China’s aviation mega-event, the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition held in Zhuhai, China, just concluded. The bi-annual event offers a rare glimpse into the latest technologies and products coming out of China’s aerospace, aviation and defense industries. China’s aviation industry and market growth have brought the airshow global attention. Unfortunately, however, this year’s airshow offered little insight into the status of future policies and reforms that will be needed to truly ignite China’s aviation sector.
For starters there was much anticipation regarding additional aircraft orders for China’s flagship C919 and ARJ-21 aircraft. Although additional orders for the aircraft certainly were achieved by COMAC, only three of the aircraft were ordered by an overseas customer: The Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Transportation. The rest? All Chinese purchasers. Technically there were a few orders made for Chinese turboprop aircraft from Cambodia and Laos, but the Cambodian purchase was made by a company that is actually Chinese-owned. There was one slight breakthrough in China’s efforts to put itself on the map with aircraft sales overseas. For the first time Chinese-made aircraft will be delivered to a U.S. customer. Y-12F aircraft were ordered by a company in California (Coptervision) for flying tourists over the Grand Canyon. Its a small order and simply a new variant of an old airplane, but it is a small step forward for Chinese aviation manufacturing.
Perhaps the most anticipation before Zhuhai revolved around the J-31 fighter aircraft. China’s aerospace industry certainly made a statement about its determination and ambition with its unveiling, but the aerial demonstration immediately revealed some aerodynamic inadequacies [namely energy bleed]. Still, the aircraft is set for export under the FC-31 nomenclature and there is bound to be a few possible nation-state customers that will be better off with this platform than the older ones they’re flying today. Also on the military front was the unveiling of a new Y-30 turboprop airlifter similar in concept to the ever-popular C-130, and the unveiling of a mobile, rapidly deployable FT-1 space launch system.
Perhaps the best news for China coming out of Zhuhai is the Safran joint venture with AVIC. The 50-50 partnership will permit the JV to research, design and produce turboprop engines in China. China gets more access to an area of R&D that it struggles with (propulsion), while Safran gets greater market access within China.
As for foreign ventures there was some good news for Bombardier. The company announced 16 CRJ-900 orders from China Express, a privately owned domestic regional carrier that also flies other CRJ variants in its fleet.
Interestingly, a new General Aviation (GA) Airshow was announced and will commence next year and be repeated every alternate year at Zhuhai airport between the main Zhuhai airshow years. And how about GA, anyway? Not much to report from Zhuhai. No announcements or changes to the policies and regulations that restrict GA operations were included in this year’s airshow. Several GA aircraft made showings at Zhuhai including a newly unveiled composite fuselage Mooney, but the prospects for expanded and effective use of those aircraft remains just as limited by airspace and other policy restrictions as before the show. GA opportunities remain primarily (and almost exclusively) in the helicopter, flight training, government operations and private jet realms for the time being.
For those that wish for more information on this year’s Zhuhai Airshow, I highly recommend Aviation Week’s Airshow China 2014 web page. They have numerous resources, links and articles posted for your perusal.
