Title:
The secret of the aircraft is revealed, what is the domestic engine?Is it PUBG or open?》
The C919, a key component of the large aircraft, was officially put into commercial operation. This 14-year-old independent research and development project has attracted considerable attention in China. However, behind this, the controversy surrounding the localization of key aircraft components seems to have never subsided. Manufacturing large aircraft is a very complex task, involving many fields such as science and technology, industry, and manufacturing, and puts forward the most extreme requirements for each field. This time, we focused on the heart of the large aircraft - the engine, but found some problems that cannot be ignored.
For C919, the official localization rate is 60%. This is not low in today's highly international passenger aircraft manufacturing industry, because the key components usually come from mature European and American manufacturers. This includes engines, which are considered to be the heart of the aircraft. Aircraft engines are not ordinary parts, they are related to the performance, safety, and even the entire flight process of the aircraft. However, when we take a closer look at the engine used in the C919, we find a question worth pondering.
The engine used in the C919 is the LEAP-1C, which was jointly developed by General Motors of the United States and Safran of France (CFM International). This engine is a member of the LEAP family, which has become almost the first choice for modern single-aisle narrow-body trunk airliners. However, the LEAP-1C was jokingly called the "castrated version" of the engine. In terms of size and lightweight, it does not have an advantage, and the main reason is due to the material. The turbofan engine material system used in LEAP-1C belongs to the third generation, while other models are exported to China LEAP-1C, and some of its component materials have been replaced with conventional superalloys and titanium alloys, and the main load-bearing parts of the engine, the casing, have also changed from high-temperature lightweight aviation materials to traditional superalloy materials. This resulted in a significant increase in the size and weight of the LEAP-1C compared to other models. And, according to open data, the thrust-to-weight ratio of the LEAP-1C is 30 lower than that of other models72%, which means that the C919 airliner has 23 tons of weight. Although this "castrated version" has no value of imitation in technology, we are still facing the risk of "stuck".
In the past 14 years, COMAC has been committed to the study of its own aircraft "brain", that is, the control law of aircraft. This is a field involving flight control computer algorithms, which is related to many factors such as the aerodynamic characteristics and configuration layout of the aircraft. However, this technology is also subject to international restrictions and has to embark on the road of independent research and development.
The problem of localization of key aircraft components has not been completely solved, but the emergence of the CJ1000A engine seems to provide us with a glimmer of hope. As early as January 2009, the state established AVIC Commercial Aero Engines to develop engines for COMAC's aircraft. In October last year, there was news that the CJ1000A engine had entered the stage of airworthiness certification, which also meant that the research and development was basically completed. But airworthiness tests usually take years, and even if they are successfully developed, they will take years of military test flights before they can be put into commercial operation. From a technical point of view, the CJ1000A is almost identical to the LEAP-1C in terms of design, but has caught up with the LEAP-1A in some key technical points. However, compared with the LEAP-1C, CJ1000A still has a gap in environmental performance, which has also become a major challenge to obtain European and American airworthiness certificates in the future.
This is not a simple question, but is related to the country's independent innovation capability and the future development of the aviation industry. In the process of developing domestic large aircraft, we may need to make more efforts, but this is also the inevitable way to independent innovation. Between "danger" and "opportunity", we must carefully weigh and find a balance between safety and economy, and be able to maintain independent operation. In the future, the take-off of aircraft requires China to fly into the blue sky independently.
On the surface, choosing an outsourced engine seems to be the safest and most economical option in reality. After all, this allows for rapid access to mature technology that ensures the performance and safety of the aircraft. However, with it comes risks. In the past, the engine ban crisis made us deeply feel that dependence on core technology is a potential risk. The lesson of the chip makes people think deeply, and when COMAC will be able to really get rid of its dependence on external key technologies is a question worthy of deep attention.
The advent of the domestic engine CJ1000A provides a kind of dawn for this problem. Although there is still room for improvement at the moment, it is already technically competitive. Moreover, the country's investment and support for independent innovation continue to increase, which provides more opportunities for COMAC's independent research and development in the field of engines. Perhaps, in the future aviation field, we can see more of China's own aircraft engines standing proudly under the blue sky.
From the perspective of the full text, the localization of key aircraft components is not only a technical issue, but also a profound thinking about the country's independent innovation and development direction. The engine problem of the C919 is only the tip of the iceberg, and we need to think more comprehensively about how to achieve independent mastery of key technologies while ensuring the performance and safety of the aircraft. It's a challenging road, but it's also a hurdle that must be overcome. We may not be able to achieve it overnight, but in the future blueprint of domestic aircraft, we have reason to expect that COMAC can gradually move towards the cusp of independent innovation and promote China's aircraft technology to the world. In the choice between "danger" and "opportunity", perhaps it is in this effort that we can find a more solid way to fly.