AVIC to work with Safran in raising global presence

New company in China to develop key parts for turboprop engines

Aviation Industry Corp of China, the nation's top aircraft manufacturer, said on Wednesday that it was teaming up with French aerospace giant Safran to develop key parts for turboprop engines.

The new joint venture will be based in China, a top AVIC official said, adding that the move will help the Chinese company gain a foothold in the global aviation engine market.

The project will be undertaken by AVIC South Aviation Industry Co Ltd, which specializes in aircraft engines, and Snecma, a Safran subsidiary that produces aircraft and rocket engines.

Lin Zuoming, chairman of AVIC, said the new company will be set up by the end of the year and its products will reach the market before 2025. The products can also be used for AVIC's future turboprop regional jetliner, Lin said in Beijing.

"We have reached a consensus that our future turboprop engines must be greener and more reliable than current products in the market," he said. "They will have a longer life span and consume less fuel than others."

More than 2,000 turboprop aircraft will be needed in the global market in the next 20 years, which means abundant opportunities for the joint venture, said Marc Ventre, chief operating officer of Safran.

"In order to gain success in this huge market, we should start immediately on the new-generation engine's development," he said.

The joint effort marks an unprecedented level of cooperation between AVIC and Safran as it will involve researching a host of the most advanced technologies in the aviation engine field.

This not the first time that the Chinese company has worked with Safran on aircraft engines. The two teamed up earlier to develop the WZ-16 turboshaft engine that conducted its first trial run in November and will be installed on the Z-15, China's most advanced helicopter, jointly developed by AVIC and Airbus Helicopters.

Lin said AVIC is open to cooperation with other international engine giants that are willing to acknowledge it is an equal in the aviation industry.

He said international collaboration has played an important role in the development of the CJ-1000 turbofan engine, which will be used on China's first large passenger jetliner, the C919.

"We have invited several overseas engine experts to participate in the CJ-1000 project and we expect to welcome more foreign partners also."

AVIC has also made remarkable strides in the research of cutting-edge aviation materials and processing techniques that can be used in the manufacturing of engines, such as graphene-based alloy and 3D printing technology, according to Lin.