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China’s Homegrown Commercial Jet
China’s first homegrown regional jet, the ARJ21-700, rolls off production line at the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory in Shanghai, China.
The ARJ21 Xiangfeng (Flying Phoenix) is the first passenger jet developed and indigenously produced by the People’s Republic of China, though the program is supported by 19 major US and European aerospace components suppliers, including General Electric and Rockwell Collins.
The government-controlled ACAC Consortium project began in March 2002 as part of China’s 10th Five Year Plan. The maiden flight of the Flying Phoenix was planned to take place in 2005 however the design work was delayed and the final trial production stage didn’t begin until June 2006. And the aircraft was rolled out on December 21, 2007 with plans for a maiden flight in March 2008.
The ARJ21 was built by tools originally provided by the McDonnell Douglas Company for license production of the MD-90 in China. The Flying Phoenix can accommodate 50 to 95 passengers and has the capacity to travel 2,000 nautical miles or 3,680 kilometers.
