Work Begins on Russian-Chinese Wide-Body Airliner Project

Initial design of Russian-Chinese long-haul wide-body airliner, the CR929, is starting to take shape, as per reports citing a top official at Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).

"The aircraft’s general technical plan has been approved, and suppliers of the sections of the body and tail have been defined by now. Officially, the initial designing stage has started," the Pengpai information resource reported citing Wu Guanghui, Chief Scientist at the COMAC. The statements were reportedly made at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in Shanghai on Thursday.

The share of composite materials in the body of the airliner will total 51%, which will make it over 10-percent more cost efficient than its rival models, Guanghui noted.

The project for creating the airliner has been underway since 2014. The aircraft is being developed by CRAIC, a joint venture of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and the Shanghai-based Chinese company COMAC. The Russian side is responsible for the wings, center-section and high lift devices, while the center body, cowling, as well as horizontal and vertical trail are the Chinese side’s responsibility.

The base version CR929-600 will be able to carry 280 passengers and cover up to 12,000 km. The aircraft family will also include modifications with stretched (CR929-700) and shortened (CR929-500) center body.