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Zhuhai, Sept. 30 (BNA): China made an extravagant display of top-secret military technology at its biggest air show this week, while broadcasting its growing ambitions for space exploration and self-sufficiency in commercial aircraft.
Travel restrictions related to the epidemic meant that China’s air show in the southern city of Zhuhai was largely a domestic affair, but foreign observers closely watched developments from afar as China builds up its military might.
“The major platforms in service with PLAAF – which have been operated in the strictest secrecy before – and which were shown to the public for the first time have attracted significant interest from the international public,” said Kelvin Wong, Singapore-based defense editor at Janice.
He pointed to the WZ-7 Xianglong, a high-altitude, long-endurance reconnaissance drone roughly similar to the US-made Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk but with inferior engines. Wong said the WZ-7 was seen operating out of air bases near the Sino-Indian border, the North Korean border, and the South China Sea.
China is working hard to improve the performance of its domestic engines, which have lagged behind Western technology. At the show, its J-20 fighter jets flew with Chinese engines instead of Russian ones for the first time.
The plane’s chief designer told the Global Times on Wednesday that tests are also underway for two types of domestic engines for the Y-20 transport plane.
The J-16D electronic warfare fighter, its closest analog to the US-made EA-18G Growler, has been demonstrated on the ground, displaying a capability that experts say could help erode Taiwan’s anti-aircraft defenses in the event of a conflict.
Wong said at least three types of jamming capsules were suspended on board, indicating that each is designed to disrupt different parts of the electronic spectrum.
China has also revealed that it is pursuing a “loyalty” drone to help protect higher-price crewed combat aircraft, in line with competing projects in the United States, Britain, Australia, India and Russia.
The developer did not say whether that aircraft, the Feihong FH-97 concept, would be exported, but the presentation was attended by many foreign observers.
China has also revealed that it expects to launch its next generation of heavy-duty rockets, powerful enough to send a manned spacecraft to the Moon, in 2028 — two years earlier than previously expected.
In the field of commercial aircraft, China is stepping up efforts to become more self-sufficient in key technologies amid trade tensions with the United States.
China’s Aero Engine Corp. has demonstrated a full-size rotor model of the CJ1000 engine under development for the narrow-body C919 aircraft, which could eventually replace imported CFM International LEAP-1C engines.
On Monday, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the situation, that the C919 had found it difficult to meet certification and production targets thanks to strict US export rules.
With an unparalleled domestic market and increasing participation from private investment, it is only a matter of time for China to resolve the obstacles, Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge, told the Global Times in response to the Global Times. external technology. Reuters story.
Western aircraft makers are also finding it increasingly difficult to obtain certification for new models that would compete with Chinese-made aircraft.
The Airbus A220, Embraer E-Jet E2 series and ATR 42-600 aircraft have not been approved by the Chinese aviation regulator despite having been in service elsewhere for years, hampering domestic sales opportunities.
However, Boeing said at the show that it still hoped the 737 Max would get approvals to return it to China by the end of the year after being idled for more than two years.
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