US Air Force purchases Chinese airplanes

[Panama Jack]

Whoever knew the day would come? Guess it is an indication of changing times:

Air Force buys Chinese planes

The Air Force Academy recently purchased 25 advanced trainers from Cirrus Aircraft for its powered-flight program, an integral part of the cadets pilot training.

After Cessna, the Minnesota-based Cirrus Aircraft is the worlds second- largest manufacturer of single-engine general aviation aircraft. The new planes, known as T-53A trainers, come with sophisticated avionics and the most advanced flight safety and recovery design and systems. They are custom-designed for the Air Force based on Cirrus SR20 model.

The deal is worth $6.1 million. Delivery is already under way and is expected to be completed by 2012.

One problem is that Cirrus Industries Inc., the aircraft maker’s parent company, is 100 percent owned by the Chinese communist government. It was purchased by the Chinese in March 2011 for a reported $210 million.

The sale was not blocked for national security concerns by Congress or the Obama administration, even with opposition from Rep. Chip Cravaack, Minnesota Republican, who stated in a letter to the Treasury Department in March that the sale could compromise U.S. national security. Despite alarms coming from several sides, the sale was finalized by the end of June.

Only days after the purchase was completed, the new Chinese owners received the aircraft order from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece newspaper Peoples Daily on Tuesday called the transaction “revolutionary” because it marked the first time the U.S. Air Force ordered an entire set of aircraft from China for military training equipment.

Cirrus was sold to a Chinese firm called China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. Ltd., or CAIGA, a subsidiary of China Aviation Industry Corp., a government-owned conglomerate formed in July 2008 under direct orders from the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. With seemingly unlimited financial resources from the newly rich Chinese government, China Aviation Industry Corp. is the Chinese company with the most state-owned banks loan guarantees, more than $50 billion in 2009 alone. It was created with the goal of gobbling up the worlds general aviation assets during the historic global financial downturn.

Reporting on the significance of the Cirrus deal, the government-controlled English newspaper China Daily said “the acquisition of Cirrus will be an important step for [China Aviation Industry Corp.s] global expansion plan, which aims to set up R&D, sales and service centers in China, the U.S. and Europe. The company currently has its manufacturing base in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.”

Source: The Washington Times

[grimey]

Well if by Chinese airplanes, you mean ones designed and built in the US, then yea, they're Chinese airplanes. The problem is that the US allowed Cirrus to be purchased by China, not that they're buying trainers from Cirrus.

[North Shore]

Well, pretty much everything else made of plastic is made in China nowadays, so Cirrus being owned by the Chinese would almost seem to be inevitable.

[Beefitarian]

Made in the us.

Because reaganomicly speaking just like any other aviation business the bulk of the money trickles down and goes to the employees. That's why pilots are all so filthy rich.

They draw little lines under the F and J on the squares representing keys on the iPad so they look the same as a regular key board, the problem with that is the lines on a real key board are raised plastic that your fingers can feel, they're so you don't have to look to see your hands are in the right position. Why draw them on the iPad?

Someone is making an effort to copy things for us folks that notice details yet might not understand the function. Buying planes from a foreign owned corporation is only a problem because it will further weaken the American economy. I would find that much funnier if I did not think the Canadian economy was bungeed so firmly to their's.

I guess I should go along with the plans. We need to share the wealth with the communists or they go broke like mother Russia. They can't be expected to get by on all the Oil sands leases they have. There isn't even plants for extraction there yet.

[Panama Jack]

I was just waiting for somebody to go into a hissy fit about "communists." Thanks Beefitarian for not disappointing me.

C'mon. Canada and Western Europe is more Socialist and less Capitalist than China is these days. Totalitarian, yes. But we have never had deep qualms about doing big business and having relations with other totalitarian governments as long as they were firmly entrenched in our camp also.

[The Mole]

With no Environmental protection laws. It make good financial sense to make nasty composites there. Everyone is doing it.

[Expat]

I think Canada should object seriously to the deal. The whole IFS Training in the US is done on Canadian made planes. Then why switch to Chinese products?

http://www.dossifs.com/

You did not know that???
Cheers,

[Beefitarian]

I was just waiting for somebody to go into a hissy fit about "communists." Thanks Beefitarian for not disappointing me.

I'm not very emotional about this kind of thing but... You're welcome. I just think if you buy something that you should be building it's going to cost you.

I'd like Canadians to build them. Or you know something. Bring more jobs to Ontario.

[Nark]

I think Canada should object seriously to the deal. The whole IFS Training in the US is done on Canadian made planes. Then why switch to Chinese products?

http://www.dossifs.com/

You did not know that???
Cheers,

No it's not.

IFS for USAF and USN is completed at many contracted mom and pop flight schools around the US. These students fly in the exact same aircraft as you and I. Also Diamonds aren't known in the industry for reliability.

Currently USAFA has a bunch of clapped out 152's with 150hp conversions.

[Panama Jack]

I'd like Canadians to build them. Or you know something. Bring more jobs to Ontario.

I'm sorry Beefitarian. You were pretty cool actually about your remark. I just get a laugh at some people in the US press who consider it a sacrilidge that "America" is supporting a God-forsaken "Commonist country." Somewhere in the same paragraph they will also lay the blame squarely on the Obama Administration.

As far as who builds the planes, yeah, doesn't everyone wish it was happening in their own back yard. At least Canada still has Bombardier, however, the future has a big question mark over it when the Chinese start building their own aircraft en-masse for the rest of the World. I think this is not so much a question of "if" but rather "when."

As for the meantime, I am curious to see what the "C-series" will be like.

[Beefitarian]

No worries, I don't think we're going to be able to put the toothpaste back in the tube. I'm mostly worried they're going to start opening factories here when my grandchildren are the least expensive labour in the world. "Give them a place to sleep and those Canadians will work for an eggmac muffin, two cheeseburgers and five cokes a day."

As far as who builds the planes, yeah, doesn't everyone wish it was happening in their own back yard.

Actually it feels like we're the minority on this.

[Shadowfax]

[quote="Beefitarian"]No worries, I don't think we're going to be able to put the toothpaste back in the tube. I'm mostly worried they're going to start opening factories here when my grandchildren are the least expensive labour in the world. "Give them a place to sleep and those Canadians will work for an eggmac muffin, two cheeseburgers and five cokes a day."quote]

IN the Race to the bottom I still think the Yanks are way ahead of us. Maybe Stevie wonder can close the McJob gap though - can't have a gap. So long as the Big C's keep marginalizing Canadian workers and driving down benefits and wages it really doesn't matter where the jobs are - what's the point of manufacturing something nobody in the manufacturer's country can afford? (Wait - is it to make the rich richer? )

[Jastapilot]

I'm just stunned that for once China bought the technology instead of stealing it!

Seriously though folks, I want to know why so many western governments(with the exception of the Sask Government re:Potash Corp) have been so willing to sell hard assets to the Chinese government over the last 3 years? Have I been the only one who realizes the Chinese are dumping all that hoarded US cash before the value takes a crap? Why is no one thinking long term here?? The Chinese are, I guarantee you!

[ramp_rat]

They sure do have money, buying all the technology they can, buying oil assets in AB, give it a few more years and Chinese will be the hottest language to learn!! Take a pick who you want to be your boss, the Greedy Americans from Wall Street or the Sneaky Chinese?

[Jastapilot]

I'll take what's behind door #3...

[Expat]

We always thought, including me, that the japanese model was great, and that the Chinese were... just copiers...
Why are the Japanese any better, smarter, than the Chinese. May be it is because they were the first ones to open US burgers joints at every corner?
From my recent experience, from what I see every day, the Chinese are sleepers, but very smart, and they will out smart and out perform the Japanese quickly, and the west also.

[Shiny Side Up]

We always thought, including me, that the japanese model was great, and that the Chinese were... just copiers...
Why are the Japanese any better, smarter, than the Chinese. May be it is because they were the first ones to open US burgers joints at every corner?
From my recent experience, from what I see every day, the Chinese are sleepers, but very smart, and they will out smart and out perform the Japanese quickly, and the west also.

Indeed they will, not because they're any smarter, but its really different cultural philosophies at work. The Chinese have always been great at absorbing good things into their overall philosophy. Maoist communism fit well with the underlaying culture which homogenized the Chinese mainland since the Qin dynasties. It helped them survive the mongols and in that lesser known theatre of history resist the Persians and the Arabs. The Chinese strategy has always been about the long victory, which currently they're achieving economically. The Japanese on the other hand are economic samurai. It is as much conflict and art. They don't do things by halves when they commit to it.

Personally I'm very interested in how this asian shift in aviation production is going to play out. Some very big players stand to enter the game. For example, Increased Chinese production and demand in aircraft might just be that big thing Honda has been waiting for to wade into that market.

[azimuthaviation]

If Im not mistaken the Chinese didnt buy Cirrus from the Americans, they bought it from the Arabs. Some Bahraini Sheikh bought the company a few years back just as it was about to go into bankrupcy then resold it a year later at a considerable profit. Kinda funny, while the Americans had misplaced priorities, the Arabs knew what they were doing and bought and sold half of the USA without anyone knowing what was going on.

[AEROBAT]

The US Air Force must be dropping spin recovery in their primary training if they are buying the Cirrus. Unless these Cirrus models have had the airframes modified, the Cirrus exhibited bad spin recovery modes and required the 'chute to gain certification.

Seems an odd choice to me.

[Nark]

This is not a purchase to train Air Force pilots. This is only to replace existing Cessna's in the Initial Flight Screening program.

When you sign up to be an aviator, you go to a mom and pop shop like this one and fly 40 hours or so to see if you have the basic know-how in order to transition to the T6 Texan 2.

Again these are civilian planes not military. A civilian contract for the USAF.