AVIC Aircraft has completed the first wing to mid fuselage join for the Comac C919 aircraft, and will move into strength tests for the section.
AVIC Aircraft is responsible for the manufacture of the outer wing box, mid fuselage, and also their assembly. Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry is meanwhile supplying the forward and aft fuselage sections for the C919.
A Comac spokesman tells Flightglobal that the wing-fuselage section will now undergo various structural tests to verify the strength, fatigue and damage tolerance of the aircraft’s structure. Once verified, the parts can then go into production.
Comac has told Flightglobal that it is targeting to start final assembly of its first test C919 by the end of the year. Airframe assembly of the first test aircraft is targeted to be completed by year end, before systems assembly can start.
The airframer is working towards a 2015 year-end first flight for the C919. It is likely to build a total of eight test aircraft – five for flight tests and three for ground tests.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
