A new military tilt wing, and COMAC wins its first big order.
Two major developments in the Chinese aerospace industry were revealed at the recent Singapore airshow. United Aircraft Group announced a tilt rotor UAV in the six-ton class, capable of carrying cargo and passengers for both civilian and military applications, and the COMAC C919 airliner received another order for 40 aircraft for Tibet Airlines, in a special high-altitude configuration. The C919 is crucial for the success of the Chinese civilian aircraft industry, competing in the most important single aisle market segment in commercial aviation, currently dominated by the Airbus A320 series and the Boeing 737.
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Episode Transcript:
At this year’s Singapore Airshow, Chinese aerospace firms made two important announcements that will have significant impacts on global aviation.
Shenzhen, China-based UAV startup United Aircraft Group, a builder of small and midsize utility helicopter-type drones, has announced a much more ambitious project: a military tilt rotor, similar to the Bell V-280 Valor program. According to United Aircraft, the six-ton autonomous tilt rotor has a range of over 1,800 miles, and in its initial iteration appears to be designed for military missions. Cargo carrying is expected to be the first application, with a 7- to 10-passenger variant in the works.
Called the UR6000, powerplant and gearbox technology is closely held by the company, but it is believed to include a variable rotor speed reduction unit, which itself suggests that the system may accommodate different powerplants, perhaps even electric motors.
The UR 6000 is significant because the aircraft is a large departure from United Aircraft’s current UAV technology, which features coaxial rotors in a standard helicopter configuration. The company has considerable manufacturing expertise, making both UAVs and composite components for other manufacturers. They are operating with $500 million of investment capital from several investors, and expect to display a flying prototype this year.
The other, highly significant news in Singapore was the announcement by airliner manufacturer COMAC that the company has received an order for 40 C919 airliners and 10 ARJ 21 regional jets from Tibet Airlines. COMAC intends to develop a specialized high-altitude variant of the aircraft for the rarefied air operations in Tibet.
Tibet Airlines joins Brunei-based GallopAir, who announced their intention to purchase 30 aircraft from COMAC, including the C919, last September.
The C919 may be the most important single project in the history of Chinese aerospace. It’s a global market competitor to the best-selling Airbus A320neo and advanced variants of the Boeing 737. Sales of the aircraft to non-Chinese customers has been widely regarded as essential to cement COMAC as a viable alternative in the commercial aircraft market to the Boeing/Airbus duopoly. Extensive use of Western engines and avionics are part of the company’s plan to entice overseas buyers, and with the combination of years-long order backlogs at Airbus, and persistent delivery difficulties at Boeing, the C919 represents a generational opportunity to break into the lucrative global aircraft market.
And the market may be ready for more air framers. According to Precedence Research, the size of the global aircraft market in 2023 was $412 billion and is projected to rise to just over $500 billion by 2029.
