China to unveil its own large jetliner

[n2doc]

By David Pierson, Tribune Newspapers
November 13, 2010

BEIJING — — China is aiming to reshape the global aviation industry with a home-grown jetliner, a direct challenge to the supremacy of Boeing and Airbus, the world's only manufacturers of large commercial aircraft.

The communist government has staked billions of dollars and national pride on the effort. What may surprise some Americans worried about slipping U.S. competitiveness is that some well-known U.S. companies are aiding China in its quest.

That partnership will be on display this week at an air show in southern China with the unveiling of a full-scale mockup of the C919. Slated for production by 2016, the 156-seat, single-aisle passenger plane would have its fuselage emblazoned with Comac, short for the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China. But inside, the most crucial systems would bear the trademarks of some of the biggest names in Western aviation.

Honeywell International Inc. will supply power units, onboard computing systems, wheels and brakes; Rockwell Collins Inc. will handle navigation systems; GE Aviation is building the avionics; Eaton Corp. is involved with fuel and hydraulics; and Parker Aerospace is responsible for flight controls. Powering the aircraft will be two fuel-efficient engines built by CFM International, a company co-owned by GE and French conglomerate Safran.

more
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1114-china-jetliner-20101113-60,0,2174025.story

[Earth_First]

1. China is so well known for it's safe consumer goods...

What could possibly go wrong here?

:shrug:

[marmar]

6. Significant portions of Boeing jets are already made in China.

nt

[JHB]

7. Yup. it's part of a brilliant long-term strategey called...

...training your new competitor.

[sensate2000]

8. I hear they are making the entire plane out of mercury.

Using child prison labor. ;)

[madrchsod]

2. this is how china will undercut the us and european industry...

buy r&d,hire "advisors" to bring their industry up to international standards,then out bid every aircraft manufacturer in the world.

they have done this in the past and they`ll do it in the future.

[NutmegYankee]

3. Communities surrounding airports worldwide scream in terror! nt

[JohnyCanuck]

4. I wouldn't exactly call that a "large" jetliner

From the initial article headline I thought they were going to produce a product to compete with the A380 or the 747, looks more like something in the A320/737 class.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. Great. Just in time for when every runway at OHare will have been reconfigured to point at my house.