The last two years has seen China simultaneously managing multiple advanced aircraft programmes. Currently, no other nation can afford to allocate such resources, both human and financial, towards achieving its long-term goal of becoming a superpower.

As India was showcasing its military might on Republic Day this year, the Chinese defence industry crossed a significant milestone, with the country’s ‘independently-developed’, ‘home-built’ Xi’an Y-20 ‘large’ transport aircraft successfully completing its first test flight. It is yet another example of the ‘art of reverse engineering’ that the Chinese have mastered and something the Russians were blamed for during the Cold War. Closely resembling the US C-17 Globemaster III and the Russian IL-76, the Xi’an Y-20 is estimated to weigh around 200 tonnes and has a payload capacity of 66 tonnes vis-à-vis 50 tonnes of the IL-76, 77.5 tonnes of the C-17 and 37 tonnes of the European A-400M. The prefix ‘Y’ stands for YùnShuJi, signifying transport aircraft and Xi’an is the city where the plant is located. The aircraft is slightly smaller than the C-17 and a little larger than the A-400M. As China always plays it safe when testing new airframes, the Y-20 is powered by Russian D-30 engines procured with the IL-76. The aircraft would provide China the global reach it aspires for as a superpower in the times to come.

As per the Chinese Defence Ministry, the aircraft was being developed “to meet the needs of the national economy, social development, and in the service of military”. In 2009, a model of the new plane had appeared at a Chinese trade show. In parallel, China also began developing a turbofan engine specifically for large transport aircraft but engines being more complex to develop, it could be years before the Y-20 gets its indigenous power plant.

Development of Combat Platforms

The Chinese aircraft industry came into limelight in the mid-1990s when it unveiled variants of the Soviet designed Su-27, designated as the Flanker by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The Chinese version of the Sukhoi Su-27SK air-superiority fighter called the J-11 (J for JianJiJi) was finally ready in 1995. This success came after China secured a $2.5 billion ( Rs. 13,750 crore) production agreement with the licence to build 200 Su-27SK aircraft using Russian-supplied kits. However, only 100 of these aircraft were finally produced. The J-11 was fitted with Russian avionics, radars and engines. The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) later revealed a mock-up of the J-11B, an upgraded multi-role version of the J-11. This indigenous variant incorporated upgrades to the airframe, their own radar, avionics and weapons. At the Russian air show MAKS 2009, Rosoboronexport’s Anatoli Isaykin was quoted as saying, “Russia is going to investigate the J-11B, as a Chinese copy of the Su-27.”

In 2010, Rosoboronexport announced that it was in talks with the Chinese regarding the ongoing production of weapons that Russia considered as unlicensed. The Chinese aerospace industry however continued manufacturing several other clones of Russian combat aircraft. These included the J-16, the Chinese version of Su-30MKK acquired from Russia and the carrier-borne J-15, a Su-33 clone. The J-20 and the J-31 are fifth-generation stealth fighters under development at Chengdu and Shenyang respectively. On January 11, 2011, the J-20 undertook its maiden flight making China the third nation in the world, after the US and Russia, to “develop and test-fly a fullsize stealth combat aircraft demonstrator.”

In late October 2012, photographs of a new prototype emerged. This aircraft featured a different radome, speculated to house the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Designated as the Shenyang J-31 and nicknamed “Gyrfalcon” or Falcon Eagle, this is a twin-engine, mid-size, fifth-generation jet fighter with stealth features and is currently being developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. This aircraft has also been referred to as F-60, J-31 and J-21. Some reports say that the F-60 is the export version and the J-31 would be for domestic use. The Chinese are touting it to be an equivalent of the Lockheed Martin F-35 and are offering to those who cannot get or afford the expensive American fifth-generation fighter. With its maiden flight on October 31, 2012, China became the second nation to test two stealth fighter designs concurrently. Apart from three hard points under each wing, the F-35, the J-31 has two internal weapon bays each carrying two medium-range missiles. However, it lacks the centreline station for mounting a gun or jamming pod. Vladimir Barkovsky of Russian Aircraft Corporation (RAC) MiG has stated that the engines on the prototype aircraft are the RD-93. Meanwhile, China claims to have an engine similar to the RD-93, the Guizhou WS-13, currently installed on the JF-17 which has the same thrust and size as the Russian RD-93. China is working on an improved variant designated as the WS-13G with 100kN thrust for use on the J-31. Lin Zuoming, the Chairman of China’s Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I), hopes to put indigenous engines on the fighter soon.

Aviation Industry Corporation

AVIC I is essentially a Chinese consortium of aircraft manufacturers created on July 1, 1999, by splitting the state-owned China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) into AVIC I and AVIC II. AVIC I was focused on large planes such as bombers (H-6 and H-7, H for HongZhàJi), medium-size commercial planes such as the ARJ-21) or fighter aircraft ranging from the J-7 to JF-17, while AVIC II was focused on smaller planes and helicopters. On October 28, 2008, the companies officially merged into one organisation to more efficiently manage resources and shed redundant projects. The main factories were at Chengdu, Guizhou, Shanghai, Shenyang and Xián. In April 1956, an agreement was signed between China and the Soviet Union which included assistance to China’s aviation industry. This included the No 132 fighter manufacturing plant construction project at Chengdu.

Reorganisation

In 1982, China began reorganisation of its aerospace industry based on the principle of “unified leadership and decentralised management” with focus on Chengdu. Steps were taken to induct advanced foreign technology and equipment to improve existing products and speed up development of new products for export as well as for the domestic market. The J-7A, F-7IIA, F-7B, F-7M and F-7III were developed and exported to over ten countries. In 1988, under a subcontracting arrangement with the US, the plant began production of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80. This arrangement was expanded in 1995 to include Boeing in the US and firms in South Korea and Singapore. The Chengdu Aircraft Company later began producing components for Airbus A320 and Boeing 757-200 and achieved ISO 9001 certification in avionics.

Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation manufactures military aircraft. The company’s products include trainers, turbojets, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), missiles and launchers. The Shanghai Aviation Industrial Company handles aircraft manufacturing as also subcontracts for components, repair and overhaul. Among its products include Shanghai Y-10 jetliner, a series of McDonnell Douglas jetliners (MD-82, 83, 90), Boeing-737 tail section assembly and vertical stabilisers for Boeing-777.

The Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) is the civilian and military aircraft manufacturer founded in 1953 and is one of the oldest aircraft manufacturers in the People’s Republic of China. SAC is focused mainly on design and manufacture of fighter aircraft. On November 27, 2007, Cessna announced that its 162 light sport aircraft would be produced by SAC. The other products were Shenyang J-4 to J-7 (Chinese variant of the MiG-15, 17, 19 and 21).

The Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC), the largesized aviation industry enterprise is integrated with research and development and is a base for developing and manufacturing large- and medium-sized airplanes in China. Over 40 years, XAC has successively developed and manufactured more than 20 different types of aircraft, later designed and developed as per CCAR-25 and FAR-25 requirements. The parts and components for foreign companies produced in XAC are mainly B-737-700 vertical fins and B747 components for Boeing, Airbus doors and ATR-42 wing box among others. Like the Russian aircraft building plants, Chinese plants used spare capacity to build non-aero products. Xian also made the MA-600 turboprop airliner (version of An-26) and is currently developing the 90-seat MA-700 turboprop airliner with Ukraine’s support. Among the fighter bombers was Xian JH-7A Flying Leopard twin-engine aircraft, NATO codename “Flounder”. Introduced in 2004, it had fly-by-wire controls. Xian H-6 twin-engine bomber was the Chinese-upgraded variant of the Tu-16 Badger which was also sold to Egypt and Iraq.