1.媒體來源:
路透社
2.記者署名
Stella Qiu,im Hepher
3.完整新聞標題:
China's bid to challenge Boeing and Airbus falters
4.完整新聞內文:
BEIJING/PARIS (Reuters) - Development of China’s C919 single-aisle plane, already at least five years behind schedule, is going slower than expected, a dozen people familiar with the program told Reuters, as the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation (COMAC) struggles with a range of technical issues that have severely restricted test flights.
C919的研發已經抵累5年了，而且會抵累更多。各種技術問題重重限制著試飛進程。
Delays are common in complex aerospace programs, but the especially slow progress is a potential embarrassment for China, which has invested heavily in its first serious attempt to break the hold of Boeing and Airbus on the global jet market.
The most recent problem came down to a mathematical error, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.
COMAC engineers miscalculated the forces that would be placed on the plane’s twin engines in flight - known in the industry as loads - and sent inaccurate data to the engine manufacturer, CFM International, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters. As a result, the engine and its housing may both have to be reinforced, the people said, most likely at COMAC’s expense – though another source denied any modification.
雖然delay在飛機研發過程中並不意外，不過C919也慢的太誇張了，讓中共當局吃土。
有四個對此一方面的專家稱，最新的問題是：算錯了。
COMAC把飛行中施加在兩具發動機上的應力（或稱為負載）算錯了，而且還把這個數據傳送給發動機製造商CFM。為此發動機及其安裝結構都需要加強。但有另一來源稱不需要。
That and other technical and structural glitches meant that by early December, after more than two and a half years of flight testing, COMAC had completed less than a fifth of the 4,200 hours in the air that it needs for final approval by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), two people close to the project told Reuters.
兩個來源告訴路透社，加上其他的結構問題，已經進行了兩年半的試飛進程緩慢。中國民航局要求的4200小時試飛，COMAC完成了不到1/5。
COMAC, which has been developing the C919 largely in secret since 2008, rarely discloses its targets. Company official Yang Yang told Chinese state media in September that he expected certification by the country’s regulators in two to three years, without giving any further details. The company’s previous publicly stated target was end-2020. Other COMAC officials have said they are aiming for certification and delivery in 2021.
自2008年開始的C919計畫很少談論何時完成。去年九月公司代表Yang Yang告訴國內媒體預計再兩三年。先前公司宣稱2020年底，其他COMAC官員稱預計2021年取得適航並開始交機。
COMAC did not respond to Reuters requests for comment for this story. CFM, a joint venture between General Electric and France’s Safran, declined comment.
COMAC未回應，CFM拒絕發表評論。
COMAC has still not finalised the correct calculations and data to send to the engine manufacturer, which are key to ensuring that the engine does not fail under heavy loads, one of the sources told Reuters. Another said load calculations often evolve during development.
COMAC仍然未將正確的數據送交CFM。不過一個消息來源稱研發過程中數據更新是很正常的。
5.完整新聞連結 (或短網址):
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-aviation-comac-insight/chinas-bid-to-challenge-boeing-and-airbus-falters-idUSKBN1Z905N