COMAC C919

Narrow-Body Passenger Airliner [ 2023 ]

After extensive delays in the program, the C919 officially entered commercial flying service in May of 2023.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/30/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The government-owned aviation company of COMAC ("COMmercial Aircraft corporation of China") was founded as recently as 2008 and headquartered in Shanghai, China. Its primary focus has been the commercial airliner industry and its relatively contained stable is now represented by several in-development and future products led by the ARJ31 and followed by the C919. Future programs include the larger C929 and C939 offerings.

The C919 is billed as a twin-engine, narrow body, single-aisle passenger hauler for short-to-medium routes. Its passenger capacity ranges between 150 and 190, larger than that of the preceding short-range-minded ARJ21 with its 70 to 105 volume. The C919 stands as the largest indigenous Chinese airliner program since the 1980s which only produced three of the ultimately abandoned, four-engined Shanghai Y-10 aircraft. The C919 is in the same class as the American Boeing 737 and French Airbus A320 frames - two aircraft which currently own a large portion of the short-to-medium market class.

While still undergoing development as of this writing (January 2014), it is expected that the aircraft will receive its maiden flight sometime in late 2015. It has achieved type certification in China (2010) but has yet to earn its certification for operating in Western airspaces - which could severely hamper its export value. The manufacture process of future C919s will be a joint effort split between various Chinese manufacturers including Hongdu and engines will be delivered from CFM International of France. Avionics will also be imported with a possible locally-developed suite to come in the near future. COMAC intends to produce a singular standard airframe and modify this for the various envisioned roles to include general two-class passenger hauling, commercial freighter and VIP/business jet.

The standard C919 will feature a two-class seating configuration for up to 156 passengers and its crew of two. Overall length is 127 feet, 7 inches with a wingspan of 117 feet, 5 inches and an overall height of 39 feet. Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) is rated at around 170,000lbs with a range out to 4,050 kilometers (another proposed model could reach as far as 5,550km). The CFM international "LEAP-1C" turbofan engines will provide between 25,000- and 30,000-lbs of thrust allowing the airframe to cruise at speeds of 520 miles per hour with a service ceiling in the 39,500 foot range.

To date, some 400 of the type have been ordered across sixteen customers which include Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airliners, Hainan Airlines, Joy Air and Sichuan Airlines. The largest customer (as it currently stands) is CCB Financial Leasing with 50 aircraft on order.

The aircraft was originally is slated for official introduction in 2016. However, a May 2015 update stated that the C919 would be readied for service entry sometime in 2019-2020. Now it appears the series will not be launched until 2021.

After extensive delays, the product officially entered commercial flying service in May of 2023.©MilitaryFactory.com

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November 2015 - The first C919 was rolled out of final assembly in Shanghai for public viewing. Ground testing is set to begin with a first flight planned for 2016.

April 2016 - It was announced that deliveries of the C919 would commence in 2019.

September 2016 - Progress continues on static testing of the C919 in preparation for a first-flight.

December 2016 - The C919 prototype began taxiing tests. A first-flight is scheduled for mid-2017.

March 2017 - It was announced that the C919 design configuration had been finalized. A first-flight is scheduled for April 2017.

May 2017 - A COMAC C919 completed a first-flight on May 5th, 2017.

October 2017 - There are currently 27 customers with orders committed to the C919. Four Chinese government branches have committed to seventy airplanes with an option for sixty more.

December 2017 - The second C919 development aircraft has flown for the first time.

March 2018 - Modifications on the second C919 has begun and should return the aircraft to flyable condition for April 2018.

June 2018 - The two C919 test articles returned to the air on June 22nd, 2018 following undisclosed modifications. A third test article is scheduled for a first-flight later in 2018.

July 2018 - With certification expected in 2020, deliveries of the C919 are now tentatively scheduled for 2021.

February 2020 - The C919 development model has successfully completed tests involving its service ceiling and cruising speeds.

February 2020 - The U.S. government is reviewing whether it will grant General Electric a renewal of its export license which is used to deliver CFM LEAP-1C engines to COMAC of China.

December 2020 - The C919 narrow-body airliner has entered its final stage of testing, paving the way for service entry to follow.

August 2021 - The first C919 is expected to be delivered before the end of the year to carrier China Eastern.

May 2022 - The first production C919 has achieved its first flight according to reports.

October 2022 - The C919 has been granted certification.

May 2023 - The C919 has officially entered commercial flying service.

Specifications

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd (COMAC) - China
Manufacturer(s)

China; United States (GE Capital Aviation)
Operators

2023
Service Year

China
National Origin

Active
Project Status

2
Crew

10
Units

COMMERCIAL AVIATION
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.

127.6 ft
(38.90 meters)
Length

117.5 ft
(35.80 meters)
Width/Span

39.2 ft
(11.95 meters)
Height

170,417 lb
(77,300 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight

monoplane / low-mounted / swept-back
Mainplane Arrangement

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.

Low-Mounted
Mainplanes are low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage.

Swept-Back
The planform features wing sweep back along the leading edges of the mainplane, promoting higher operating speeds.

2 x CFM International LEAP-1C non-afterburning turbofan engines developing 25,000-to-30,000lb of thrust each.
Propulsion

559 mph
(900 kph | 486 knots)
Max Speed

364 mph
(585 kph | 316 knots)
Cruise Speed

+196 mph
(+315 kph | 170 knots)
Speed Difference

39,698 ft
(12,100 m | 8 miles)
Ceiling

2,485 mi
(4,000 km | 2,160 nm)
Range

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

None.

C919 - Base Series Designation.

C919 "Mixed" - 2-class seating for 156; 4,075km operational range.

C919 "All ECO" - Single-class seating for 168; 5,555km operational range.

C919 "High Density" - Single-class seating for 174.

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

40

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 750mph

Lo: 375mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (559mph).

Graph average of 563 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

Max Altitude Visualization

Design Balance

The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (10)

10

36183

44000

Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).

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