Russia’s Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) and United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) have reported successful completion of wind-tunnel testing on the scaled models of the CR929 widebody. CRAIC, a joint venture between UAC and China’s Comac, runs the CR929 program.

In a joint press statement released on Thursday, the companies said the recently completed wind-tunnel testing phase involved a “high-speed standard model” (HSM) made to a scale of 1:39 for the wing-fuselage configuration. The HSM model in question involves a joint design by Russian and Chinese specialists in aerodynamics. TsAGI performed the testing in the T-128 transonic wind tunnel under the supervision of UAC and Comac specialists. In addition to the work at TsAGI, the partners have also conducted “similar testing” on the HSM and other CR929 scaled models in China and the European Union.

“A series of tests already conducted in a number of scientific-research establishments of different countries has enabled us to collect sufficient data for further work on the CR929 program,” said Maxim Litvinov, the CR929 chief designer from the Russian side. “Using that data as a footprint, we can now perform a correct comparison of the testing results amassed so far in different locations. The information we have acquired so far allows us to make a more precise assessment of the CR929 aerodynamic qualities and flight performance in the conditions of simulated flights.”

Apart from the application to the CR929 project, the testing results amassed so far carry significance for further development of the Russian civil aircraft-making industry, the Russian companies said. “Now, we can draw comparisons between results of tests conducted in wind tunnels of different design and locations using same scaled models,” noted Anton Gorbushin, chief of TsAGI’s laboratory for wind tunnels and flight dynamics. “This is the first such case in our practice.”