Chinese research and development firm Guangdong Changsheng Aircraft Design Co. has developed preliminary designs for an airliner family in response to government calls for private participation in China's project to build a new large aircraft. The proposed aircraft are based on two conventional basic types: the CS2010 narrowbody, which is similar to the Airbus A320; and the CS2000 wide body, comparable with the Boeing 767.

It might be the beginnings of a giant of commercial aviation. The ARJ21 regional jet is shaping up as China’s equivalent of the Airbus A300—a project that in its time seemed merely interesting but later was recognized as the origin of a product range that would challenge the established order of civil aircraft makers.

The design of the ARJ21 wrings out extra efficiency by using flow into the engines to accelerate air over the top of the wing, boosting lift without additional drag. Chief designer Wu Guanghui tells Aviation Week & Space Technology that careful placement of the engines relative to the wing may add more than 1% to the aircraft’s lift/drag ratio, although it’s a new concept and so he’s waiting for flight testing next year to confirm the theoretical prediction.