Xi'an — Aerospace Industry

Xi'an Aerospace Industry Overview

Xi'an is China's most comprehensive aerospace manufacturing city, home to AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group (XAC), the nation's primary manufacturer of large military transport aircraft, civil regional aircraft (MA700, MA60), and aviation structural components. The city also hosts the Xi'an Aerospace Propulsion Institute, China's leading rocket engine design and manufacturing center. Xi'an's aerospace sector employs over 200,000 people across more than 500 enterprises.

The Yanliang National Aviation Hi-Tech Industrial Base is the center of Xi'an's aircraft manufacturing cluster. This dedicated zone hosts XAC's largest manufacturing campuses, including final assembly facilities for military transport aircraft like the Y-20, and the MA700 civil regional aircraft program. The base accommodates a comprehensive network of Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers producing airframe components, landing gear, avionics, and aircraft systems.

Rocket engine manufacturing is a unique specialization within Xi'an's aerospace sector. The Xi'an Aerospace Propulsion Institute designs and produces liquid rocket engines for China's Long March family of launch vehicles, including the YF-100 and YF-77 engines used in the Long March 5 and Long March 6 rockets. The surrounding supply chain includes manufacturers of turbopump components, combustion chamber parts, high-pressure valves, and precision-machined engine components from superalloys.

Satellite manufacturing capabilities in Xi'an have grown significantly. The Xi'an Institute of Space Radio Technology (CAST Xi'an) is China's leading developer of satellite communication payloads, antennas, and data transmission systems. The city also hosts satellite component manufacturers producing solar panels, attitude control systems, satellite structural panels, and thermal control components.

Composite materials technology is deeply embedded in Xi'an's aerospace ecosystem, building on decades of R&D from XAC's composite center. The city produces advanced carbon fiber composite structures, aramid honeycomb panels, and ceramic matrix composites for high-temperature applications. These capabilities serve both military aircraft programs and expanding commercial aerospace customers.

For aerospace companies considering Xi'an, the city offers China's deepest pool of aerospace engineering talent, supported by leading universities including Northwestern Polytechnical University and Xi'an Jiaotong University. Xi'an consistently ranks as China's leading aerospace R&D city, with strong government support through the Yanliang base and the Xi'an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base.