When the Aero Industry Development Center was expanded from the Bureau of Aeronautical Research in Taiwan, 1969, two milestone projects, PL-1 trainer and UH-1H helicopter, were cranked up in the newly re-org AIDC. In order to chart the hard steering of Chinese aviation industry, we have to go back to the Naval Aircraft Department of Beijing government, 1921. In 1920-32, the NAD was the only plant designed its own aircraft-one or two float recons took into air annually, while other shops simply copied the western models. 1937, the Navy Ministry of Nanjing Centre moved NAD to Shanghai, it expanded to maintenance, land-based and float planes reversed engineering, at the expense of its design capability. With the Sino-Japanese War erupted, the NAD was withdrawn to Chengdu, all the other aircraft plants were also relocated to inland. The BAR was established in Chengdu two years later.
Under the extreme logistic difficulties, the Chinese Air Force's 1st Aircraft Plant copied Russian Polikarpov fighters, the CAF 2nd Aircraft Plant managed to produce the first indigenous medium transport, along with its Polikarpov replicas. And the 3rd plant designed a light bomber based on Tupolev SB-2, but made by wood for obvious reason. In 1946, the 1st, the 3rd, BAR, Guizhou Engine Plant, and Nanjing Accessory Plant were reassigned to the new Bureau of Aeronautical Industry. Soon the 3rd moved to Taiwan, its first 104 licensed-built Boeing PT-17 trainers paved the way for the local aviation industry. Later a post-Korean War hibernation came; received the U.S. war surplus en masse, all the plants had shrunk to maintenance.
Under the extreme logistic difficulties, the Chinese Air Force's 1st Aircraft Plant copied Russian Polikarpov fighters, the CAF 2nd Aircraft Plant managed to produce the first indigenous medium transport, along with its Polikarpov replicas. And the 3rd plant designed a light bomber based on Tupolev SB-2, but made by wood for obvious reason. In 1946, the 1st, the 3rd, BAR, Guizhou Engine Plant, and Nanjing Accessory Plant were reassigned to the new Bureau of Aeronautical Industry. Soon the 3rd moved to Taiwan, its first 104 licensed-built Boeing PT-17 trainers paved the way for the local aviation industry. Later a post-Korean War hibernation came; received the U.S. war surplus en masse, all the plants had shrunk to maintenance.
The marginalization spurred Taiwan into action to defense independence when the U.S. started normalization with Red China in the 1960s. In August 1967, the CAF finalized the Aero Industry Development Plan. Based on the strategy of international joint venture plus local R&D, since 1969 the progressive phases started from PL-1 primary trainer (1968-74), to phase 2 of Bell UH-1H chopper (1970-76), T-CH-1 trainer (1970-81), medium transport XC-2 (1976-78), then to phase 3 of F-5E/F fighter (1975-87), AT-3 attack trainer (1975-83) and IDF fighter (1981-99). From 1973, five powerplant projects were carried out: T53-13A (UH-1H, 1973-80), T53-701A (XC-2, T-CH-1, 1975-82), S engine (1980-89), TFE-731-2-2L (AT-3, 1983-89). TFE-1042-70 (IDF, 1982-99). Regardless of these hard-earned achievements, all the top decisions still amounted to a bizarre and illogical result: CAF completely abandoned its proud aviation self-sustainability. This political correctness surely makes the cross-strait unification easier in the near future.
