COMAC is accelerating the design and testing of its wide-body passenger aircraft C929, and may even launch this domestically produced jet airliner ahead of schedule (it was previously expected to make its first flight around 2030). The report mentioned that preliminary wind tunnel testing of the C929 has begun in recent months, which is "an early milestone" in the cooperation between regulators and COMAC.
It is reported that the C929 is the second large passenger aircraft developed by China after the C919. It is positioned as a dual-aisle wide-body passenger aircraft and directly competes with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 series.
According to industry practice, the development cycle of a new wide-body passenger aircraft usually takes about 10 years. If the C929 can be launched ahead of schedule, it will shorten the gap between China's aviation industry and the world's leading level.
In addition, sources also said that the C929 is expected to be equipped with a domestic engine (Yangtze 2000 has a thrust of 35 tons,The engine used by the Boeing 787 has a maximum thrust of about 33 tons.), by then the C919 will also be replaced with a domestically produced engine (domestically developed Yangtze River 1000).
The C929 was originally a Sino-Russian joint project, but as the project progressed, the Russian PD-35 engine progress significantly lagged behind. China ultimately chose to turn to independent research and development of Yangtze River 2000.
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