A twin-turbofan, commercial passenger transport aircraft, the C919 targets the international duopoly in narrowbody airliner sales currently enjoyed by Airbus and Boeing. Variants include the baseline C919-200, which seats up to 168 passengers; the C919-100, a 130-seat model that will compete against the Airbus A319; and the C919-300, a larger 190-seat model designed to compete with Airbus’s A321 and Boeing’s 737-800/900. Comac has selected the CFM International Leap-1C engine, with 30,000 lb. thrust, to power the C919. Service entry is planned for 2016.

The TBM 850 is a single-engine, 4-6-passenger, turboprop-powered aircraft that replaced the earlier TBM 700 in 2006. Power is provided by an 850-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D engine. The aircraft has a range of 1,585 nm. Through 2013, production totaled 339 aircraft. Production of 13 units is forecast for 2014-23. The TBM 900 is an upgraded TBM 850 model introduced in March 2014. It features a new five-blade propeller, winglets and tailcone. Daher-Socata also added a banana-shaped air intake, new exhaust stacks and carbon-fiber cowlings to increase engine airflow circulation.

This is Embraer’s E-Jet family of twin-engine, 70-132-seat regional jetliners. The 70-80 passenger 170 made its first flight in February 2002, followed by the larger 78-88-seat 175 in June 2003. The 170 and the 175 share a common engine in the 14,200-lb.-thrust GE CF34-8E. The 94-114-seat 190 made its initial flight in March 2004, while the 106-122-passenger 195 first flew in December 2004. GE CF34-10E engines, rated 20,000 lb. thrust each, power these models. Additionally, Embraer developed the Lineage 1000, a business jet version of the 190; deliveries began in 2009.

The ERJ 135/140/145 family is a series of twin-engine, 37-50-seat regional jets. The initial model was the 50-seat ERJ 145, which first flew in August 1995; deliveries began in late 1996. The next model was the 37-seat ERJ 135, which made its initial flight in July 1998, followed by deliveries in July 1999. The 44-passenger ERJ 140 first flew in June 2000, with initial deliveries in July 2001. All models use variants of the Rolls-Royce AE 3007A series turbofan. Through 2013, 730 production ERJ 145s were built.

The Australian company GippsAero, which is a subsidiary of India’s Mahindra Aerospace, is developing a 10-seat, single-engine turboprop aircraft dubbed the GA10. The new aircraft is powered by a 450-shp Rolls-Royce 250-B17F engine. The GA10 has a maximum takeoff weight of 4,750 lb. First flight occurred in May 2012. Australian type certification and initial deliveries are planned for 2014. GippsAero is also developing an 18-seat twin-turboprop aircraft called the GA18. This aircraft is a reengineered version of the GAF N24 Nomad, production of which ended in the mid-1980s.

The Y-12 series is a family of twin-turboprop aircraft. The Y-12-II is equipped with Western avionics and Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 engines flat-rated to 620 shp each. The Y-12-IV has winglets, a strengthened undercarriage and redesigned seating for 18-19 passengers. Another version is the Y-12E, which is powered by 750-shp PT6A-135 engines. A total of 58 Y-12-II/-IV and Y-12E aircraft are forecast to be produced for the civil market in the coming 10 years. Harbin is developing the Y-12F, which is substantially different from the earlier designs.

Two major sections of the first C919 fuselage have been connected, and the nose is in position to join them. “Final assembly is proceeding steadily,” says Comac, adding that it is trying to complete joining the structure by year-end, after which it will integrate the on-board systems. The roll-out is due in the third quarter of 2015.

This four-engine, medium/long-range, widebody commercial passenger and cargo transport aircraft first flew as the Il-96-300 in 1988 and was awarded certification in December 1992. It is powered by Aviadvigatel PS-90A1 engines rated 35,275 lb. thrust each. The Il-96-400, a stretched version of the -300, is powered by uprated PS-90A1 engines. The Il-96-400 passenger version can carry 436 passengers in a single-class configuration, 386 in two classes or 315 in a three-class layout. Two Il-96-300 are forecast for production in 2014-23.