China's self-developed plane engine completes test run

China's self-developed demonstrator aircraft engine CJ-1000AX has completed a successful test run in Shanghai, the engine maker said on May 20.

Commercial Aircraft Engine Co (ACAE) designed the CJ-1000AX for China's homemade large C919 passenger jet.

The developer has conquered a group of difficulties in testing since it completed assembling the CJ-1000AX in December 2017. It finished all the tests in Shanghai on March 30.

It passed the reviews with the test run showing all parts functioning well and demonstrating smooth compatibility.

The engine reached a rotational speed of up to 6,600 revolutions per minute in the test run, ACAE said.

Aircraft engines are known as the crown jewel of the manufacturing industry. The development of the technology is difficult, risky, costly and time-consuming. Commercial aircraft engines have become a bottleneck for the development of China's large aircraft industry.

The company inked a deal with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, the maker of the C919 jetliner, on developing its engine system in December 2016.

In the same month, ACAE signed a cooperation framework agreement with the China Civil Aviation Airworthiness Verification Center and followed up with a letter on the CJ-1000AX project in April 2017.

ACAE has developed a "major manufacturer -- supplier" model and has been expanding the supplier network at home and abroad.

Based on the innovation resources in the Chinese Aeronautical Establishment’s Shanghai branch, ACAE has developed more than 110 partners across the world in various fields relating to the commercial aircraft engine industry such as product research and development, manufacturing, raw materials and testing.