C919 Shake Up The Large Jetliner Market?
The C919, China’s first domestically-designed and built large airliner, recently took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport into hazy skies with a five-person crew aboard. The jet landed one hour and 19 minutes later after a successful first trial.
With the flight, China joins the ranks of the few nations that have developed homegrown large airliners. Once the C919 is delivered to domestic carriers that have put in orders, China will join the select club of nations that produce their own jetliners. These include the US, Canada, Russia, France, the UK, Germany and Brazil.
The C919’s maiden flight was watched by people around the globe. Comac also offered an unprecedented look inside the maiden flight of the new airliner. The company streamed live images from the jet’s cockpit looking over the shoulder of its test pilots as they performed gentle maneuvers off the coast. Neither Boeing nor Airbus has ever provided a live view of the cockpit on a first flight.
Comac C919
The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, (Comac), launched in 2008 when the government combined several aviation companies from China’s previous failure to build a commercial jetliner. The goal was to disrupt Boeing and Airbus’s dominance in the Chinese market—where they control 95% of airline sales—and someday, compete on the global scale.
The Comac C919 is a narrow-body twinjet airliner. Production of the prototype began in December 2011. It rolled out on November 2, 2015 and first flew on May 5, 2017, for a planned introduction in 2020.
The aircraft is mainly made of aluminium. It is powered by CFM International LEAP turbofan engines and can carry 168 passengers in a usual operating configuration up to 3,000 nautical miles (5,555 km). It is intended to compete with the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo.
The last purchase agreement on June 13, 2017 brought the order book to 600 from 24 leasing companies or airlines, mostly Chinese, although American engine provider GE has 20 commitments.
Development history
The 2008 program launch initially targeted a maiden flight in 2014. Comac applied for a type certificate for the aircraft from the Civil Aviation Authority of China on 28 October 2010. The company intends to manufacture up to 2,300 aircraft of this type. In June 2011, COMAC and Irish low-cost airline Ryan Air signed an agreement to co-operate on the development of the C919. In 2012, Airbus’ chief strategist Marwan Lahoud said the aircraft would offer competition to Airbus by 2020.
On November 24, 2011, Comac announced the completion of the joint definition phase, marking the end of preliminary design, with estimated completion of detailed design in 2012.
Prototype production began on December 9, 2011. Aerodynamics were designed with the help of a supercomputer. The annual production was targeted at 150 planes by 2020. Bombardier Aerospace has been collaborating since March 2012 on supply chain services, electrical systems, human interface and cockpit; and on flight training, flight-test support, and sales and marketing, from June 2013.
Its announced development budget is 58 billion yuan ($9.5 billion), but actual cost is estimated at well over $20 billion. The flight testbed was expected to complete final assembly in 2014 and perform its first flight in 2015, however, delivery was delayed again until 2018 due to technical difficulties and supply issues. At the November 2014 Zhuhai Airshow, it was announced that the first flight would be delayed to 2017. On 2 November 2015, Comac rolled out its first C919 aircraft.
High-speed taxi tests were completed in April 2017 and the first flight took place on May 5, 2017. Comac has a planned test programme of 4,200 flight hours and introduction to service in 2020 with China Eastern Airlines. Slippage into 2021 is possible. The European Aviation Safety Agency is working to validate the Chinese type certificate.
Design
The dimensions of the C919 are similar to those of the Airbus A320; its fuselage is 3.96 metres (13ft) wide and 4.166 metres (13.67ft) high with a 12.915 square metres (139.02 sqft) cross-section. This may allow for a common unit load device to be used for both aircraft, it has a 33.6 metres wingspan with winglets. The aircraft’s payload capacity will be 20.4 tonnes. The design calls for cruise at 834 km/h; its operating ceiling is 12,200 metres (39,800 feet). There will be two variants: the standard version with a 4,075 km (2,200 nmi) range, and a 5,555 km (2,999 nmi) extended-range version.
The center wing box, outer wing box, wing panels, flaps, and ailerons are to be built in Xi’an, China; the center fuselage sections will be built in Hongdu, China. Aluminium-lithium alloys account for 8.8% of the structure and composite materials for 12%. The air frame will be made largely of aluminum alloy. Aircraft design and assembly is performed in Shanghai.
The wing is supercritical, increasing aerodynamic efficiency by 20% and reducing drag by 8%. The center wing box was originally intended to use carbon fibre composites. It was changed later to an aluminum design to reduce design complications.
Main features of the C919
Design, development, and airworthiness examination of the airplane are based on international civil aviation rules and regulations and airworthiness standards.
Fuel consumption and direct operating cost per seat per kilometer are lower than those of similar existing airplanes.
There are broader cabins and wider seats, plus advanced system technology to improve comfort.
The aircraft is environmentally friendly, with a new engine to meet noise and pollutant discharge requirements.
CFM International LEAP mock-up
Both Pratt & Whitney and CFM International offered to provide engines, the former offering the PW1000G and the latter the LEAP-1C; the latter was ultimately selected. Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) Commercial Aircraft Engine Co was also tasked with developing an indigenous engine to be used with the aircraft. The ACAE CJ-1000A was unveiled at the 2012 Zhuhai Airshow.
The engine’s nacelle, thrust reverser and exhaust system will be provided by Nexcelle, with features including advanced inlet configuration, extensive use of composites and acoustic treatment, and an electrically operated thrust reverser. Michelin will supply Air X radial tyres.
Market
In 2012 the C919 order book stood at 380 units worth US$26 billion, averaging $68.4 million. The market values in 2013 were $49.2 million for the Airbus A320neo, 51% less than its $100.2 million list price and $51.4 million for the Boeing 737 MAX-8, 49% less than its $100.5 million list price. In June 2015, China National Radio predicted a $50 million price, cheaper than the B737 or A320 list prices.
COMAC aims to take a fifth of the global narrowbody market, and a third of the Chinese market by 2035. It expects 2,000 sales in the next 20 years. The C919 is outdated by 10-15 years compared to the latest versions of the A320 and Boeing 737, and will probably cost more to operate.
Orders
At the November 2010 Zhuhai Airshow, Comac announced orders for 55 C919 aircraft from six airlines, with an additional 45 options. Purchasing airlines or lessors included China Eastern Airlines, Air China, Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines, CDB Leasing Company, and GE Capital Aviation Services.
On October 19, 2011, Chinese ICBC Leasing ordered 45 C919s and agreed to be the launch customer.
At the June 2015 Paris Air Show,Ping An Leasing signed a letter of intent for 50 C919s, becoming one of Comac’s largest customers, and Puren Group signed a letter of intent for seven C919s and seven ARJ21s, intended for the start-up Puren Airlines. The last purchase framework agreement for 30 from China Everbright Group Financial Leasing on June 13, 2017 brought the order book to 600.
Concerns
The C919 is a collection of parts supplied by the same companies that supplied the Boeing Dreamliner. Analysts say they held back their best technology from Comac after being forced into Chinese joint ventures and wanting to protect their intellectual property.
With the CFM engines, 1658-seat narrow-body twin-engine C919 is likely to be heavier than a comparable Boeing or Airbus; less efficient; and less trusted than the planes from either established company.
Because China’s state-owned airlines don’t have a choice in the matter of ordering from Comac, the plane will definitely operate in Chinese airspace. Comac says there are already nearly 600 potential orders, but the weaker efficiency of the planes puts the government in a bind of supporting either the homegrown airplane maker or the homegrown airlines.
Attention now turns to whether in the next decade or two, China and Comac can improve its airliners the way Brazil’s Embraer did in the 1990s to become a global player. Comac has already discussed 929 and 939 programs.
There will be plenty of demand in China to burnish further advances. Boeing anticipates the country will need $1 trillion worth of planes— more than 6,800 — in the twenty years through 2036.
The single-aisle aircraft was originally scheduled to make its debut two years ago before encountering repeated delays for additional testing and certification.
The Chinese jet’s first flight is the biggest and most visible milestone in its development. But it still has a long way to go before carrying passengers and competing with US and European competitors.
The start of aerial testing kicks off months or years of grueling certification tests, and meeting safety standards might require design changes. Comac will also need to win the trust of airlines in China and elsewhere by proving the jet can operate efficiently and reliably on scheduled flights.
Reference Text/Photo:
www.flightglobal.com
www.wikipedia.org
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