When French President Nicholas Sarkozy made his first official visit to China last November he returned with the confirmation of orders for 110 Airbus 320s and 50 A330s. Safran, the French engine, equipment and systems group, stands to benefit from these deals, especially through the possible selection of its CFM56 engines by Chinese customers. However, the turbofan family–produced through Safran’s Snecma subsidiary’s joint venture with General Electric–is only one of the products the comglomerate hopes to supply to a country where it already employs more than 4,000 people in manufacturing, research and development, support and training.
Safran first gained a foothold in China in the 1970s when subsidiary Turbomeca supplied the Chinese army with Turmo III turboshaft engines for its Aerospatiale Super Frelon helicopters. According to Michel Ah-Fa, Safran director for China, Taiwan and the ASEAN countries, things really took off when Turbomeca sold an Arriel engine production license for Chinese military helicopters. Since then, one in every two Chinese helicopters is equipped with Turbomeca powerplants–whether built in France or manufactured under license in China. Although China currently counts just 500 helicopters in service–two thirds of them military aircraft–the country’s civil market is expected to grow following the anticipated opening of its lower airspace around 2010.
More In Engines
