ACAE CJ-1000A

The ACAE/AECC CJ-1000A (Chang Jiang-1000A/长江-1000A) is a Chinese high-bypass turbofan jet engine currently in development by the Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) under its Commercial Aircraft Engines (ACAE) Shanghai division.

Design

The CJ-1000A is being developed for the Comac C919 narrow-body airliner with a thrust of 98–196 kN; 22,000–44,000 lbf.

It has a diameter of 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) and a length of 3.29 m (10.8 ft), compared with the 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) diameter and 3.32 m (10.9 ft) length of the CFM LEAP-1C. It uses a similar two-spool configuration to the LEAP-1C, with a one-stage fan, three-stage booster, 10-stage high-pressure compressor, two-stage high-pressure turbine and six-stage low pressure turbine (although the LEAP-1C has seven low pressure stages). Its 18 wide-chord fan-blades are made of hollow titanium like those of Rolls-Royce Plc., and its single annular combustor uses 3D printed fuel nozzles.

Development

A model of the CJ-1000Al was exhibited at the AVIC booth of the September 2011 Beijing Air Show, and was expected to be completed in 2016. At the time, entry into service was targeted for 2020 and a possible cooperation with MTU Aero Engines was studied. In 2013, AVIC Engine subsidiary Shenyang Aeroengine Research Institute proposed its 28,700 lbf (128 kN) WS-20 engine (designed for the Xi'an Y-20 military airlifter), which was still being developed at the time but entered service in 2023, to power the C919 instead of the CJ-1000A (SF-B). The CJ-1000A uses slightly older technology, closer to the CFM56 than to the CFM LEAP. The suggestion to use the WS-20 engine was, however, rejected by Comac.

Assembly of the first CJ-1000AX engine was completed in December 2017 after an 18-month process. Twenty-four more engines were built to support an airworthiness certification program. The engine was then planned to enter service after 2021. In May 2018, the first engine ran in a Shanghai test cell reaching a core speed of 6,600 rpm.

In May 2018, AECC intended to certify the CJ-1000 by 2027 and introduce it in 2030, eight years behind the original schedule. The CJ-1000A would need 28,200 lbf (125 kN) thrust to replace the CFM LEAP-1C initially used in the Comac C919. The 29,500 lbf (131 kN) variant "CJ-1000B" would then be used to power an extended-range C919 variant.

In March 2023, reports emerged that the flight test campaign for the CJ-1000A engine had started on a Y-20 test aircraft. According to Chinese media reports, AECC said in 2023 that it expected the CJ-1000 engine to be certified by 2025. According to experts and top executives from the Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC), at the beginning of March 2025 the development of the CJ-1000 engine was “progressing well” in trials. An executive from a Comac C919 supplier added that the engine would "soon" be able to power a C919 on verification flights ; the executive also confirmed that tests on Y-20 test aircraft had been carried out in the past.

Other derivatives

CJ-2000 (AEF3500)

The CJ-2000 is a scaled-up version of the CJ-1000 HP spool and combustor core, with 10 compressor stages and two turbine stages. As of June 2018, the new 78,000 lbf (350 kN) engine destined for the COMAC C929 was expected to be demonstrated in 2023 and enter service in 2030. It features a new low-pressure spool with a four-stage LP compressor booster up from three, seven LP turbine stages up from six (compared to the GEnx-1B which also has six stages; the UEC PD-35 has nine HP compressor stages), as well as composite fan blades and fan case. The bypass ratio would be over 10, with a 50.3 OPR in climb, and a target TSFC of 0.53–0.525 lb/lbf/h (15.0–14.9 g/kN/s).

CJ-500

The CJ-500 would offer 18,000 to 22,000 lbf (80 to 98 kN) for the Comac ARJ21.

Applications

Comac C919: as alternative to the CFM LEAP-1C engine.

Specifications

Data from Flight

General characteristics

Type: two-spool high-bypass turbofan
Length: 3.29 m (10.7 ft)
Diameter: 1.95 m (76.8 in)
Dry weight:

Components

Compressor: one-stage fan (18 hollow-titanium, wide-chord blades), three-stage booster, 10-stage HP
Combustors: single-annular combustor, 3D printed fuel nozzles
Turbine: two-stage HP, six-stage LP

Performance

Maximum thrust: 25,000 lbf (111 kN) CJ-1000AX demonstrator, 28,200 lbf (125 kN) CJ-1000A, 29,500 lbf (131 kN) CJ-1000B
Overall pressure ratio: ~40 (HP compressor ~20)
Bypass ratio: >9
Specific fuel consumption: ~0.52 lb/lbf/h (15 g/kN/s)