Latest news with #C929
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Now China enters supersonic passenger plane arm races with C949 jet that can fly from London to NYC in less than 3 hours
The aircraft looks set to rival projects from Nasa and Lockheed Martin RED CONCORDE Now China enters supersonic passenger plane arm races with C949 jet that can fly from London to NYC in less than 3 hours CHINA has thrown itself into the supersonic passenger jet race with its C949 plane that can zoom from London to New York in under three hours. The ultra-fast aircraft promises significantly less noise than the retired Concorde and 50 per cent further flight range. 4 China has unveiled its quiet supersonic jet with 50 per cent longer range than Concorde Credit: Supplied 4 The jet will fly 1.6 times faster than the speed of sound Credit: Supplied 4 Designed by China's state-owned aircraft company Comac the aircraft is billed to reach 6,800 miles - a much further stretch than Concorde's 4,500 mile capacity. This would allow the plane to fly non-stop from the UK to Malaysia. Meanwhile, the powerful jet is expected to fly 1.6 times faster than the speed of sound, allowing it to travel a staggering 11,000km at a time. This means it could fly from London to New York in less than three hours. The stealthy project also aims to reduce the sonic boom to 83.9 perceived level in decibels - equivalent to the sound of a hairdryer, according to the South China Morning Post. That is just one-twentieth of the Concorde's deafening boom. Concorde was blocked from taking overland flights following noise complaints, after civilians complained it was so loud it rattled windows and spooked livestock. Reducing the noise of the sonic boom could help it overcome regulatory barriers, and compete with rival projects from Nasa and Lockheed Martin. The aircraft, which is yet to make it off paper and onto tarmac, could advance China's role in the modern supersonic aviation industry. But, while plans were revealed in March, an official launch date isn't expected until 2049, Globe Trender reports. Before then the firm plans to unveil the C929 – a twin-aisle jet to rival Boeing's 787. And by 2039 it plans on rolling out a massive 400-seater C939 to compete with Boeing's 777X. While it's quieter than Concorde, it will fit just 28 to 48 passengers in its business class configuration - compared with the Nasa jet's 100-strong capacity. Boom 'son of Concorde' flies supersonic for first time The C949 will also blast slightly slower than its predecessor, which managed to top 1,450mph in its heyday. China's Aero Engine Corporation is separately developing a hypersonic jet, known as Nanqiang No 1, that may fly six times faster than the Concorde when it takes to the skies. The team first started working on the hypersonic jet in 2019, but are yet to make it go supersonic and reach speeds over Mach 1 (767mph). A supersonic jet is one that can travel faster than the speed of sound at Mach 1, while a hypersonic jet is specifically five times faster, at Mach 5. Why did Concorde fail? CONCORDE was the supersonic passenger jet considered the ultimate luxury in air travel. Air France and British Airways announced they would be retiring their fleet of Concorde planes on April 10, 2003. The plane had its first commercial flight on January 21, 1976, and was retired after 27 years of service and 50,000 flights. Several reasons led to the decision to retire Concorde. Air France and British Airways cited low passenger numbers and high maintenance costs. By the early noughties, the planes were outdated and expensive to run, despite being incredibly advanced when they were first introduced almost three decades previously. The 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 majorly impacted passenger numbers, as people opted not to fly. Passenger numbers also fell after an Air France Concorde crashed just minutes after taking off from Paris in July 2000. The disaster killed all 109 people on board and four others on the ground. The plane ran over a small piece of metal on the runway, which burst a tyre and caused an engine to ignite. It was also the only aircraft in the British Airways fleet that required a flight engineer. Plans for C949 come as NASA's supersonic "Son of Concorde" plane inches ever closer to take-off. The X-59 jet will break the sound barrier when it flies - but won't produce a sonic boom, thanks to its unique design. When up and running, the aircraft will hurtle along at altitudes of at speeds of 937mph at 55,000 feet up. Nasa revealed it struck another milestone in the plane's journey toward the skies with crucial low-speed taxiing tests. The X-59 moved around purely under its own power for the first time at US Air Force Plant 42 on July 10. Taxiing is the final stage of ground tests before Nasa can take it up into the skies - and the maiden voyage is chalked for later this year.
South China Morning Post
28-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
To rival Boeing and Airbus, China's C929 needs more than top engineering
China's development of its first widebody passenger jet represents its ambition to compete globally. But lifting the C929 off the ground will require more than just advanced engineering. Supply chain resilience, talent development and global trust will determine if the programme can truly fly. . History, however, has shown that widebody developments are The home-grown C929, developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) and expected to carry up to 440 passengers with a range of 12,000km, is looking to rival the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, both popular airline choicesHistory, however, has shown that widebody developments are filled with challenges Boeing delayed the launch of its 787 for three years after outsourcing missteps while an Airbus struggling with A350 supply chain bottlenecks has limited its production to six per month. Farther back, the Ilyushin Il-96, designed in the Soviet Union, faltered soon after the union's collapse as the technical components became obsolete. These cases highlight the need for robust supplier coordination and modern technology, and serve as lessons for Comac to balance localisation and global integration. China hopes to avoid these pitfalls through aggressive localisation The C929 is targeting 90 per cent localisation, with 70 per cent of core subsystems developed domestically. Around 1,200 Chinese suppliers in cities like Shanghai and Chengdu are involved, expected to produce over half of the airframe using domestic composite materials. The C929's fuselage sections are being manufactured by Huarui Aerospace Manufacturing while Comac will carry out the final assembly of the aircraft.
South China Morning Post
19-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China's C929 widebody passenger jet to make maiden commercial flight by 2035: source
The company developing China's first home-grown widebody passenger jet – the C929 – is aiming to see it make its maiden commercial flight by 2035, foreign partners have been told at this week's Paris Air Show, according to a person familiar with the discussion. Advertisement The time frame, although longer than previous estimates, was in line with the 'long-haul' one that Boeing and Airbus used when developing their first widebodies and reflected Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China's (Comac) 'prudence' and emphasis on safety, the person, who requested anonymity, added. Comac told its partners this week that it expects the C929 – which is likely to resemble the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 series – to be certified in China by 2032. 'Currently we plan to achieve TC (type certificate) in 2032,' a senior Comac manager said during a presentation at the air show. 'The C929 has entered the detailed design phase ... this is our future. We would like to offer a new twin-aisle aircraft to our customers.' Advertisement The C919, Comac's first mainline narrowbody jet, went into commercial operation in China in May 2023, less than a year after it was certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in September 2022. The widebody C929 will carry up to 440 people and have a maximum range of 12,000km – roughly the distance from Shanghai to New York.
South China Morning Post
09-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
How China's aerospace rise is reshaping global skies
Date and time: Thursday, June 26, 2025 | 10.30-11.30am HKT Add to calendar: iOS | Android | Outlook The webinar will be live-streamed on this page on June 26, 2025, at 10.30am HKT. Bookmark this page or add it to your calendar to stay informed. You may also submit your questions to the panel and get them answered during the webinar. China's aerospace ambitions are taking flight, with the homegrown C919 narrow-body jet expanding commercial operations and plans for the wide-body C929 aircraft under way. This ascent, spearheaded by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), seeds a potential shift in a global aviation market long dominated by Boeing and Airbus. The implications speak to China's overall industrial development strategies, its quest for technological self-sufficiency and international trade dynamics. However, this rapid ascent also brings to the forefront complex challenges about China's ability to rival established players. How can Comac scale aircraft production when global supply chains are in flux, for example? How does it plan to attain Western certification and navigate fast-changing geopolitical currents? To address these critical issues, SCMP will host a webinar with external guest speaker Jason Li Hanming, a US-based aviation analyst, and SCMP reporters Frank Chen and Ralph Jennings. Submit your questions today and get them answered during the webinar. They will explore key areas including:
South China Morning Post
19-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Female engineer leads China's challenge to Boeing and Airbus widebody airliners
A female engineer who graduated from a Chinese university subjected to US sanctions and started out designing air defence systems is now steering the C929 programme aimed at producing a home-grown airliner as advanced and spacious as the widebodies made by Boeing and Airbus. Advertisement Having left her mark on China's decades-long endeavour to launch the C909 and C919 regional and narrowbody models, Zhao Chunling has been lead designer for the ambitious widebody jet programme since 2023 as Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac) attempts to play catch-up with the Western duopoly. Zhao graduated from Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province, in 1991. The university is frequently included on United States sanctions lists for its close ties to China's military, with staff and students banned from buying or using American technology, including mathematical software. Despite the sanctions, NPU has taken part in the development of numerous weapons, including powerful fighter jets. Advertisement But Zhao's career flight path did not lead to civil aviation engineering immediately after graduation in 1991.
