Jumbo jets are a comprehensive embodiment of a nation's scientific and technological strength. So how can the implementation of scientific and technological aspects of the jumbo jet project be guaranteed? A reporter had a special interview with Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang on this topic.
Reporter: China has invested a huge amount of money in the research, development and manufacture of jumbo jets. Do you believe the investment is worth making?
Wan Gang: As a developer in the aviation industry, the research, development and manufacture of jumbo jets is in itself very important, involving the promotion of our capabilities in research and development, and our independence. What we are involved in however, is an important and special project carried out under the conditions of a market mechanism, which means the project must be market-oriented and needs to simultaneously establish customer service and sales systems. In other words, what we are orienting ourselves towards is not the jumbo jet itself, but the development of China's national strategic and aviation industries. If viewed from this perspective, this special jumbo jet project of ours is especially important.
Reporter: developing a domestic brand of jumbo jet requires you to overcome a number of technical difficulties, what type of technical difficulty are we currently experiencing?
Wan Gang: The technological difficulties we are currently dealing with involve the mastering of the entire manufacture and design process for the jumbo jet and the construction of a customer service system.
The reporter: How will we research and develop our own engine?
Wan Gang: Actually, our engine research and development has already started, and we have already begun to do engine research. We have also organized efforts to overcome problems in aspects of production, study and research. It requires us to concentrate the entire country's scientific and technological strength and carry out design based on basic theories. After that, problems need to be tackled, and solved for every part and component, and then the entire system has to be optimized. A period of testing has to be completed to investigate reliability and durability, and then it has to go through an international airworthiness certification so as to be regarded as internationally airworthy.
Reporter: What kind of technological support would the Ministry of Science and Technology provide for the jumbo jet project?
Wan Gang: As far as the Ministry of Science and Technology is concerned, first, in terms of building the entire research and development capabilities, we are cooperating with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) to establish key national laboratories for it. In respect to some key technologies, we will allocate sources to COMAC to lay a good foundation for building the abilities and the technologies to making a jumbo jet. Second, we will offer COMAC key materials, and organize resources to tackle the crucial problems according to its requirements. Third, we will cooperate with the company for the entire development of design tools. Fourth, and this is the most important point, we will train specialized personnel for COMAC in the whole process. We will introduce highly skilled personnel, such as students studying abroad, especially successful ones to the project, but even more importantly, we will establish a team that will enable the more talented personnel to stand out.
By People's Daily Online
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