A few weeks ago a Boeing executive said that the Comac 919 narrowbody that China is developing is unlikely to be competitive against his company's highly successful 737. Several months ago Sukhoi boss Mikhail Pogosyan insisted the J-15, the Chinese naval fighter that was illegally reverse-engineered from his company's Su-33, will not stand up to the original. They are both missing the point.
China is developing a narrowbody airliner to show the world that its designers and engineers are as capable as those from Europe and the USA. It is a matter of face - to show that it can develop an aircraft competitive with the world's most popular passenger jet. Beijing wants a naval fighter to deploy on the aircraft carriers it hopes will match up to the US fleet in the Pacific and Indian oceans. It is a matter of pride - reclaiming its role as the pre-eminent power in the region.
China knows that it lags the rest of the world in engineering and military capabilities, but its leaders are pouring in billions to close the gap. Make no mistake: the C919 may be sold as a commercial programme, but it is very much a political tool too.
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This will be in evidence at next week's Airshow China in Zhuhai. Western companies will be there in force, partly because they know that an economically vibrant China is one of the biggest markets for their products. Their involvement in China's aerospace programmes is also a pull factor. As one Western executive tells us, in the future China will remember its friends.
The stars of the show, however, will undoubtedly be Comac and AVIC, the Chinese state-owned aircraft manufacturer. As ever, these firms will not talk very much to the press, but their symbolic gestures will be what really matter. Comac and AVIC will take up more space than other exhibitors, and have on display a large array of aircraft. Senior government officials will be seen visiting them to underscore how much the state values its aerospace industry.
China is serious about aerospace for political, social and economic reasons. Those who doubt its determination to be a success should be cautious, and maybe take a trip to Zhuhai to see for that for themselves.
Source: Flight International
