The State Council has recently endorsed the application of China Aviation Industry Corporation I (shortened as CAIC-1) for manufacturing the feeder turbo-jetliner -- ARJ21. This is so far the most important weight China has put out for the rejuvenation of its manufacturing industry.
Foreign Capital and Experts Welcomed
As revealed by person in charge from CAIC-1 the research and manufacture of ARJ21 will be carried out under the ensured precondition of China's own intellectual property rights while following the market model, foreign capital and experts are welcome to join in with the engine and part of the carrier-equipment allowed to be purchased by bidding in the world market. This indicates an important change in the R&D model for homemade equipment of important technology.
Five Billion-yuan Needed for Pre-study and Research
As introduced the ARJ21 type of jetliner is a basically feeder plane with 72 -79 seats and 5 seats in a row. The CAIC-1 is going to call together personnel and set up a project company for the design and manufacture of the plane, which is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2006. So according to estimation the pre-study and research expense will come to around RMB 5 billion-yuan (US$604 million). The feeder plane ARJ21 now being designed must be up to the criteria for the feeder liner airports, adaptable to air-routes, economical and comfortable and good for environment protection as well as compatible in general with the feeder aircraft in service.
Feeder Liner Augurs an Extensive Marketplace
Since 1950s China has built up one after another a series of aeronautic industry system, a whole set in scientific research, production and education once ranking at the third place of the world. However, the job was mainly centered on the research and manufacture of military fighters to the neglect of jetliners for civil use. After the reform and opening up and following the dropout of manufacturing "Yun-10" jetliner in 1980s we've been carrying out the production of the improved types of "Yun-8", "Yun-7" and "Xinzhou-60" propeller feeder liners. In the meanwhile we've been cooperating with the McDonnell Douglas for the manufacturing of MD type jetliners and carrying on by contract transfer the production of accessory parts for some jetliners of the world and has never put aside the idea for self-research and development of jetliners. Nevertheless, due to some technical and system reasons the work has been proceeding at a snail's pace.
As learned, the artery lines for air-transportation are by and large monopolized by the two big shots of Boeing and Airbus with hardly any foothold for new manufacturers to squeeze in. The feeder lines though also concentrated with many such forcible air-companies as Canadian Bombardier, Brazilian Airlines and Fairchild Dornier, a US-German joint venture for the contention of the market, yet the global huge market, according to the estimation for the 20 years to come, needs an additional supply of 4,200 feeder liners. And China needs more than 600 new feeder liners to be added into the present fleet. In technical point of view the feeder liners are not quite difficult in technological field as that for artery jetliners. With the Chinese R&D capableness at hand in aeronautic industry plus international cooperation it is still possible for China to carve a share out of the world feeder liners market.
No Plain Sailing for the Research and Development
Person of the industry circle points out, the research and development for ARJ21 jetliner will by no means be a plain sailing, for the big countries like the US and others will not let anybody else to step freely into the airplane making business club controlled by them. Even if the research and development of ARJ21 follow a smooth road and fly into the sky in time, it still requires an arduous effort as to whether it's able to hover freely in the sky because the issuance of FAA and JAA certificates of airworthiness is in the hands of the US and the EU.
(People's Daily September 20, 2002)
