2023-05-31 00:03:32
The C919 passenger plane made in China succeeded in its first commercial passenger flight. On May 28, China Eastern Airlines used the world’s first C919 passenger plane to complete the flight from Shanghai to Beijing. However, behind the first flight of this airliner, due to the heavy reliance on the West for key components and technology, and Beijing’s pro-Russian stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, once Europe and the United States impose sanctions, the development prospects of C919 will be worrying.
Engines and avionics take their breath away
The C919 airliner manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC, referred to as COMAC) completed its first commercial passenger flight on May 28. Beijing hopes that the C919 will compete with the most popular foreign airliners such as Boeing 737MAX and Airbus A320.
However, Archyde.com quoted aviation industry analysts as saying that it will take at least ten years for COMAC to use the C919 to challenge the status of Boeing and Airbus airliner giants.
Although the C919 is known as a “large Chinese-made aircraft”, it relies heavily on components from Western companies, including the most important engines and avionics. The suppliers are General Electric and the French “Safran Group” (Safran SA) and Honeywell International.
Taking engines as an example, Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, an aviation consulting firm, pointed out that engines are the weakest link in China’s civil aviation plan. At present, there are only three manufacturers of commercial jet engines in the world: General Electric (GE), Raytheon / Pratt & Whitney (Raytheon / Pratt & Whitney), and Rolls-Royce (Britain). The C919 uses the General/Safran Leap-1C engine.
“The airframe and aircraft systems and technologies may be difficult to develop, but jet engines have a much higher barrier to entry,” Ebolafe said.
Xinzhou 700 was sanctioned and no engine was available
COMAC is developing the Changjiang-1000A (CJ-1000A) engine to replace the GM and Safran Leap-1C engines for the C919 airliner, but it will not be used until at least 2030. “China’s aviation development ambition is to launch a secondary domestic engine in mid-2030…compared with Western models, it has lower reliability, higher fuel consumption and higher operating costs,” aviation analyst Ebola Fei said.
The important parts and technology of China’s commercial airliners are almost completely dependent on the West. Analysis points out that China’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war is pro-Russian. If China aids Russia in arms and is imposed trade sanctions by Europe and the United States, it may immediately bring China’s aviation industry to a standstill.
The Xinzhou 700 (MA700) aircraft that China began developing in 2007 is a good example. The turboprop regional jet uses a Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150 engine, but the development plan stalled following Canada and the United States jointly refused to issue an export license for the MA 700 engine in September 2021.
As for China’s research and development of the Yangtze River-1000A jet engine, it also relies heavily on Western technology. Like China’s commercial airliners, China’s commercial jet engine is the first attempt, and it is easy to be forced to stop research and development due to the technology embargo.
Tensions between Beijing and the West put the future of C919 in doubt
In addition, although the C919 has an advantage in the Chinese market, its price is cheaper than Airbus and Boeing’s passenger planes of the same class, and it has won many orders from major Chinese airlines and aircraft leasing companies. However, if the C919 wants to fly overseas, it must obtain American Airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), whichever is achieved, is a daunting task.
Greg Waldron, Asia executive editor of the aviation news website FlightGlobal, pointed out that since neither Europe nor the United States have issued airworthiness certification for the C919, it remains to be seen whether the aircraft will enter the international market in the future.
Hua Delong said: “Before obtaining European and American airworthiness certification, the C919 cannot enter the main international aviation market.”
In addition, Beijing dreams of achieving the goal of self-sufficiency in China’s key areas such as commercial airliners through the “Made in China 2025” plan. Sash Tusa, an aerospace and defense analyst at Agency Partners LLP, a British consulting research firm, estimates that China has developed jets over the past 20 years. The airliner plan will cost at least 67 billion U.S. dollars and tens of thousands of manpower will be invested.
However, the relationship between China and the West is treacherous and changeable. The United States and Europe may impose sanctions on Beijing due to disputes or economic conflicts with China. China’s civil aviation airliner relies heavily on Western companies for key components and technologies. The development prospects of C919 are not optimistic.
(This article is sponsored by Central Radio Authorized to reprint; source of the first image:COMAC）
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