Air show slates scads of hi-tech weaponry

Eight major Chinese military enterprises, armed with new and improved equipment, will participate in the 11th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, it was announced at an organizing committee press conference in Beijing on Sept 7.

Airshow China, as it’s commonly called, runs from Nov 1 to 6 at the Zhuhai Airshow Center in Jinwan District.  

The 2016 air show promises more display teams, larger exhibition sites, and more exciting aviation feats, setting new records in scale, quality, and level.

More than 700 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions will display 135 aircraft. These include Airbus A350, Gulfstream G650ER, Sukhoi SSJ-100, and Bombardier CS300. Anticipated are five exhibition halls with indoor display area of about 82,000 sq m, an increase of 16,000 sq m over that of last year. Meanwhile, the outdoor exhibition area will exceed 350,000 sq m. 

The organizing committee press conference of the 11th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition is held in Beijing on Sept 7. [Photo / Zhuhai Daily] 

Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), China Aerospace Science & Technology Corporation (CASC), and China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp (CASIC) will showcase products in the new main exhibition hall.

AVIC will continue to display air defense, civil aircraft, helicopter, general aircraft, airborne systems, and aviation know-how in the independent No 1 Exhibition Hall. At the same time, AVIC will exhibit special achievements in wide-body aircraft, mid- to high-end UAV drones, and key military products.

CASC will bring 422 advanced products demonstrating the latest scientific and technological achievements in the past two years in three exhibition zones.

In the astronautics zone, the most up-to-date products in the fields of manned spaceflights, lunar exploration, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, high-resolution earth observation, and astronautic science will be on display.

Astronautic products include the Long March 5 Space Launch Vehicle (CZ-5), manned spacecraft re-entry module, Mars probe and orbiter, as well as air defense products such as the M20 ground-to-ground tactical missile system, LY-80 ground-to-air defense missile system, and CH-4 and CH-5 UAVs. Also to be exhibited are the Tiangong-2 space laboratory, Chang’e 5 unmanned lunar-lander, and Long March 6 launch vehicle and carrier rocket.

Concurrently, air defense missile weapon systems and defense assault vehicles will be a must-see. Some products will also make debuts; for example, commercial microwave remote sensing satellites, solid propellant rocket motors, and WS-64 missile-launching vehicles.

CASIC (China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation) will showcase more than 65 military items designated for air defense, coast defense, air-to-ground attack, unmanned combat, and responsive space system. A new generation of military weaponry capable of both attack and defense will also be shown.  

Carrier rockets Kuaizhou KZ-1 and KZ-11 quick-response launch vehicles, FD 2000 surface-to-air long-range air defense missiles, WJ-600A/D UAV, and new-generation ground wave over the horizon radar will join the exhibition mixture. The CM-302, a high-precision supersonic anti-ship missile, will make its appearance for the first time. 

Enterprises such as China North Industrial Group Corporation (CNIGC), the largest weapon-manufacturing group in China, will attend the show with a higher profile. 

CNIGC will exhibit eight categories of high-tech weapon systems, mainly for armored assault, effective fire strikes, air defense; and anti-missile, precision strikes, special operations, guidance and control, surveillance and early-warning and comprehensive safeguards, showing the company’s prowess in developing advanced and updated weaponries in an all-round way.  

CSIGC (China South Industries Group Corporation) will display more than 70 types of military products, demonstrating sharp-edge technologies applied in anti-terrorism and rapid response force, short-range defense, mobile troop situations, and aviation ammunition. 

CETGC (China Electronics Technology Group Corporation) will focus on high-standard defense equipment, including radar, electronic warfare systems, communication and military acoustic equipment, large UAVs, as well as special mission aircraft, amounting to more than 300 pieces of over 20 types. 

CEC (China Electronics Corporation) will showcase more than 113 cutting-edge products, more than 90 percent of which will be material objects, in four exhibition areas: defense electronics, information security, public safety, and intelligent manufacturing -- all significant achievements and applications perfected over the years. 

As for defense electronics, 79 products and components will be on hand, including military communications, radar detection, and electronic countermeasure systems with applications in full-waveband communication products, radar alert sets in air and sea fields, and other kinds of electronic detection warfare equipment.

ARJ21-700 from COMAC to perform in flight 

Newly established on Aug 28, CAEG (China Aviation Engine Group) will make its debut. The 1,000-sq m display area will encompass aerial engines, gas turbines, system integration, new materials and techniques, and aircraft-related know-how. Visitors can get better insight into turbofans, turbo shaft aerial engines, and gas turbines through material objects and models, single-crystal turbine blades, and grapheme. 

COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd) will present its newly designed split models of four ARJ21 passenger aircraft and one C919 airliner on a 1-10 ratio at the No 3 Exhibition Hall. In addition to static demonstration, the ARJ21-700 aircraft will perform flight demonstrations. 

Besides the exhibits and flights, dozens of new product launchings, agreement signings, conferences, forums, and relevant activities will be held. 

COMAC will avail itself of this opportunity to host forums and activities, including a conference on international civil aircraft test flights, signing ceremonies, annual report on market forecasting release meetings, and an evening show about large passenger aircraft. 

At the same time, the city of Zhuhai will host a series of events such as a conference on aviation industry investment and financing, and a signing ceremony for UAV enterprises to settle in the Zhuhai Aviation Industrial Park.