Safran-AVIC teams to develop turboprop engine

French Safran and Chinese AVIC has signed, through their respective companies Snecma and SAIC, a framework agreement to begin a joint v...

French Safran and Chinese AVIC has signed, through their respective companies Snecma and SAIC, a framework agreement to begin a joint venture in China to design and field a turboprop engine for commercial aircraft, during the ongoing 2014 Zhuhai Air Show.

The JV will test and produce power turbines and flame tubes for the two parent companies.

This agreement was signed by François Planaud, Snecma (Safran) Vice President & General Manager Commercial Engine Division and Peng Jianwu, Chairman of SAIC (AVIC), with the presence of Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, Ambassador of France in China; Bruno Cotté, Executive Vice President-International of Safran; and Li Fangyong, Executive Vice-President of AVIC.

Snecma and SAIC will hold respectively 50% of total stock right in this new common entity located in China, which will hire around fifty specialized engineers (most of them will be recruited locally), meanwhile, this new entity will have facilities of design, testing and production.

The agreement has, moreover, extended the partnerships established over 30 years among Safran, AVIC and other companies of aviation industry and of Chinese civil aviation.

It completes particularly the agreements signed in the past: such as Ardiden 3C / WZ16 (developed through the cooperation between Safran Turbomeca and AVIC Dong’An); COMAC ARJ21 Program (flight control restitution system supplied by Sagem) and C919 program (equipped with LEAP engine of CFM International, nacelle of Nexcell and wiring systems of Labinal).