Bradley Perrett covered China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. He is a Mandarin-speaking Australian.
Before joining Aviation Week in 2006 he was a macroeconomics, politics and aerospace journalist with Reuters. Perrett holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Macquarie University, Sydney. He left Aviation Week in 2020.
HONG KONG — Russian Helicopters and Chinese partner Avicopter are in the technical definition phase of their proposed Advanced Heavy Lifter program, with no deadline set to move into full-scale development. Each of the two companies is likely to take responsibility for its own part of the proposed helicopter if and when the program is formally launched, says Victor Egorov, deputy director of marketing at Russian Helicopters.
The first Chinese order for five Boeing 747-8s from Air China should lift prospects for the freight version of the type as the cargo market recovers. Air China, whose order is the first for the Intercontinental since Korean Air signed for five in December 2009, is expected to deploy the aircraft on routes such as Beijing to the U.S. East Coast. Delivery dates are not disclosed. The order is subject to approval by the Chinese government and will not be counted in Boeing’s order totals until it is approved.
The Comac C919 is moving into the detail design phase, with the Chinese manufacturer saying that development is, in general, going smoothly. “There have been no particularly large problems,” CFO Tian Min tells Aviation Week. “Overall, it has been smooth.” The company has declared completion of preliminary design. “The C919 program remains precisely on track for entry into commercial service in 2016,” it says in a statement. First flight is due in 2014.
