The Taiwan-based Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC) has returned to the Paris Air Show — a biennial show that opened on Monday — for the first time in 10 years.
The state-invested firm completed its privatization process last year.
AIDC chairman Anson Liao (廖榮鑫) said his company has a bright future because of the potential growth of the industry.
“The global air transportation industry is expected to continue to grow in the next 20 or 30 years, which will offer a great opportunity for AIDC,” Liao said.
He said AIDC is particularly well positioned because it is involved in two key aircraft manufacturing trends — using composite materials to cut the weight of aircraft and making engines that are fuel-efficient.
Liao has taken 52 products to the show that he said would showcase the upgrading of the company’s technology, and he is scheduled to meet with 15 manufacturers.
The two most important AIDC products on show are aircraft engine casings, which have won recognition from cooperation partners GE and Rolls-Royce, and composite materials used by Airbus and Boeing, Liao said.
“We can proudly say that 90 percent of planes now flying have casing parts or components made by AIDC,” he said.
Liao singled out as particularly important AIDC’s partnership with Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp on the development and manufacturing of a medium-range jet that is to make its inaugural flight this year.
The company, which joined the project in the research-and-development phase, has obtained experience through the process in transforming from an original-equipment manufacturer into an original-design manufacturer, and now has a hand in about 20 percent of the new aircraft, Liao said.
Also participating in the show is Taiwan’s Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, the nation’s military-run research-and-development institute, which is to display 23 products, including four missile systems.
Institute vice president Gao Chung-hsing (杲中興) said these are the Hsiung Feng III and Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missile systems, the Sky Sword II anti-air missile system and the Sky Bow II surface-to-air missile system.
The institute’s anti-ship missiles are highly reliable and accurate, Gao said, especially the Hsiung Feng III missile, which he described as small and light, yet fast and agile.
China Airlines (CAL) displayed one of its new Boeing 777-300ER planes at the show, with the carrier’s trademark pink plum blossom on the tail and a new business-class cabin with a distinct Asian feel.
CAL said it took about two years to design the cabin, which features a fashionable bar that provides snacks and beverages.
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