Comac Travels A 'Distant, Difficult Road' To Future

As the world contemplates the trade relationship between the U.S. and China, its business as usual for Comac and its state-owned peers as they move forward under a politically charged 2020 action plan aimed at ensuring the future competitiveness of China’s aerospace industry.

The latest round of project meetings saw Comac officials approve 11 draft proposals, some of which include freeing up funds to accelerate aircraft technology development. Speaking candidly in a meeting last month, Comac’s chairman and Communist party secretary He Dongfeng stressed the importance of “tackling technological problems,” and “improving self-reliance” while strengthening “accountability for quality and safety,” and eliminating “shortages of resources [and] funds.”

“[T]he future of the large aircraft industry is bright and ambitious, but the road is difficult and distant,” he said.

Aerospace companies rarely espouse a company culture of radical transparency in public; for Comac, such glaring omissions coincide with intensified efforts to meet President Xi Jinping’s national priorities, including Made in China 2025—a clear and ambitious nation-building strategy designed to rival American dominance and propel China into becoming a global leader in major innovations.

Current developments suggest that while Comac has a long way to go, officials are both literally and figuratively beginning a new era where climbing the innovation ladder means looking inward into its own vast ecosystem. It also means addressing internal weaknesses, an area that Chinese officials have repeatedly emphasized in recent work committees.

Strengthening technical competencies and internal processes have been an ongoing challenge for Comac as it looks to gain entry into Western markets with an indigenous airliner. The 2008 launch of its C919 narrowbody program initially targeted a maiden flight in 2014, however, China wouldn’t see success until May 2017 when the first prototype, coded 101, completed its inaugural flight. By year-end, aircraft 102 had conducted a two-hour first flight and both prototypes flew again in June 2018 as part of a control-stability test and systems check. Meanwhile, prototype 103 and 104 completed their maiden flights in 2018; Comac’s remaining two prototypes, coded 105 and 106, took to the skies late last year.

With China’s six C919 prototypes undergoing intensive flight, static, and other ground verification tests, Dongheng’s recent comment on making “good use of every penny” is rather telling. Engineering teams have faced repeated setbacks due to technical glitches, disruptions in design changes and a shortage of local expertise. In mid-January, a report by Reuters claimed Comac had miscalculated load forces, discovered cracks in the horizontal stabilizers of some of its prototypes, and found the gearbox attached to the engine was vulnerable to cracking. That and other technical problems meant Comac had only completed less than a fifth of the 4,200 hours required to obtain certification from Chinese regulators.

Other impediments constraining progress has been the integration of avionics components and its subsystems in the flight deck and understanding the requirements of Western certification. These challenges reflect a larger concern about the company’s ability to achieve effective coordination across component teams.

Industry Effort

It comes as no surprise then that Comac is focused on strengthening its relationships with its partners and suppliers as it moves towards producing the first batch of C919s. On the domestic front, Xi’an Aircraft Industry (XAC), the largest structural component C919 supplier, is supporting the development of the airplane’s mid-fuselage and wing-box segments, accounting for more than 35 percent of the aircraft structure. Avic Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (CAC) has been assigned to develop and produce the nose section of the C919 while Comac is responsible for the horizontal stabilizer, part of the mid-fuselage, as well as subassembly and final assembly of the narrowbody. At least six additional state-owned firms are also lending their support to the C919 program: AVIC subsidiaries Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry Group, the Changhe Aircraft Industry, and Shenyang Aircraft Corporation as well as the Harbin Aircraft Industry, the Aerospace Research Institute of Special Materials and Processing Technology, and the Zhejiang Xizi Aviation Industry.

Beyond local component companies, the Chinese airframer continues to look beyond its borders to strengthen capabilities with foreign suppliers. In January, Comac renewed its contract with Canada’s International Test Pilots School (ITPS) to support its C919 flight test program. According to ITPS, graduates will eventually participate in the flight testing of the CRAIC C929 widebody, Comac’s joint venture with Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).

Last October, Comac extended its partnership with Australia’s Monash University after inking a $6.8 million agreement to lock down research and development on the design of 3D printed alloy components for the C919. According to Comac, engineering teams have adopted additive manufacturing in developing some cabin doors and are studying the aircraft’s structural stability through compliance verification tests.

While the West has long taken issue with Chinese business practices, it’s clear that foreign companies and governments want to tap into China’s immense growth and future potential.  Despite the internal and external challenges, Comac serves as a testament to China’s ambitions to advance its standing in the aerospace manufacturing value chain. It may be a steep climb up but its commitment is unwavering when it comes to playing the long game.