China's national aviation manufacturer has launched a long-term plan spanning until 2030 to develop advanced aviation engines.
Senior
executives of Aviation Industry Corp of China claim they have set aside
10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) for the first phase of the three-part
plan, which will fund the research and development of engines until
2015.
"Our aviation engine operation consists of four parts,
which means when we are manufacturing the current engines, we also
actively develop next-generation engines and explore the technologies of
more-advanced ones," said Zhang Jian, deputy general manager of AVIC
Engine Holdings.
"The United States has been striving to make
sure it leads by at least 20 years in the aviation engine industry. For
us, the company has made a comprehensive plan through 2030, including
the technological targets we shall have achieved by that year and the
amount of money we will possibly invest," Zhang told China Daily on the
sidelines of the Ninth China International Aviation and Aerospace
Exhibition, also known as Zhuhai Airshow, which runs from Tuesday to
Sunday in Guangdong province.
"Now most of the engines used by
the People's Liberation Army air force are manufactured in China," he
said, adding that in order to catch up with the latest and most advanced
aviation engines, the AVIC has a plan that can be broken down into
three phases.
"During the first phase, which will conclude by the
end of 2015 if everything goes well, we will strive to ensure our air
force's aircraft be equipped with proper engines and to lift our
development capability to that of the developed countries' level in the
1980s. The second phase will witness us substantially narrowing the
technological gap between developed countries and us. And by the end of
the last phase, our engines will be as advanced as theirs."
"Aviation
engine development combines a high concentration of various advanced
technologies; therefore, only the five permanent members of the United
Nations Security Council have the ability to develop aviation engines,"
said Li Fangyong, executive vice-president of Aviation Industry Corp of
China.
"Developing aviation engines requests a nation to possess
solid scientific and technological capabilities and a strong industrial
manufacturing establishment. Unfortunately, China is comparatively weak
in these regards."
Li said China failed to pay enough attention
to the theoretical research of aviation engines in the past and it was
not uncommon that only after a new aircraft had begun to be developed
that the engine's development was hastily launched.
"We have also
realized that although our investment is tremendous, it is far from
sufficient, so we hope private businesses will engage in aviation
engines' development," he said.
The development of a reliable
engine needs a great number of experiments and tests that China was not
able to conduct, according to Li. He attributed the problem to
technological obstacles as well as the lack of adequate funding.
Zhang also mentioned some problems are still haunting the industry.
"Our
engines' stability still needs improvement and the quality of
production materials are not so satisfactory. We will spare no efforts
in enhancing the quality of our products.
"In the near future, we
will make sure that all of the PLA air force's third-generation
aircraft use domestically developed engines," he said, confirming the
AVIC is developing engines for China's stealth jet fighters.
The
Jiuzhai engine, which was first made public by AVIC in Zhuhai on Tuesday
and is designed to be used on business jets, can operate for as long as
20,000 hours, according to Li Xiaoming, chief designer of Jiuzhai at
AVIC Gas Turbine Establishment.
The new engine is very reliable and as technologically advanced as its competitors in developed countries, he said.
"Our
ultimate goal is to guarantee that China can develop its own aviation
industry without being disrupted or contained by anyone else," Zhang
said.
Story: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn
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