Engine
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AECC CJ-1000A turbofan
The fallback to Western LEAP engines; success would localise China's narrowbody engine supply chain and aftermarket.
The CJ-1000A is China's first home-developed high-bypass turbofan for airliners. It is being developed by AECC Commercial Aircraft Engine Co. (ACAE), Shanghai, part of the state-owned Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC), as a domestic alternative to the CFM LEAP-1C, currently the C919's only engine. "Changjiang" is the Chinese name of the Yangtze River.
Design: two-spool, direct-drive engine with a single fan of 18 hollow titanium wide-chord blades (1.95 m diameter), a three-stage booster, a ten-stage high-pressure compressor, a single annular combustor with 3D-printed fuel nozzles, a two-stage high-pressure turbine and a six-stage low-pressure turbine (the LEAP-1C has seven). It is 3.29 m long. Wikipedia gives maximum thrust as 28,200 lbf (125 kN) and bypass ratio above 9; Chinese reports give 13.5 tonnes of thrust.
Key dates: a model was shown at the 2011 Beijing air show, with completion then targeted for 2016 and service entry for 2020. In 2013 COMAC chose the CJ-1000A over a rival proposal. The first CJ-1000AX demonstrator was assembled after 18 months of work (December 2017), and 24 more engines were planned for certification. At a May 2018 supplier conference in Shanghai, 14 foreign suppliers from five countries attended, 11 accepted the CJ-1000A request for proposals and five signed memoranda; none were named. The first engine ran in a Shanghai test cell in May 2018. In March 2023 a CJ-1000A was seen flying in the No. 2 position of an AVIC Y-20 test aircraft, which replaced an older Il-76 test aircraft.
Setbacks: the schedule has slipped about eight to ten years. Aviation Week linked the slip to a new requirement to build the engine with fully domestic parts. Analysts quoted in January 2026 said fitting it to the C919 would require changes to the aircraft's engine control system and that large-scale production of advanced materials is the hardest barrier.
Status (2026): in August 2025 an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering said development was "progressing as planned". In February 2026 AECC Aero Engine Control said it was supporting the engine's certification as a key project of the 15th Five-Year Plan. A July 2026 Sina Finance article said the engine's special conditions, technical review and final review were completed between early 2026 and May 2026, and that a type certificate could come as early as late June 2026, followed by delivery of a CJ-1000A-powered C919 test aircraft to China Eastern Airlines in the third quarter of 2026. Neither event was confirmed in any later source opened.
Next: CAAC type certificate, then C919 verification flying. OAG Aviation expects initial deliveries in 2027 or 2028 and mass production from about 2030; foreign (EASA/FAA) certification is not yet sought.
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2011
A model of the CJ-1000A was shown at the Beijing air show, with completion then targeted for 2016 and service entry for 2020.
Why it matters: The starting point for a schedule that has since slipped by about eight to ten years.
2013
COMAC chose the CJ-1000A over a rival proposal as the home-built engine option for the C919.
Why it matters: Set up a future second engine source alongside the CFM LEAP-1C.
December 2017
ACAE assembled the first CJ-1000AX demonstrator after 18 months of work; 24 more engines were planned for certification.
Why it matters: First complete Chinese high-bypass airliner engine.
May 2018
14 suppliers from the USA, Canada, Germany, the UK and Sweden attended; 11 accepted the request for proposals and five signed memoranda. Names were not published.
Why it matters: Showed early openness to Western parts, later reversed by a push for fully domestic content.
May 2018
The first CJ-1000A ran in a ground test cell in Shanghai.
Why it matters: Start of the long ground-test campaign needed for certification.
March 2023
A CJ-1000A was seen flying in the No. 2 engine position of a large four-engine AVIC flying testbed aircraft.
Why it matters: Flight testing is the step that leads to certification data.
24 February 2026
AECC Aero Engine Control, which supplies the engine control unit, said it was supporting certification as a key project of the 15th Five-Year Plan.
Why it matters: National priority status means continued state funding and pressure to deliver.
Early 2026 to May 2026 (reported, not confirmed by CAAC)
A Chinese financial report said the engine's special conditions, technical review and final review were completed between early 2026 and May 2026.
Why it matters: Would put the engine near a type certificate; treat as unconfirmed until CAAC announces it.
July 2026
Jiangsu Jingzhu said its one-piece cast turbine rear casing (about 2 t, about 1.8 m across) was in small-batch trial supply (company promotional claim).
Why it matters: Points to a domestic supply chain forming for parts suppliers and casting houses.
September 2026 (report of 2 Sep 2026)
A report cited by Chinese market commentary said the engine was in the final stage of certification and expected to enter service in 2027.
Why it matters: Moves the expected service date to 2027 at the earliest.
Q3 2026 plan (not confirmed)
A CJ-1000A-powered C919 test aircraft was to go to China Eastern Airlines for route testing in the third quarter of 2026.
What to watch: first flight of a C919 with the engine; changes to the aircraft's engine control system are needed.
Not announced (one report said as early as late June 2026; not confirmed)
CAAC type certificate for the engine; no issue had been confirmed in any source by 7 Nov 2026.
What to watch: a CAAC announcement; foreign (EASA/FAA) certification is not yet being sought.
2027–2028 (first deliveries); about 2030 (mass production)
Analysts expect initial deliveries in 2027 or 2028 and mass production from about 2030.
What to watch: whether a second C919 engine source changes CFM's market share and aftermarket demand in China.
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Supplier list drawn from AECC statements, trade press and Chinese market commentary as of 7 Nov 2026. Most part-level supplier names come from investor commentary, not company or COMAC announcements. No type certificate or C919 flight with the engine has been confirmed.
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| Compared item | AECC CJ-1000A (reference) | CFM LEAP-1C (France/USA) | Aviadvigatel PD-14 (Russia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take-off thrust | 125 kN (28,200 lbf); 13.5 t in Chinese reports | 130.0 kN (-1C28) to 137.1 kN (-1C30) | About 137 kN |
| Bypass ratio | Above 9 | 11:1 | 8.5:1 |
| Fan | 1.95 m, 18 hollow titanium blades | 1.96 m, composite | 1.9 m, 18 hollow titanium blades |
| Application | COMAC C919 | COMAC C919 (sole engine today) | Yakovlev MC-21 |
| Certification / service | CAAC certification in progress | EASA type certificate data sheet May 2018; C919 service from 28 May 2023 | Rosaviatsia certificate reported Oct 2018; first MC-21 flight 15 Dec 2020 |
| Maker | ACAE / AECC | CFM International (GE Aerospace and Safran) | UEC (RESTRICTED) |
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