With the continuous advancement of the R&D and design of the C929 project, the first dual-aisle wide-body passenger aircraft independently developed by the mainland, a number of companies have recently disclosed the latest developments and related projects involving the C929 in the announcement. These news not only demonstrate the company's own performance, but also highlight the positive progress made by the C929 project.
Recently, Aerospace Huanyu issued an announcement, saying that its holding subsidiary, Hunan Feiyu Aviation Equipment Co., Ltd., has been closed in the bidding for the "Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd. C929 Project Composite Tooling Framework Agreement Project" of COMAC, and recently received the "Transaction Notice" from Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
It is understood that Hunan Feiyu Company will provide C929 project with metal and composite parts molding process equipment, large-scale composite parts integrated molding process equipment, parts assembly frame, composite parts automatic intelligent production line, section assembly production line, hoisting, transportation, debugging and testing of non-standard equipment development and technical solutions to solve supporting services, tooling maintenance and integrated services, customer value-added services and other businesses.
Aerospace Huanyu said that the composite tooling project traded by its subsidiary Hunan Feiyu, as an important part of the C929 project, bears the important task of promoting the independent research and development and industrialization of large passenger aircraft in the mainland. The company will do its best to ensure that the project is completed on time and with quality. It is expected that the successful completion of the project will have a positive impact on the development process of C929.
At the same time, Guanglian Aviation also recently issued an announcement, saying that it has completed another sub-project in the "Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd. C929 Project Composite Tooling Framework Agreement Project", including C929 large-scale composite parts molding and most of the assembly. In fact, this is not the first time that Guanglian Airlines has won the bid for C929-related projects. In October 2023, Guanglian Airlines won the contract for the development and production of the assembly line of fuselage wall panel components in the C929 wide-body passenger aircraft.
It is encouraging to see that the progress of the C929 project is not only reflected in the above-mentioned aerospace companies, but also includes many enterprises focusing on the field of aerospace high-end equipment manufacturing. They have also recently issued a number of C929-related announcements, revealing their participation in the project and the latest progress.
For example, AVIC claims that the company's sensor products have achieved a breakthrough in the C929 large civil aircraft project; Jianghang Equipment received an invitation to bid for three work packages of C929 crew oxygen system, passenger oxygen system and inertization system sent by COMAC; AVIC Hi-Tech said that it has completed the trial production verification of the wall plate on the front fuselage of C929 and passed the review of COMAC;
Tongda Co., Ltd. announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Chengdu Hangfei, has successfully entered the COMAC C929 supply chain for high-end precision machining manufacturing and component assembly services for aircraft structural parts and large key structural parts, as well as CNC machining products such as fuselage titanium alloy, aluminum alloy frame, beam, rib and joint, sheet metal forming mold, composite material forming mold, and aircraft component products.
What is particularly exciting is that China Aviation Development Group recently released the relevant information of the domestic large bypass ratio turbofan engine CJ2000 for the C929, saying that this strong "Chinese heart" uses 18 high-tech blades, with a diameter of more than 3 meters, and a take-off thrust of more than 35 tons, and has low fuel consumption, low emissions, low noise, high reliability, long service life, low maintenance cost of product technical characteristics, a number of indicators are better than similar products in service abroad. It is understood that the development progress of CJ2000 is relatively faster than that of C929, and it is currently in the stage of applying for certification and finalization.
As a large wide-body passenger aircraft independently developed by the mainland, the C929 is benchmarked against Boeing 787, Airbus A330 and A350 models, with a standard number of seats designed for 280 and a wingcrane double launch station, with a maximum take-off weight of 247.5 tons and a maximum landing weight of 190 tons. The maximum range is 12,000 km, the cruising speed is Mach 0.85, and the practical ceiling is 12,100 meters.
Driven by the strong scientific and technological innovation of the mainland, C929 has also achieved a major breakthrough in the field of manufacturing process and materials. The aircraft is expected to be made of more than 50 percent composite materials, a ratio alongside the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, demonstrating Continental's leadership in the application of new materials.
These high-performance composites not only reduce aircraft weight and improve fuel efficiency, but also enhance the strength and durability of the fuselage structure, resulting in longer range, lower operating costs and better environmental performance. The material innovation of C929 is a model of independent innovation in the continental aviation industry, and also reflects the progress of the mainland in the field of high-end manufacturing and the improvement of international competitiveness.
At present, the development of the C929 project is progressing smoothly, including the research and development of key components such as various subsystems, engines, fuselages, landing gear, and avionics systems. Based on the current development of the project, it is possible that the C929 will be earlier than the original schedule for the first flight in 2030. It is rumored that the first flight time is even expected to be advanced to 2029, which coincides with the "29" of the C929. This gratifying news not only shows the efficient progress of the C929, but also reflects the rapid development and growing strength of the continental aviation industry.