If China's new commercial aero-engine company is to compete with the Western propulsion majors in the next decade, as it aims to do, then its planned 3O,OOO-lb.-thrust turbofan will need technical features that even those experienced competitors have lately found it challenging to develop. A first glimpse at the Chinese plans shows that in some areas Avic Commercial Aircraft Engine Co. (ACAE) is playing safe, while in one critical section, the high-pressure compressor, it seems to want to go one better.
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