Experience It Up Close! A Visit to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China State-Owned Enterprise Open Day
A Visit to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China State-Owned Enterprise Open Day——
Iron Wings Soar to the Heavens, the Tempered Sword Points to the Sky (铁翼凌霄汉 淬剑向苍穹)
■ PLA Daily Reporter Qi Chenfei
Banners unfurl along the Qingshui River, iron wings roar across the vast sky. Not long ago, on the fertile ground of western Chengdu—where banners reading "Serve the Nation Through Aviation" hang high—the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) State-Owned Enterprise Open Day was grandly inaugurated.
The J-5A, J-10, J-20… one combat aircraft after another has emerged from this place, becoming the steel backbone guarding the nation's air and space. Strolling through this modernized campus, every detail bears the firm imprint of aviation workers who relied on self-reliance and dared to scale new heights, inscribing a magnificent chapter in which generation after generation of devoted aviation sons and daughters forged their loyalty and wisdom into the nation's most powerful weapons and lifted the war eagles to soar through the heavens.
Chengdu Aircraft Industry Theme Park. Photo by Yu Xiang.
Laying the Foundation Along the Qingshui River: Self-Reliance Forges the "Cradle" of the War Eagle
Entering the Historical and Cultural Boulevard of Chengdu Aircraft Industry (Group) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "AVIC Chengdu Aircraft"), a scroll of entrepreneurial history gradually unfurled before this reporter.
"One brick, one shovelful of earth, pulled by hand and carried on shoulders…" The narrator's voice transported us back to Huangtianba more than 60 years ago.
On October 18, 1958, along the Qingshui River on the western outskirts of Chengdu, aviation construction workers from all corners of the country gathered here. In a simple yet spirited atmosphere, the predecessor of AVIC Chengdu Aircraft—State-Owned Factory No. 132—officially broke ground. At that moment, perhaps no one could have foreseen that this factory, starting from rice paddies and thatched haystacks, would rise to become the backbone of China's aviation industry and give birth to a series of aerial swords that would awe the world.
Standing on the Cultural Boulevard, the hardships of those years leap out from the exhibits. "Hard struggle, thrift in building the nation, determined striving, self-reliance (艰苦奋斗、勤俭建国、发奋图强、自力更生)"—these sixteen characters painted on the factory gate were the most authentic expression of their entrepreneurial patriotism at the time.
Sleeping in crude sheds open to the wind on all sides; at the most difficult times, having nothing but a rationed portion of steamed rice and a small pinch of salt stir-fried in oil as a side dish… Under such conditions, the speed of Factory No. 132's construction was nothing short of miraculous: six years later, in the winter, the factory's basic construction passed full national acceptance inspection.
Alongside the national acceptance certificate for Factory No. 132 in the scroll hangs a military product type-certification certificate: in 1964, China's first all-weather interceptor designed, surveyed, and manufactured entirely through domestic efforts—the J-5A—soared into the sky for the first time, filling the gap in our military's all-weather combat capability.
The birth of the J-5A was a heroic song of self-reliance. The young chief designer Tu Jida led his team, relying solely on compasses, set squares, and steel rulers to manually survey and repeatedly calculate, performing reverse engineering design and verification on every component. What sustained them was the conviction to "win honor for the motherland." On the day of the maiden flight, when that silver-white combat aircraft rolled down the runway and climbed proudly into the sky, every worker and technician present was moved to tears. The character of "self-reliance and selfless dedication (自力更生、无私奉献)" was planted like a seed deep in the fertile soil of Huangtianba.
As the factory buildings of Huangtianba roared with machinery, the Republic's aviation dream continued to extend westward. In May 1970, a special train carrying more than 300 scientific researchers pulled into Chengdu and took root in the simple dormitories of the former Air Force No. 028 Aviation School beside Wuhou Shrine. This was the predecessor of the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute (hereinafter "AVIC Chengdu Institute"), hailed as the "cradle of fighter aircraft design"—the "J-9 Brigade." They likewise labored on this same fertile ground, embarking on a new journey.
Although the J-9 fighter ultimately never flew due to overly ambitious specifications, its pioneering exploration of the "canard aerodynamic configuration (鸭式气动布局)" theory and the "intercept weapon system (拦射武器系统)" were like golden seeds sown in the earth, laying a critically important technical foundation for the future J-10 fighter.
One shovelful of earth at Huangtianba, one room beside Wuhou Shrine—AVIC Chengdu Aircraft and AVIC Chengdu Institute, these "brother factory and institute" partners rooted in western Sichuan, used sweat and wisdom on what was once barren land to together plant the firm roots that would support the Republic's airpower in taking flight.
Breaking Through the Ice on Core Technologies: Pioneer Standards Lead the Way to Equipment Self-Reliance
In the CNC intelligent workshop exhibition hall of AVIC Chengdu Aircraft, an "S-shaped test piece (S形试件)" gleaming with a cold light draws the eye. This seemingly simple metal block is the "measuring stick" for evaluating the manufacturing precision of critical structural components of combat aircraft.
In the 1990s, when AVIC Chengdu Aircraft introduced advanced CNC machine tools to manufacture complex aviation structural components, it discovered that the international inspection standards that had been in use for many years had limitations.
Faced with this global challenge, the AVIC Chengdu Aircraft team did not retreat. They continuously extracted and analyzed problems arising in machine tool processing, and after repeated demonstration and testing, finally designed in 1999 a new test piece capable of meeting machine tool precision testing and evaluation standards—the "S-shaped test piece." Professional verification confirmed that it effectively guaranteed the precision manufacturing of complex structural components.
In 2020, the "S-shaped test piece" officially became an international standard—China's first international standard in the field of machine tool precision inspection, hailed as the "Chinese Dragon."
If the "S-shaped test piece" set the "benchmark" for machine tools, then developing the S-shaped skin panel for the J-10 fighter was the "decisive battle" that gave the aircraft its wings. This is the core of aerodynamic performance, and its manufacturing difficulty is extreme.
At the time, AVIC Chengdu Aircraft lacked relevant experience and equipment. When seeking foreign cooperation, the other party flatly declared: "With your equipment and technology, it is absolutely impossible!" These words cut deeply into the Chengdu Aircraft team. "We absolutely must win this one!" They joined forces with Beihang University (Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics), boldly retrofitting old equipment and independently tackling the challenge.
At the trial production site, the atmosphere was tense. Too little force and the forming would be insufficient; too much force and the skin panel would be ruined, or even the equipment damaged. The skin panel blank was positioned, the equipment slowly started… When that perfect S-shaped curve was finally precisely rendered, thunderous applause erupted in an instant!
This kind of "starting from zero" is something the people of AVIC Chengdu Aircraft have experienced far too many times.
"Core technologies cannot be begged for, bought, or borrowed—only through independent research and development can we truly stand tall!" Senior Engineer Nie Haiping, a recipient of the "National May Day Labor Medal," holds this conviction firmly. His work concerns the "bones and sinews" of composite material wings for combat aircraft—automated fiber placement technology.
Initially, when Nie Haiping operated imported equipment, he could not even adjust the parameters; the admonition that he "could not bear the responsibility" weighed on him like a thorn in his back. Faced with the predicament of being unable to obtain licenses for imports and having core technologies blocked at every turn, Nie Haiping made up his mind: independent research and development, starting from zero!
With no ready-made algorithms, he derived them himself; with no process experience, he plunged into the workshop to learn from veteran craftsmen. During that period, the whiteboard in Nie Haiping's office was covered densely with formulas and architectural diagrams. Countless days and nights of formula derivation, architectural design, and process exploration… In September 2020, they finally built a completely independent software architecture for fiber placement that better suited domestic production realities. The moment the on-site test succeeded, the laboratory erupted in cheers. Even the veteran process engineer who had initially raised doubts offered sincere praise: "This software now is practical, efficient, reliable, and easy to use!"
Looking back on the journey—from the piercing pain of dependence on others, to advanced combat aircraft soaring through the sky, to "ready-to-hand" domestically produced software—the people of AVIC Chengdu Aircraft have proven with iron facts, through one charge after another of "starting from zero": every breakthrough in independent innovation of core technologies is a critical leap toward standing tall and winning the future!
Passing the Torch to Foster Pillars of Talent: Fertile Ground for Talent Nurtures a New Elite Force
In the central lawn of the AVIC Chengdu Aircraft factory grounds, a majestic J-10 fighter stands quietly.
It is not only a pride of China's aviation industry, but also a silent monument, inscribed with the core concept passed down through generations of China's aviation workers—"succeed with the aircraft type, succeed in your own development (型号成功我成才)." These heartfelt words, born from the J-10 development process, have long since become the shared creed of growth for aviation workers at both AVIC Chengdu Aircraft and AVIC Chengdu Institute.
This foresight in cultivating talent can be traced back to the starting point of the J-10 project. In 1986, the J-10 aircraft was formally approved as a program, and Song Wencong, then 56 years old and deputy director of AVIC Chengdu Institute, was appointed chief designer.
At the time, when faced with the concern that "age is unforgiving—will this aircraft be finalized under your watch?" Song Wencong smiled and replied: "Whether it gets finalized under my watch is not for me to say, but one thing is certain: through the development of this aircraft, a large cohort of talent in modern aircraft design and development will definitely emerge in China!"
History, through the glorious course of the J-10, confirmed the profound vision of this chief designer. Over 18 years, the J-10 project served as a great crucible. AVIC Chengdu Institute and AVIC Chengdu Aircraft, as the primary design and primary manufacturing units, not only forged a national strategic weapon but also tempered and trained a large cohort of core technical talent.
Academician Wang Haifeng is one of them. As the first graduate student recruited by Song Wencong, he still remembers to this day his mentor's open-minded approach of "cultivating talent without regard to convention (不拘一格育人才)." When discussing coordination plans for a new engine, faced with the major choice between "retrofitting the old aircraft" or "starting fresh," Song Wencong actively invited young people to speak their minds directly before senior veterans, and ultimately decided to adopt the innovative plan proposed by the young people. This trust in and willingness to let go of young talent was the key to igniting the spark of innovation.
Song Wencong's earnest expectations for his successors flowed not only through the details of daily work but also into the depths of heartfelt sentiment. "The old horse strolls leisurely over small hills; the young steed gallops vigorously to the white clouds above. The deep, rugged, and steep path leads to the heavens; united in heart, we fear nothing and climb as we will (老马信步小众山，青骥奋蹄白云端。深幽崎峻通天路，同心无畏任我攀)." In the display case of the Academician Song Wencong Memorial Exhibition Hall at AVIC Chengdu Institute, this poem, written with vigorous brushstrokes, caught this reporter's attention.
According to the narrator, on Youth Day (May 4th) in 2004, the then 74-year-old Song Wencong, at the invitation of AVIC's youth, joined them in climbing Longquan Mountain on the eastern outskirts of Chengdu. Gazing into the distance from the summit, filled with surging emotion, Elder Song took up his brush and wrote this poem—both a condensed summary of the arduous struggles of the past and a heartfelt expression of his earnest expectations for the new generation of aviation workers to spread their wings and soar.
This baton of lifting up the young and passing the torch has been firmly taken up by a new generation of leaders such as Wang Haifeng. In recent years, a large cohort of post-1985 and post-1990 young aviation science and technology backbone personnel at AVIC Chengdu Institute have rapidly grown and are boldly shouldering heavy responsibilities at key technical posts.
A few years ago, a newly hired doctoral graduate in the electromechanical department of AVIC Chengdu Institute successfully calculated a key performance parameter for a project during a team research effort. The leadership of the electromechanical department directly recommended that he report to Wang Haifeng, then chief designer of AVIC Chengdu Institute.
A newcomer less than three months into the job, able to report directly to the chief designer and an academician—at AVIC Chengdu Institute, regardless of seniority, as long as one's technical skills are solid and thinking is clear, one can take on major responsibilities in one's professional field and receive full support. This atmosphere of selecting people purely on merit has allowed generation after generation of young talent to grow rapidly and distinguish themselves.
Today, the vitality nurtured by this fertile ground for talent shines especially brilliantly in the emerging field of unmanned aerial vehicles. At the event, the flight test team presented to reporters multiple UAV types including the "Yunying (Cloud Shadow)."
Speaking of the "Yunying" UAV that soared through the sky during the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, Zhao Chuangxin, head of the UAV research and development department at AVIC Chengdu Aircraft, recalled: "When 'Yunying' was approved as a program, the team's average age was only 28. A group of like-minded young people spent four years honing their craft, sending an innovative concept into the blue sky."
Nie Yonggang, who has been deeply engaged at AVIC Chengdu Institute for more than 20 years, remarked with feeling: "In fact, as early as 1996, AVIC Chengdu Institute began laying out UAV research. At that time, the chief designers of several aircraft types led us young people in fighting shoulder to shoulder on the front lines of research, laying a solid foundation for today's accumulated strength."
Entering the exhibition hall of the AVIC Chengdu Institute research building, a set of conceptual aircraft designs conceived by young aviation workers in an "Innovative Design Competition" draws attention. These conceptual designs, though still at a forward-looking stage, carry the ambition of a new generation of aviation workers to "define the future."
The young steed has already begun to gallop—the future is surely full of promise!
An immersive experience of the combat aircraft's formidable presence. (Li Sixuan)
Layout design: Fang Han