Statement: The contents of this article are written with authoritative information and personal opinions. The source of the document has been marked at the end of the article, please be aware of it.
On September 6, Russia's first deputy Prime Minister Manturov made it clear that Russia is ready to supply parts to Chinese wide-body aircraft, including composite wings and heavy engines based on PD-35 gas generators with a thrust of 26 tons.
You should know that high-thrust aircraft engines have always been Russia's key skill, and now they want to share with China. What exactly is going on behind this?
Engine dilemma
When talking about China's aviation industry, the most troublesome thing is the long-standing problem of engines. Although the C919 large aircraft successfully flew for the first time and was put into commercial operation, its "heart" LEAP-1C engine relies entirely on CFM, a joint venture between General Electric and Safran, France.
The thrust of the LEAP-1C engine is about 13-15 tons. Although it meets the basic needs of the C919, it seems to be incompetent for larger wide-body passenger aircraft. Although the Yangtze River 1000A engine independently developed by China is steadily advancing, its thrust is only 12-18 tons, which is still a big gap from real commercial applications. What's more serious is that this technological dependence has kept China's civil aviation industry in a passive situation.
Americans also know this. Whenever Sino-US relations fluctuate, engine supply becomes a card in their hands. Although commercial interests prevent them from easily cutting off their supply, this uncertainty is always like a sword hanging over their heads. What China needs is not only technological breakthroughs, but also diversified supply chain guarantees.
From the perspective of the global aero engine market structure, General Electric of the United States, Rolls Reus of the United Kingdom, and CFM International, a joint venture between the United States and France, almost monopolized the entire civil aviation engine market. This highly concentrated supply chain structure makes it difficult for any country to achieve complete autonomy in a short period of time.
Even European Airbus relies heavily on these suppliers in terms of engines. If China wants to make breakthroughs in this field, it must find another way.
Russia's technology treasure house
What Russia took out this time was all the treasures at home. The PD-35 engine series is the latest achievement of the Russian United Engine Company, among which the 26-ton thrust engine developed based on the PD-35 gas generator has very impressive technical indicators. This engine not only has strong thrust, but also reaches the international advanced level in terms of fuel economy and reliability.
From the technical route, the PD series engine adopts a large bypass ratio design, which is the mainstream trend of modern civil aviation engines. The thrust level of 26 tons can already support large passenger aircraft of 250-300 seats, which is the power level that China's future wide-body passenger aircraft project needs the most.
In contrast, the GE90 engine used by the Boeing 777 has a thrust of about 34-51 tons, the Trent XWB engine used by the Airbus A350 has a thrust of about 37-43 tons. Although Russia's 26-ton thrust engine still has a gap, it has practical value.
More importantly, Russia promises not only the finished engine products, but also key technologies such as composite wings. Composite wings are the core technology for weight reduction and efficiency improvement in modern passenger aircraft, which can greatly reduce weight while maintaining strength, thereby improving fuel efficiency. The composite material technology experience accumulated by Russia in the MS-21 project is exactly what China urgently needs.
Although the Russian aviation industry is not as good as the West in commercialization, it still cannot be underestimated in terms of technological innovation capabilities. The deep technological heritage accumulated during the Soviet period and the continuous investment in recent years have allowed Russia to maintain considerable competitiveness in the field of aero engines. Especially in core fields such as materials science, combustion technology, and turbine design, Russia has unique technological advantages.
This all-round technical cooperation has far more significance to China's aviation industry than to simple product procurement. It can not only solve the current technical bottlenecks, but also provide new technical paths and development ideas for the long-term development of China's aviation industry.
The actual needs of both parties are highly consistent
Why did Russia open up its core technology to China at this time? The answer is actually very realistic. In the current international environment, Russia's aviation industry is also facing huge challenges. Western sanctions have caused Russia to lose a large number of overseas orders, and the channels for technical cooperation have been greatly compressed. Under this circumstance, in-depth cooperation with China has become an important way out for the Russian aviation industry.
From the market size, China is one of the largest aviation markets in the world. According to relevant institutions' forecasts, China will need thousands of new aircraft in the next 20 years, with a market size reaching trillions. If Russia can get a share of this huge market, it will not only alleviate the current dilemma, but also lay the foundation for future development.
For China, Russia's technical support comes at the right time. The C929 plans to carry a passenger capacity between 250-320 seats and a range of more than 12,000 kilometers. Such technical indicators put high requirements on the engine. If Russia's advanced technology can be digested and absorbed, combined with China's strong manufacturing capabilities and market advantages, it is entirely possible to achieve breakthroughs in the field of wide-body passenger aircraft.
A deeper consideration is that this kind of cooperation has another important significance, which is to break the Western technology monopoly in the field of aviation engines. For a long time, this field has been basically monopolized by a few Western companies, and new entrants face extremely high technical and financial thresholds. If China-Russia technical cooperation is successful, it will bring a new competitive landscape to the global aviation industry and provide new possibilities for other countries to develop the aviation industry.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Manturov specifically mentioned that these technologies will be collaborated based on the MS-21 project framework. The MS-21 is Russia's latest narrow-body passenger aircraft project. Although it has encountered some difficulties in commercialization, it does have many technical highlights. Through cooperation with China, Russia can also use China's manufacturing capabilities and market resources to make these technologies more valuable.
Reshape the global aviation industry landscape
Of course, technology introduction is only the first step, and the real goal is to achieve independent innovation. China has rich experience in digesting and absorbing foreign technologies. From high-speed rail to new energy vehicles, it all started with the introduction of technology and finally achieved transcendence. Although aircraft engines are more technically difficult, their development paths are the same.
China has invested huge resources in the field of aircraft engines. Since its establishment, China Aerospace Development Group has made significant progress in talent training, technology research and development, industrial layout, etc. Although there is still a gap from the world's advanced level, the foundation is already relatively solid. If we can use Russia's technical support to accelerate the independent research and development process, it is entirely possible to achieve major breakthroughs in a short period of time.
More importantly, China has a complete aviation industry system and strong manufacturing capabilities. Once you master the core technology, you can quickly realize industrialization and form a scale advantage. This is exactly what Russia lacks, and it is also the key to the win-win situation of China-Russia cooperation.
The future competition in the aviation industry is not only a competition of technology, but also a competition of systems. If China can maintain open cooperation, accelerate the pace of independent innovation and establish a complete industrial chain from design, research and development to production and manufacturing, it is possible to achieve a real breakthrough in this high-tech field. By then, the days when people were bored will be gone forever. #Send high-quality content sharing#
Information source:
Russian Satellite News-Russian Vice Prime Minister: Russia is ready to supply aircraft parts to China
NetEase News-Another are you afraid of being bored? Russian Vice Prime Minister announces the world that super aero engines will be supplied to China soon
