Innovative Honeywell Technologies Help COMAC's C919 Soar on Its First Flight

• Auxiliary power system, wheels and brakes, navigation and flight control technologies help China launch its first large passenger aircraft.

SHANGHAI, May 5, 2017 - A number of innovative products were on display today as Honeywell (NYSE: HON) celebrated and congratulated the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC) on its historic maiden flight of the C919 narrow-body aircraft, the largest-ever commercial airliner developed independently in China. Honeywell’s advanced aerospace technologies contribute to the safety, reliability and operational efficiency of the C919.

“The first flight of the C919 aircraft marks a great milestone not only for COMAC, but for China and the entire global aerospace industry. It expands the ‘China dream’ of flying high with homegrown aircraft,” said Steven Lien, president, Asia Pacific, Honeywell Aerospace. “We are proud to be a major contributor to the successful first flight. We have been committed to supporting the emergence of a globally competitive aviation sector in China, and we look forward to extending our relationship with COMAC for the upcoming long-range wide body aircraft program and more.”

The C919 aircraft is designed to be safer, more efficient, more comfortable and environmentally friendly. Honeywell is one of the major international suppliers for the C919 and provided a comprehensive package of four solutions, including the auxiliary power system, wheels and brakes, flight control package, and navigation package.

COMAC and Honeywell have been working together on the C919 program since COMAC was founded in 2008. Honeywell had worked with COMAC’s predecessor on the ARJ21 regional jet since the early 2000s, before that aircraft was taken over by COMAC when it was established. Honeywell has grown a local China team of more than 500 engineers, many of whom support the C919 program, in addition to hundreds of employees working from 20 sites across Asia, North America and Europe. Through the establishment of two joint ventures, Honeywell Boyun Aviation Systems (Hunan) Co. Ltd. and HonFei Flight Controls Technology Co. Ltd., Honeywell supplies carbon brakes and fly-by-wire flight control electronics, respectively.

In 2009, Honeywell opened its China Aerospace Academy in Shanghai to provide technical workshops to help develop future generations of leaders and employees, including those from COMAC, for China’s thriving aerospace industry. COMAC and Honeywell’s spirit of cooperation has extended to their joint corporate social responsibility efforts. Through Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the two companies provided extensive learning resources and technology to schools in rural western China.

Honeywell Technologies on the C919

• Auxiliary Power System
  • Honeywell’s advanced HGT750[C] Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), along with the APU Installation Kit and APU Starter Generator System, is optimized for the C919 and incorporates industry-leading technological advancements to reduce delays and flight cancellations, maximize performance, and provide safe, efficient and low-cost operations. The HGT750[C]APU was specially developed for the C919, which is derived from Honeywell’s legacy 131-9APU that has flown over 100 million hours.
• Wheels and Brakes
  • Honeywell’s 75-year heritage of wheels and brakes development ensures C919 operators will receive long aircraft life and high reliability from their wheels and brakes. The carbon brake solution, provided by Honeywell’s HBAS joint venture in Changsha, China helps reduce weight while prolonging lifespan for the aircraft.
• Flight Control Package
  • Based on 60 years’ expertise in flight-control technology development, the integrated fly-by-wire solution, provided by Honeywell’s HonFei joint venture in Xi’an, China, will enable the smooth flying performance of the C919, with automatic flight and landing capability. It contributes to reduced weight and power requirements and ensures pilots a smooth and safely handled aircraft.
• Navigation Package
  • With more than five decades of experience, Honeywell’s air data and inertial reference systems combine industry-leading system reliability and performance with reduced operating and maintenance costs. Honeywell offers aircraft manufacturers and operators highly accurate and reliable navigational information critical to the aircraft’s operation, such as airspeed, altitude, and position. Honeywell’s technology weighs more than 50 percent less and decreases maintenance costs by more than 70 percent compared with previous versions.

Honeywell’s Joint Efforts With Chinese Enterprises for C919

• HBAS - Established in 2012 and located in Changsha, Hunan Province, the Honeywell-Boyun joint venture supplies the carbon brakes for the wheels, tires and braking package on COMAC’s C919 airliner.
• HonFei - In December 2013, Honeywell and Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Flight Automatic Control Research Institute established a joint venture to provide the fly-by-wire flight control electronics package for the C919 aircraft. HonFei’s new plant has been under construction since February 2017.

Supporting Resources

• Read more about Honeywell with C919
• Read more about Honeywell Aerospace on the Follow The Aero blog
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About Honeywell

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 software-industrial company that delivers industry-specific solutions that include aerospace and automotive products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, cars, homes and buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.