170: Chapter 170 Sword Pointing at C919 (Part 1)

The buzz surrounding the ARJ21's certification continued to ferment across the internet, with major media outlets scrambling to report on it. Long Country's aviation industry received unprecedented attention, and the partnership between Tianxing Group and COMAC became a hot topic of discussion within the industry.

On the morning after the official announcement, the senior management team from COMAC arrived at the Tianxing Group headquarters as scheduled. Leading them was the Chairman of COMAC, Wang Hao. The group was dressed in formal attire, their expressions filled with joy.

The success of the ARJ21 was inseparable from the core technical support of Tianxing Laboratory. Their visit was both to express gratitude and to advance further deep cooperation.

Tianxing Group, first-floor lobby.

COMAC was the leader of Long Country's aviation industry. This cooperation concerned the group's layout in the aviation field and was something President Chen had personally instructed to be a priority for coordination.

Zhang Kai personally came to the first-floor lobby to wait.

Seeing Wang Hao and his party enter the lobby, Zhang Kai immediately stepped forward, reached out his hand, and said warmly:

"Chairman Wang, thank you for making the trip! Welcome to Tianxing Group, leaders of COMAC. President Chen specifically instructed me to ensure you are well-hosted throughout your visit. Please, come inside!"

Wang Hao reached out to shake Zhang Kai's hand, his face beaming with smiles as he said:

"General Manager Zhang, you're too kind! Being able to successfully obtain the airworthiness certificate for the ARJ21 was entirely thanks to the technical support from your Tianxing Laboratory. We are here today first to express our thanks in person, and second to have a good talk with you about subsequent cooperation. Let's not waste words and head to the conference room for a detailed discussion!"

Zhang Kai nodded with a smile and stepped aside to lead everyone toward the elevators, saying as they walked:

"Chairman Wang, you're being too formal. The successful certification of the ARJ21 is the result of our joint efforts. The researchers in our laboratory have always admired the perseverance of the COMAC team. It is our honor to contribute together to Long Country's large aircraft cause."

He knew in his heart that the core purpose of COMAC's visit was definitely the joint research and development of the C919. He had already prepared the relevant materials in advance, waiting for both parties to conduct a deep coordination.

The group took the elevator directly to the conference room.

Pushing open the door to the spacious and bright conference room, technical reports for the ARJ21, subsequent upgrade plans, and preliminary R&D materials for the C919 were all neatly arranged on the conference table.

Both parties took their seats in order, and Zhang Kai was the first to speak:

"Chairman Wang, leaders, please have some tea and take a short rest.

President Chen couldn't come to receive you personally today due to some matters, so please forgive us. He specifically instructed me to take full responsibility for this meeting. Whatever needs or ideas COMAC has, we can speak openly and cooperate fully."

Wang Hao waved his hand and said with a smile:

"General Manager Zhang, you're overstating it. President Chen is busy with a myriad of affairs; we can all understand.

Besides, you are the General Manager of Tianxing. With you handling the coordination, we have nothing to worry about.

Our visit today is mainly for two things: to give thanks and to talk about cooperation. Let's get straight to the point and not beat around the bush."

"Alright, Chairman Wang is straightforward, so let's get right to it!"

Zhang Kai nodded with a smile and continued:

"You go first."

Wang Hao picked up the ARJ21 technical report on the table and said with a touch of emotion in his voice:

"General Manager Zhang, for the ARJ21 to successfully pass the airworthiness certification and receive the TC certificate, your Tianxing Laboratory deserves immense credit!

Especially the avionics system, lightweight materials, and power control modules you developed—it was like providing charcoal in the middle of a snowstorm;

Without the support of these core technologies, we couldn't have passed the review so smoothly. COMAC will keep this contribution in mind and will report it as a priority to the relevant departments to secure more policy support for you."

Zhang Kai waved his hand and said in a humble tone:

"Chairman Wang, you're being too kind. This is all what we should do.

We are all working for Long Country's large aircraft cause. To be able to help, we are also very happy.

Moreover, this isn't just the credit of our laboratory alone. The COMAC team put in even more effort in terms of aircraft prototype manufacturing, flight testing, and airworthiness coordination. We complemented each other and made this happen together."

A gratified smile appeared on Wang Hao's face, and he then said:

"General Manager Zhang is too modest; your technical strength is obvious to all.

Alright, let's leave the words of thanks at that and talk about business.

The ARJ21 has already received its TC certificate. Next, we will fully promote mass production. The first batch of 50 orders has been finalized, and the first commercial delivery is expected to be achieved by the end of the year."

At this point, Wang Hao shifted the topic and said:

"But we also know that the ARJ21 is only a regional airliner. Long Country's large aircraft strategy ultimately depends on mainline airliners. So, our main purpose for coming this time is to finalize the joint research and development of the C919 large aircraft with your laboratory."

As he spoke, Wang Hao signaled his assistant to push the preliminary R&D materials for the C919 in front of Zhang Kai, explaining in detail:

"General Manager Zhang, look, the C919 is Long Country's first independently developed mainline civil aircraft, with about 150 seats and a range of 4,000 to 5,500 kilometers. The preliminary design has been completed, but there are still many technical hurdles to overcome in the areas of avionics systems, core power components, and advanced composite materials."

"We know that your Tianxing Laboratory has exceptionally strong technical capabilities in these fields. Therefore, we hope you can continue to leverage your advantages and deeply collaborate with us to jointly break through these core technologies, achieve complete independent control of the C919, break the foreign monopoly on mainline airliners, and fulfill Long Country's large aircraft dream together!"

Wang Hao's tone was full of expectation.

The development of the C919 was related to the rise of Long Country's aviation industry.

Zhang Kai picked up the materials and flipped through them quickly.

The R&D of the C919 was of great significance. President Chen had previously instructed that as long as COMAC proposed joint R&D, they should cooperate fully. Moreover, the laboratory indeed had enough technical strength, and overcoming these hurdles wouldn't be a problem.

After a moment, Zhang Kai looked at Wang Hao and said:

"Chairman Wang, rest assured. The significance of the C919's development is even greater than that of the ARJ21. Breaking the foreign monopoly and achieving the autonomy of Long Country's large aircraft is also the goal of our Tianxing Laboratory, and even more so President Chen's expectation.

As for the joint R&D, there's no problem. We will cooperate fully!"

Hearing this, Wang Hao breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile:

"Excellent!

With those words from General Manager Zhang, we can rest easy!

With Tianxing Laboratory joining us, the C919 will surely achieve airworthiness certification and enter operation sooner. Our Long Country will finally have its own mainline large aircraft!"

COMAC's Chief Engineer, Li Lei, said from the side:

"General Manager Zhang, let me elaborate on our specific needs. Currently, the C919's avionics system still relies on some imported components. Once foreign countries 'choke our necks,' our R&D will be hindered. So, we hope to use your laboratory's technology to achieve complete localization of the avionics system, while optimizing system response speed and stability to ensure flight safety."

"In addition, we need to further improve the mass production process for lightweight composite materials. The current process has high production costs and insufficient production efficiency. We hope to work with you to optimize the process, reduce costs, and improve efficiency, laying the foundation for subsequent mass production."