ACAC ARJ21
Encyclopedia
The Comac ARJ21 Xiangfeng is a twin-engined regional airliner
Regional airliner
A regional airliner or a feederliner is a small airliner designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' hubs from small markets. This class of airliners are typically flown by the regional airlines that are either contracted by or subsidiaries of the...
. It is the first regional passenger jet to be developed and indigenously produced by the People's Republic of China. This programme is supported by 19 major European and US aerospace components suppliers, including General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
(engine production), Honeywell
Honeywell Aerospace
Honeywell Aerospace is a major provider of aircraft engines, APUs, avionics, and other systems in the aerospace industry. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, it is a division of the Honeywell International conglomerate.-Aircraft engines:...
(fly-by-wire system) and Rockwell Collins
Rockwell Collins
Rockwell Collins, Inc. is a large United States-based international company headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, primarily providing aviation and information technology systems and services to governmental agencies and aircraft manufacturers.- History :...
(avionics production).
Development
The ARJ21 is a key project, led by the government-controlled ACAC consortiumACAC consortium
The AVIC I Commercial Aircraft Company is a subsidiary of Aviation Industries of China I , formed in 2002 by various Chinese aviation companies, including:* Shanghai Aircraft Research Institute...
, which began in March 2002 as part of China's "10th Five-Year Plan". The maiden flight of the ARJ21 was planned to take place in 2005 with formal handing over of the aircraft for use 18 months afterwards; however, the design work was delayed and the final trial production stage did not begin until June 2006. The first aircraft (serial number 101) was rolled out on 21 December 2007 with plans for a maiden flight in March 2008; however this was first delayed to 21 September 2008 and finally took place on 28 November 2008 at Shanghai's Dachang Airfield. It completed a long distance test flight on 15 July 2009, flying from Shanghai to Xi'an in 2 hours 19 minutes, over a distance of 1,300 km. The second ARJ21 plane (serial number 102) completed the same test flight from Shanghai to Xi'an on 24 August 2009. The third plane (serial number 103) had rolled out by then, and completed the test flight on 12 September 2009. By August 2011, static, flutter and crosswind tests had all been completed. The aircraft was expected to be delivered to customers in late 2010, starting with Chengdu Airlines
United Eagle Airlines
Chengdu Airlines Co., Ltd. is a privately owned airline based in Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China, operating domestic passenger services out of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.- History :...
. The ACAC consortium aimed to manufacture 11 ARJ21s a year by 2010, and 30 per year by 2015. In 2009 the consortium was reorganized and became a part of COMAC
COMAC
COMAC may refer to:* Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China* Comac , a Belgian socialist student movement * Chinese Overseas Movement of Advanced Culture* Coordinate Modal Assurance Criterion...
.
Delays
In November 2010, it was reported that the ARJ21's wing became damaged during static testing before achieving ultimate predicted load. The wing's failure then led the Civil Aviation Administration of ChinaCivil Aviation Administration of China
The Civil Aviation Administration of China , formerly the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China , is the aviation authority under the Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China. It oversees civil aviation and investigates aviation accidents and incidents...
(CAAC) to limit the aircraft’s flight envelope during its flight test program. The new delivery date has been delayed to the end of 2011.
On 24 August 2011, Flightglobal.com
Flightglobal.com
Flightglobal.com is an online news and information website related to the aviation and aerospace industries. It also provides a community area for numerous distinct communities within the aviation and aerospace industry....
reported that two components of the testing program were not complete; icing tests were underway but delayed and stall speed tests had not begun. According to an anonymous source within the program that this could lead to delay in obtaining type certification, which could in turn lead to delays in delivery.
Design
The Shanghai Aircraft Research Institute and the Xian Aircraft Design and Research Institute claim to be responsible for the design.Although ACAC refers to the ARJ21 as "designed by Chinese with completely independent intellectual property rights", it is being built using tooling which was originally provided by the McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
Corporation for licence-production of the MD-90
McDonnell Douglas MD-90
The McDonnell Douglas MD-90 is a twin-engine, short- to medium-range, single-aisle commercial jet aircraft. The MD-90 was developed from the MD-80 series. Differences from the MD-80 include more fuel efficient International Aero Engines V2500 engines and a longer fuselage...
in China. Consequently, it bears a strong resemblance to the DC-9 family of aircraft, with an identical cabin cross section, nose profile and tail. An all-new supercritical wing, which has a sweepback
Swept wing
A swept wing is a wing planform favored for high subsonic jet speeds first investigated by Germany during the Second World War. Since the introduction of the MiG-15 and North American F-86 which demonstrated a decisive superiority over the slower first generation of straight-wing jet fighters...
of 25 degrees and is fitted with winglets to improve aerodynamic performance, was designed by Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
’s Antonov
Antonov
Antonov, or Antonov Aeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex , formerly the Antonov Design Bureau, is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company with particular expertise in the field of very large aircraft construction. Antonov ASTC is a state-owned commercial company...
. Antonov Design Bureau also assisted the project with geometrical determination and integral analysis of the construction strength of ARJ21.
In addition to the baseline and the stretched passenger models, ACAC has also proposed extended-range, freight, and business jet variants.
Manufacturer
Members of the ACAC consortium, which was formed to develop the aircraft, will manufacture major components of the aircraft:- Chengdu Aircraft Industry GroupChengdu Aircraft Industry GroupChengdu Aircraft Industry Group is a Chinese aerospace conglomerate that manufactures aircraft parts as well as designs and manufactures combat aircraft. It was founded in 1958 to be a supplier of aircraft for the Chinese military...
: construction of the nose - Xian Aircraft Company: construction of the wings and fuselage
- Shenyang Aircraft CorporationShenyang Aircraft CorporationShenyang Aircraft Corporation is a Chinese civilian and military aircraft manufacturer located in Shenyang. Founded in 1953, it is one of the oldest aircraft manufacturers in the People's Republic of China. Many aircraft manufacturers in China such as Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group or Guizhou...
: construction of the empennageEmpennageThe empennage , also known as the tail or tail assembly, of most aircraft gives stability to the aircraft, in a similar way to the feathers on an arrow... - Shanghai Aircraft Company: final assembly
- Various domestic and international suppliers of component's suppliers.
Variants
- ARJ21-700 – baseline model which will have a capacity of 70 to 95 passengers.
- ARJ21-900 – stretched fuselage model based on the ARJ-700, which will have a capacity of 95 to 105 passengers.
- ARJ21F – dedicated freighter version of the ARJ21-700. It will have a capacity of 5 LD7 containers or PIP pallets, with a maximum payload of 10,150 kg.
- ARJ21B – business jet version of the ARJ21-700. A typical configuration would cater for 20 passengers.
Orders and options
Entries shaded in pink have been announced, but have not yet signed a firm contract.| Date | Airline | EIS | Type | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARJ21-700 | ARJ21-900 | ARJ21F | ARJ21B | TBA | Options Option (aircraft purchasing) An option, when purchasing aircraft, allows an airline to purchase additional aircraft in the future at an agreed price and date.When placing orders for new aircraft, airlines commonly obtain options from the aircraft manufacturer, for example Airbus or Boeing... |
Rights | |||
| September 2003 |  Shanghai AirlinesShanghai Airlines Shanghai Airlines is an airline headquartered in the Jing'an District, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, but its operations remain separate post-merger, retaining its distinct brand and livery.... |
? | 5 | ||||||
| Shandong Airlines Shandong Airlines Shandong Airlines is an airline based in Jinan, Shandong, China, operating mainly domestic trunk routes from Jinan, Qingdao and Yantai to major cities in China. It is owned by Air China and holds a 10 percent stake in Sichuan Airlines.... |
? | 10 | |||||||
| Shenzhen Financial Leasing |
? | 20 | |||||||
| Shanghai Financial Leasing |
? | 30 | |||||||
| March 2004 | Xiamen Airlines Xiamen Airlines Xiamen Airlines is the first privately owned airline in the People's Republic of China. Established on July 25, 1984 and based in Xiamen, it operates scheduled passenger flights out of Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport and, to a lesser extent, Fuzhou Changle International Airport... |
? | 6 | ||||||
| December 2007 | Henan Airlines |
? | 100 | ||||||
| December 2007 |  Lao AirlinesLao Airlines Lao Airlines is an airline based in Vientiane, Laos. It is the national airline of Laos, operating domestic services to ten destinations and international services to Cambodia, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. Its main base is Wattay International Airport, Vientiane.- History :The airline... |
2011? | 2 | ||||||
| March 2008 |  GECAS |
2013 | 5 | 20 | |||||
| Joy Air Joy Air Joy Air is a new Chinese airline launched jointly by China Eastern Airlines and AVIC I on March 29, 2008 based at Xi'an. The airline started testing service in June 2009, and commenced passenger service sometime around the end of 2009 .- History :... |
? | 50 | |||||||
| January 2010 | Chengdu Airlines |
2011 | 30 | ||||||
| May 2010 |  Merkukh Enterprises |
? | 9 | ||||||
| June 2011 |  Myanmar AirwaysMyanmar Airways Myanmar Airways may refer to:*Myanma Airways, the Myanmar national airline*Myanmar Airways International, the Myanmar international airline, partly owned by Myanma Airways.... |
? | 2 | ||||||
| Sub-totals | 239 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||
| Totals | 239 Orders | 20 | |||||||
Six ARJ21 have been built, but none have entered into service.
Specifications
| ARJ21-700 | ARJ21-900 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cockpit crew | Two | |
| Seating capacity Seating capacity Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats... |
90 (1-class) 78 (2-class) |
105 (1-class) 98 (2-class) |
| Length | 33.46 metre | 36.35 metre |
| Wingspan | 27.28 metre | |
| Wing area | 79.86 sqm | |
| Wing Sweepback | 25 degrees | |
| Height | 8.44 metre | |
| Cabin width | 3.143 metre | |
| Cabin height | 2.03 metre | |
| Aisle width | 0.483 metres (19 in) | |
| Seat width | 0.455 metres (17.9 in) | |
| Typical empty weight | 24955 kilograms (55,016.4 lb) | 26270 kilograms (57,915.4 lb) STD 26770 kilograms (59,017.7 lb) ER |
| Maximum take-off weight | 40500 kilograms (89,287.2 lb) STD 43500 kilograms (95,901.1 lb) ER |
43616 kilograms (96,156.8 lb) STD 47182 kilograms (104,018.5 lb) ER |
| Range fully loaded | 1200 NM STD 2000 NM ER |
1200 NM STD 1800 NM ER |
| Max. operating speed | Mach Mach number Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure... 0.82 |
|
| Normal Cruise speed | Mach 0.78 | |
| Take off run at MTOW | 1700 metres (5,577.4 ft) STD 1900 metres (6,233.6 ft) ER |
1750 metres (5,741.5 ft) STD 1950 metres (6,397.6 ft) ER |
| Service Ceiling | 11900 metres (39,042 ft) | |
| Powerplants (2x) | General Electric CF34-10A | |
| Engine thrust | 17,057 lbf Pound-force The pound force is a unit of force in some systems of measurement including English engineering units and British gravitational units.- Definitions :... |
18,500 lbf |
- Notes: Data are provided for reference only. STD = Standard Range, ER = Extended Range
- Sources: ARJ21 Series
See also
External links
- ACAC Manufacturer of ARJ21
- Aerospace Technology on ARJ21
- COMAC Official website (Chinese)
- information about ARJ21-700 on COMAC's website (Chinese)