Comac ARJ21

Comac (ACAC) ARJ21
Test flight of an ARJ21
Type:	Twin-engine regional airliner
Design country:	People's Republic of China
Manufacturer:	COMAC (ACAC)
First flight:	November 28, 2008
Commissioning:	June 2016
Production time:	in series production since 2014
Number of pieces:	27 (as of January 2020)

The Comac ARJ21 Advanced Regional Jet Xiangfeng (Chinese 翔凤, Pinyin : xiángfèng, meaning: rising phoenix ) (until 2009: ACAC ARJ21) is the first jet-powered regional airliner that was mainly developed and built in the People's Republic of China . Two variants are offered that offer a capacity of 70 to 100 passengers and thus compete with Western models ( Bombardier CRJ700 / 900 and Embraer E-Jets ) and the Russian Sukhoi Superjet . A total of 23 ARJ21 aircraft had been delivered by February 2020.

history

The ARJ program started in 2002. At that time, the first delivery to customers was planned for 2007. The planning of the entire aircraft was then completed at the end of 2005, as was the development of the General Electric engines . Shortly afterwards, the production of the first parts began. The final assembly began in March 2007, the rollout took place on December 21, 2007 and the approximately one-hour first flight with test pilot Zhao Peng on board took place on November 28, 2008 in Shanghai. Approval for the completion of the test program carried out with four prototypes was supposed to be obtained in 2010, but had been delayed several times. The reasons given were the strength of the wings and integration problems with the avionics. The end of 2014 was targeted as the time for the first delivery of a series machine in May 2013, while the test program continued with over 5200 flight hours. The first machine scheduled for delivery to Chengdu Airlines completed its maiden flight on June 18, 2014, according to the factory. On November 18, 2014, the machine flew a flight plan day with 4 flights and 606 minutes of flight time, including a flight of over 3 hours for the first time. The approval is accompanied by the American aviation authority FAA , a certification was not planned. Comac is planning a modified version for certification, which will later also obtain certification under its European counterpart EASA . After several delays, the aircraft received its approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAC) on December 30, 2014 and was delivered to the first customer Chengdu Airlines on November 29, 2015. The sample was in commercial use (from September 29, 2016 also with a second copy) between June 28, 2016 and October 29, 2016.

At the Farnborough International Airshow 2016, China Aircraft Leasing Group bought 30 aircraft with an option for an additional 30 units. The planes are for an Indonesian airline, which wants to create a single fleet. At the same time, the state-owned leasing company Avic ordered 30 aircraft. As of July 2016, there were orders for a total of 362 aircraft (without options), with the largest order of 100 from Henan Airlines . The plan was to produce two aircraft in 2014, five in 2015, then 8, 15 and 20 in 2016, 2017 and 2018. In 2014, the two planned aircraft could actually be completed and took off, with some delay , Chengdu Airlines commenced flight operations in 2016 . After no further machine had been produced for two years, three more ARJ21s were completed in 2017, two of which were also handed over to Chengdu Airlines, while the third is still pending delivery to the end customer. From January to July 2018 three ARJ21s were built, all of which are intended for Chengdu Airlines.

On February 22, 2019, Genghis Khan Airlines , a second operator, was supplied with a Comac ARJ21 for the first time, and a second machine is scheduled for delivery at the end of March. Urumqi Air is to follow as the third airline this year - the corresponding machine with the serial number 115 completed its maiden flight on October 27, 2018. In the fall of 2019, 105 aircraft were ordered by Air China , China Eastern Airlines , and China Southern Airlines .

draft

Logo of the ARJ21

The ARJ21 uses components originally provided by McDonnell Douglas for licensed production of the McDonnell Douglas MD-90 in China. Therefore, one can quickly identify great similarities with this aircraft, for example in the form of the practically identical fuselage cross-section, the nose profile or the tail units. However, a super critical wing with winglets was newly developed by Antonow . The avionics are from Rockwell Collins , the engine from GE , flight controls from Honeywell and the lighting from Goodrich Hella . Liebherr supplies the chassis system and the air systems . The entire cabin equipment is supplied by the Austrian company FACC .

variants

• ARJ21-700 - This basic variant has a capacity of 70 to 80 passengers and is therefore a direct competitor to the Bombardier CRJ700 and the Embraer 170 . In contrast to the ARJ21, the latter only have four seats in a row.
• ARJ21-900 - This model is to have an extended fuselage and space for 90 to 100 passengers. The aim is to compete with the Bombardier CRJ900 and the Embraer 190 .
• ARJ21F - This version represents the freight variant of the ARJ21-700. It should transport five LD7 containers or PIP pallets.
• ARJ21 CBJ - The ARJ21-700 will also be offered as a business jet under this name. It offers space for between 12 and 29 passengers and should be able to fly 2000 kilometers further with an additional built-in tank.

By the end of January 2019, only examples of the ARJ21-700 were made.

Orders and deliveries

Customers	Orders	Aircraft type	Extraditions	First delivery
Chengdu Airlines	030th	021-700	09	November 26, 2015
Genghis Khan Airlines	025th	021-700	01	February 22, 2019
Hebei Airlines	010	021-700	0-	-
Henan Airlines	0100	021-700	0-	-
Lao Airlines	02	021-700	0-	-
Myanmar National Airlines	02	021-700	0-	-
Shandong Airlines	010	021-700	0-	-
Shanghai Airlines	05	021-700	0-	-
Urumqi Air	020th	021-700	0-	(Planned for 2019)
Xiamen Air	06th	021-700	0-	-
total	00215	00	0010

Another 10 orders from Thai City Airways expired when the company went bankrupt in 2016.

Manufacturer

ARJ21 model in the colors of Joy Air

The ACAC consortium was founded to develop this aircraft. The parts for the regional jet are manufactured by the individual members of the consortium :

• Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group is building the "nose".
• Shanghai Aircraft Company assembles the aircraft.
• Shenyang Aircraft Corporation designs the wings and fuselage.
• Shanghai Aircraft Research Institute and Xian Aircraft Design and Research Institute are responsible for the (further) development of the aircraft.

In 2009 the ACAC consortium was incorporated into the COMAC group. The ARJ21 has since been sold under the name Comac ARJ21.

Technical specifications

Parameter	ARJ21-700	ARJ21-900
length	33.46 m	36.35 m
height	8.44 m
span	27.29 m
Max. Cabin diameter	3.143 m
Empty mass	24,955 kg	26,270 kg
Max. Takeoff mass ( MTOW )	40,500 kg ER: 43,500 kg	43,616 kg ER: 47,182 kg
Max. Payload	8,935 kg	11,246 kg
Passenger capacity	70-90	98-105
Cargo hold volume	20.15 m³	23.431 m³
Tank capacity	10,386 kg	10,386 kg ER: 10,886 kg
Engine types	two General Electric CF34 -10 turbofan engines with 81.2–88.9 kN each
Cruising speed	Mach 0.78
Maximum speed	Mach 0.82
Service ceiling	11,900 m
Range	2200 km ER: 3700 km	2200 km ER: 3300 km
Takeoff route	1700 m ER: 1900 m	1750 m ER: 1950 m

Web links

Commons : Comac ARJ21  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Manufacturer's homepage
• Detailed description of the ARJ21

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} C919 Inches Toward Flight-Testing, ARJ21 Toward Upgrade , Aviationweek, November 3, 2014
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Planespotters - COMAC ARJ21 Production List (English), accessed on July 26, 2018
3. ↑ Exact designation by the manufacturer COMAC ( Memento of the original from October 5, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , see also z. B. Information about the ARJ21-700  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Accessed October 11, 2009   
4. ↑ People's Daily Online: China's First Regional Passenger Airplane Makes Further Progress, February 26, 2020
5. ↑ FLIGHT, December 3, 2013, p. 32
6. ↑ http://www.austrianwings.info/aw/2011/09/verzogerung-bei-comac-arj21/
7. ↑ Katie Cantle: Chengdu confirms ARJ21 delivery delay into 2012 , atwonline.com, October 14, 2011, accessed December 24, 2011
8. ↑ [1] , Reuters, June 8, 2012
9. ↑ [2] , Flightglobal, May 23, 2013
10. ↑ C919 jet undergoes rigorous testing . 19th July 2018
11. ↑ International Channel Shanghai: COMAC Plans To Deliver ARJ21 In 2015 And C919 In 2018 , August 2014, video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRQGlLdLb0I
12. ^ A Tarnished Turboprop Clouds China's Aviation Dream , WSJ, March 20, 2016
13. ↑ FLIGHT REVUE: ARJ21-700 from China receives approval , accessed on November 29, 2015
14. ↑ Ch-aviation : Chengdu Airlines takes delivery of first ARJ21 (English), accessed on December 1, 2015
15. ↑ Photos: China's ARJ21 Jet Makes First Commercial Flight. In: www.chinaaviationdaily.com. Retrieved June 28, 2016 . 
16. ↑ Airline relies entirely on Chinese aircraft , accessed on July 13, 2016
17. ↑ China-developed ARJ21 delivered to 2nd operator Shine News from February 22, 2019 (English), accessed on February 24, 2019.
18. ↑ B-602D Urumqi Air COMAC ARJ21-700 Planespotters.net (English), accessed on February 24, 2019.
19. ↑ ARJ21 for Air China, China Eastern and China Southern: State airlines help Comac with large orders , aerotelegraph, September 12, 2019
20. ↑ Report on the development of the wings ( Memento of the original dated February 4, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
21. ↑ [3]  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
22. ↑ Example of a P1P / PAG pallet
23. ↑ This is the newest Chinese business jet , accessed May 20, 2019
24. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 13, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.