I News
Recently, the top ten international aviation industry news in 2024 were released
Countries are accelerating the development and deployment of new generation fighter jets. Japan, Britain and Italy have established a joint venture company
On February 21, 2024, Turkey's fifth-generation fighter "Khan" developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) completed its first flight. The "Khan" fighter was originally called TF-X, the Turkish Next Generation Fighter Project, and was later renamed the "National Fighter" project. The project was officially launched on December 15, 2010. On March 16, 2023, the first prototype conducted its first taxiing and ground tests. In May of the same year, the aircraft was officially named "Khan".
In 2024, in addition to traditional aviation powers, the development plans of new generation fighter jets in many countries are also accelerating: in April, Sweden's Saab announced that it would independently develop the next generation fighter jet as the successor to the Gripen fighter jet; in June, South Korea's independently developed new generation fighter KF-21 won the first mass production contract, with a production quantity of 20 and a contract value of US$1.41 billion; on December 13, the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan reached an agreement to establish a joint venture to develop the next generation fighter jet, with each country holding 1/3 of the shares.
Embraer C-390 continues to expand the European market
On April 19, 2024, the governments of the Netherlands and Austria signed a memorandum of understanding on the purchase of military transport aircraft. The two countries decided to jointly purchase C-390 aircraft developed by Embraer, including 5 in the Netherlands and 4 in Austria. In addition to purchasing aircraft, the two countries will also cooperate in the training and maintenance of C-390 to reduce related costs. This batch of aircraft may be delivered as early as 2027.
At present, in addition to the Netherlands and Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Portugal have also purchased Embraer's C-390. Portugal has received the first aircraft, and Hungary's first C-390 has also arrived in the country and is undergoing pre-delivery testing. In Asia, South Korea has decided to spend $540 million to import three C-390s.
China Airshow highlights internationalization level, and China's aerospace technology development achievements have attracted widespread attention
On November 17, 2024, the 15th China Airshow came to a successful conclusion in Zhuhai, attracting 1,022 companies from 47 countries and regions to participate in the exhibition. The total value of the air show contracts was 285.6 billion yuan, and 1,195 aircraft of various models were sold, attracting nearly 590,000 visitors.
This year's air show is characterized by internationalization, specialization and marketization. Many countries including Russia, France, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Italy and others participated in the exhibition as exhibition groups. World-renowned aviation companies including Airbus, Honeywell, Embraer, Safran and Thales all participated in the exhibition. There were 149 overseas exhibitors, an increase of 91% over the previous air show. The world's three new generation stealth fighters, including the J-20, J-35A and Su-57, made their debut at the same time. AVIC, COMAC and AECC, as representatives of Chinese exhibitors, exhibited a large number of new products, new technologies, new services and new achievements, highlighting the new breakthroughs and achievements made in the systematic development of China's aviation equipment and independent innovation in aviation science and technology.
The world's largest carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite fuselage has been manufactured
On March 14, 2024, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials in Germany announced that a multifunctional fuselage demonstration and verification part, an important part of the "large passenger aircraft" verification sub-program of the EU "Clean Sky" 2 program jointly undertaken by it and international partners, has been completed and delivered to the Hamburg Applied Aviation Center in Germany for integration with the cabin top module to prepare for subsequent tests.
The multifunctional fuselage demonstration and verification part is a large aircraft fuselage with a length of 8 meters and a diameter of 4 meters. It is the largest carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite fuselage component in the world to date. The fuselage consists of two parts, the lower fuselage shell adopts the autoclave curing molding process, and the upper fuselage shell adopts the fiber tape laying and in-situ consolidation process. Both the upper and lower fuselage shells are highly pre-integrated and adopt an almost rivet-free structural design, which is 10% lighter than the existing traditional fuselage. After the upper and lower fuselage shells are butt-jointed, the left joint is welded by carbon dioxide laser and the right joint is welded by ultrasonic welding. The upper and lower fuselage shells are connected into an integrated fuselage through different welding methods. These two welding processes are also used for the first time in the manufacture of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite fuselage parts.
GE Aerospace independence, a new wave of restructuring in the European and American aerospace fields
In 2024, a new round of restructuring in the European and American aerospace fields emerged. On April 2, with the completion of the split of GE Energy Group, it marked that General Electric finally completed its historic split after 29 months. After the split, GE Aerospace officially became an independent listed company and continued to use the stock code "GE" when General Electric was listed on the New York Stock Exchange; on July 1, Boeing announced that it had reached a final agreement to acquire Spirit Aero Systems. The merger was an all-stock transaction with a total equity value of approximately US$4.7 billion; in mid-December, Honeywell announced that it would split its aerospace business as part of its corporate strategy. Honeywell's aerospace business mainly includes aircraft engines and cockpit systems. In the first nine months of 2024, the business had revenue of US$11.47 billion, accounting for approximately 40% of Honeywell's total revenue in the same period.
In Europe, on October 24, local time, German Lily, a star company in the electric aviation field, announced that it had filed for bankruptcy and reorganization. At the end of October, Rolls-Royce, a well-known British aircraft engine manufacturer, announced that it would directly close its electric propulsion division, Rolls-Royce Electric, due to failure to find new investors.
Import-substitution SJ-100 begins certification test flight Russia insists on promoting the localization of civil aircraft
On June 9, 2024, the Russian United Aircraft Corporation announced that the Russian import-substitution SJ-100 regional airliner prototype completed its first airworthiness certification test flight. The flight lasted 2.5 hours and a total of 15 test modes were carried out. In order to speed up the progress, the first prototype participating in the test flight used the SaM146 engine jointly developed by France and Russia. When the Russian domestic PD-8 engine is approved to fly, the other two prototypes will join the test.
Affected by the joint sanctions of the United States and Europe, Russia has been promoting import substitution of civil aircraft in recent years, but the progress has been tortuous. In response to the shortage of passenger aircraft materials caused by US and European manufacturing, Russia began to produce Boeing and Airbus aircraft parts on its own. At the end of June 2024, Rosatom produced the first batch of luggage and cargo locks (50 pieces) for the entire Airbus A320/321 fleet of Aeroflot. In the future, it will continue to produce aircraft air conditioning, power supply and lighting systems, as well as emergency rescue, oxygen and fire fighting equipment components.
Japan released a new version of the "Aircraft Industry Strategy" to restart the development of domestic passenger aircraft
On April 9, 2024, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan released a new version of the "Aircraft Industry Strategy", proposing to obtain the whole machine integration capability for the large-capacity market through cooperation with international original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); by around 2035, the capabilities and business foundation will be significantly enhanced, and efforts will be made to keep pace with OEMs and promote the development of the whole machine business through international cooperation.
In this strategy, Japan plans to restart the development of domestic passenger aircraft, and plans to commercialize the next generation of aircraft using hybrid or hydrogen fuel engines as early as 2035, and launch mass-produced models. Japan restarted the domestic passenger aircraft project to stimulate domestic basic research and development, scientific and technological innovation and industrial vitality, so as to drive the huge upstream and downstream industries to boost the economy, transform Japan's aviation industry from a parts supplier to an industry that can actively provide value-added products, and enhance the competitiveness of Japan's high-tech industry.
CCA enters the engineering development stage. Artificial intelligence air combat technology is its important support
On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Air Force announced on its official website that General Atomics and Anduril were selected to carry out the engineering and manufacturing work (EMD) of the incremental 1 phase of the "Collaborative Combat Aircraft" (CCA) project, marking the development of the U.S. Air Force's "loyal aircraft" to a new milestone.
As an important technical support for the CCA project, the U.S. Air Force has been accelerating the application of artificial intelligence technology in the field of air combat, and on April 20, 2024, announced a successful experiment previously carried out by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency: For the first time in history, an X-62A experimental fighter fought against an F-16 fighter in an artificial intelligence-driven air battle and won. This phased achievement has practical significance not only for the U.S. Air Force, but also for global weapons development.
IATA releases enhanced policy and financial roadmap for net zero carbon emissions
In September 2024, IATA released the latest version of the net zero carbon emissions policy and financial roadmap, which made it clear that it is feasible for the aviation industry to achieve energy transformation in 2050. The key to the success of the transformation lies in the consistency of policymakers' goals.
The "roadmap" details the investment required for the aviation industry to achieve net zero carbon emissions in 2050, as well as the costs involved for airlines to deploy new solutions. It also pointed out that the decarbonization of the aviation industry is part of a broader global energy transformation, and it is necessary to promote transformative cooperation between governments, the aviation industry and all sectors to remove existing barriers and promote investment in new technologies, SAFs and infrastructure. To achieve net zero carbon emissions in 2050, the average annual capital expenditure required for new facilities within 30 years is about US$128 billion per year.
Airbus A321XLR obtains certification and is delivered to users in succession
In early December 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States issued a type certificate to the Airbus A321XLR passenger aircraft. This important progress marks that this ultra-long-range narrow-body aircraft will accelerate its further promotion in the global market. Similar to the practice of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in July, the FAA only certified the Airbus A321XLR equipped with CFM International LEAP-1A engines. Regarding the certification of the A321XLR equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines, EASA has postponed the approval time to 2025, and the FAA has not yet announced the certification time for the A321XLR equipped with PW1000G engines.
The A321XLR is the narrow-body aircraft with the longest range in service. Its maximum range exceeds 8,600 kilometers, and its single-seat fuel consumption is 30% lower than that of the previous generation of competing models, which also makes the aircraft significantly competitive in the market. The A321XLR will make its first flight in 2022 and has received more than 500 orders to date.
Countries are accelerating the development and deployment of new generation fighter jets. Japan, Britain and Italy have established a joint venture company
On February 21, 2024, Turkey's fifth-generation fighter "Khan" developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) completed its first flight. The "Khan" fighter was originally called TF-X, the Turkish Next Generation Fighter Project, and was later renamed the "National Fighter" project. The project was officially launched on December 15, 2010. On March 16, 2023, the first prototype conducted its first taxiing and ground tests. In May of the same year, the aircraft was officially named "Khan".
In 2024, in addition to traditional aviation powers, the development plans of new generation fighter jets in many countries are also accelerating: in April, Sweden's Saab announced that it would independently develop the next generation fighter jet as the successor to the Gripen fighter jet; in June, South Korea's independently developed new generation fighter KF-21 won the first mass production contract, with a production quantity of 20 and a contract value of US$1.41 billion; on December 13, the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan reached an agreement to establish a joint venture to develop the next generation fighter jet, with each country holding 1/3 of the shares.
Embraer C-390 continues to expand the European market
On April 19, 2024, the governments of the Netherlands and Austria signed a memorandum of understanding on the purchase of military transport aircraft. The two countries decided to jointly purchase C-390 aircraft developed by Embraer, including 5 in the Netherlands and 4 in Austria. In addition to purchasing aircraft, the two countries will also cooperate in the training and maintenance of C-390 to reduce related costs. This batch of aircraft may be delivered as early as 2027.
At present, in addition to the Netherlands and Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Portugal have also purchased Embraer's C-390. Portugal has received the first aircraft, and Hungary's first C-390 has also arrived in the country and is undergoing pre-delivery testing. In Asia, South Korea has decided to spend $540 million to import three C-390s.
China Airshow highlights internationalization level, and China's aerospace technology development achievements have attracted widespread attention
On November 17, 2024, the 15th China Airshow came to a successful conclusion in Zhuhai, attracting 1,022 companies from 47 countries and regions to participate in the exhibition. The total value of the air show contracts was 285.6 billion yuan, and 1,195 aircraft of various models were sold, attracting nearly 590,000 visitors.
This year's air show is characterized by internationalization, specialization and marketization. Many countries including Russia, France, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Italy and others participated in the exhibition as exhibition groups. World-renowned aviation companies including Airbus, Honeywell, Embraer, Safran and Thales all participated in the exhibition. There were 149 overseas exhibitors, an increase of 91% over the previous air show. The world's three new generation stealth fighters, including the J-20, J-35A and Su-57, made their debut at the same time. AVIC, COMAC and AECC, as representatives of Chinese exhibitors, exhibited a large number of new products, new technologies, new services and new achievements, highlighting the new breakthroughs and achievements made in the systematic development of China's aviation equipment and independent innovation in aviation science and technology.
The world's largest carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite fuselage has been manufactured
On March 14, 2024, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials in Germany announced that a multifunctional fuselage demonstration and verification part, an important part of the "large passenger aircraft" verification sub-program of the EU "Clean Sky" 2 program jointly undertaken by it and international partners, has been completed and delivered to the Hamburg Applied Aviation Center in Germany for integration with the cabin top module to prepare for subsequent tests.
The multifunctional fuselage demonstration and verification part is a large aircraft fuselage with a length of 8 meters and a diameter of 4 meters. It is the largest carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite fuselage component in the world to date. The fuselage consists of two parts, the lower fuselage shell adopts the autoclave curing molding process, and the upper fuselage shell adopts the fiber tape laying and in-situ consolidation process. Both the upper and lower fuselage shells are highly pre-integrated and adopt an almost rivet-free structural design, which is 10% lighter than the existing traditional fuselage. After the upper and lower fuselage shells are butt-jointed, the left joint is welded by carbon dioxide laser and the right joint is welded by ultrasonic welding. The upper and lower fuselage shells are connected into an integrated fuselage through different welding methods. These two welding processes are also used for the first time in the manufacture of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite fuselage parts.
GE Aerospace independence, a new wave of restructuring in the European and American aerospace fields
In 2024, a new round of restructuring in the European and American aerospace fields emerged. On April 2, with the completion of the split of GE Energy Group, it marked that General Electric finally completed its historic split after 29 months. After the split, GE Aerospace officially became an independent listed company and continued to use the stock code "GE" when General Electric was listed on the New York Stock Exchange; on July 1, Boeing announced that it had reached a final agreement to acquire Spirit Aero Systems. The merger was an all-stock transaction with a total equity value of approximately US$4.7 billion; in mid-December, Honeywell announced that it would split its aerospace business as part of its corporate strategy. Honeywell's aerospace business mainly includes aircraft engines and cockpit systems. In the first nine months of 2024, the business had revenue of US$11.47 billion, accounting for approximately 40% of Honeywell's total revenue in the same period.
In Europe, on October 24, local time, German Lily, a star company in the electric aviation field, announced that it had filed for bankruptcy and reorganization. At the end of October, Rolls-Royce, a well-known British aircraft engine manufacturer, announced that it would directly close its electric propulsion division, Rolls-Royce Electric, due to failure to find new investors.
Import-substitution SJ-100 begins certification test flight Russia insists on promoting the localization of civil aircraft
On June 9, 2024, the Russian United Aircraft Corporation announced that the Russian import-substitution SJ-100 regional airliner prototype completed its first airworthiness certification test flight. The flight lasted 2.5 hours and a total of 15 test modes were carried out. In order to speed up the progress, the first prototype participating in the test flight used the SaM146 engine jointly developed by France and Russia. When the Russian domestic PD-8 engine is approved to fly, the other two prototypes will join the test.
Affected by the joint sanctions of the United States and Europe, Russia has been promoting import substitution of civil aircraft in recent years, but the progress has been tortuous. In response to the shortage of passenger aircraft materials caused by US and European manufacturing, Russia began to produce Boeing and Airbus aircraft parts on its own. At the end of June 2024, Rosatom produced the first batch of luggage and cargo locks (50 pieces) for the entire Airbus A320/321 fleet of Aeroflot. In the future, it will continue to produce aircraft air conditioning, power supply and lighting systems, as well as emergency rescue, oxygen and fire fighting equipment components.
Japan released a new version of the "Aircraft Industry Strategy" to restart the development of domestic passenger aircraft
On April 9, 2024, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan released a new version of the "Aircraft Industry Strategy", proposing to obtain the whole machine integration capability for the large-capacity market through cooperation with international original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); by around 2035, the capabilities and business foundation will be significantly enhanced, and efforts will be made to keep pace with OEMs and promote the development of the whole machine business through international cooperation.
In this strategy, Japan plans to restart the development of domestic passenger aircraft, and plans to commercialize the next generation of aircraft using hybrid or hydrogen fuel engines as early as 2035, and launch mass-produced models. Japan restarted the domestic passenger aircraft project to stimulate domestic basic research and development, scientific and technological innovation and industrial vitality, so as to drive the huge upstream and downstream industries to boost the economy, transform Japan's aviation industry from a parts supplier to an industry that can actively provide value-added products, and enhance the competitiveness of Japan's high-tech industry.
CCA enters the engineering development stage. Artificial intelligence air combat technology is its important support
On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Air Force announced on its official website that General Atomics and Anduril were selected to carry out the engineering and manufacturing work (EMD) of the incremental 1 phase of the "Collaborative Combat Aircraft" (CCA) project, marking the development of the U.S. Air Force's "loyal aircraft" to a new milestone.
As an important technical support for the CCA project, the U.S. Air Force has been accelerating the application of artificial intelligence technology in the field of air combat, and on April 20, 2024, announced a successful experiment previously carried out by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency: For the first time in history, an X-62A experimental fighter fought against an F-16 fighter in an artificial intelligence-driven air battle and won. This phased achievement has practical significance not only for the U.S. Air Force, but also for global weapons development.
IATA releases enhanced policy and financial roadmap for net zero carbon emissions
In September 2024, IATA released the latest version of the net zero carbon emissions policy and financial roadmap, which made it clear that it is feasible for the aviation industry to achieve energy transformation in 2050. The key to the success of the transformation lies in the consistency of policymakers' goals.
The "roadmap" details the investment required for the aviation industry to achieve net zero carbon emissions in 2050, as well as the costs involved for airlines to deploy new solutions. It also pointed out that the decarbonization of the aviation industry is part of a broader global energy transformation, and it is necessary to promote transformative cooperation between governments, the aviation industry and all sectors to remove existing barriers and promote investment in new technologies, SAFs and infrastructure. To achieve net zero carbon emissions in 2050, the average annual capital expenditure required for new facilities within 30 years is about US$128 billion per year.
Airbus A321XLR obtains certification and is delivered to users in succession
In early December 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States issued a type certificate to the Airbus A321XLR passenger aircraft. This important progress marks that this ultra-long-range narrow-body aircraft will accelerate its further promotion in the global market. Similar to the practice of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in July, the FAA only certified the Airbus A321XLR equipped with CFM International LEAP-1A engines. Regarding the certification of the A321XLR equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines, EASA has postponed the approval time to 2025, and the FAA has not yet announced the certification time for the A321XLR equipped with PW1000G engines.
The A321XLR is the narrow-body aircraft with the longest range in service. Its maximum range exceeds 8,600 kilometers, and its single-seat fuel consumption is 30% lower than that of the previous generation of competing models, which also makes the aircraft significantly competitive in the market. The A321XLR will make its first flight in 2022 and has received more than 500 orders to date.