Young gun takes on innovation mission in top Chinese fighter jet job
- Appointment of 40-year-old to head Shenyang Aircraft Corporation meant to inject new life into ageing manufacturer
China has named a young aircraft engineer to head Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) in a bid to rejuvenate one of its key makers of fighter jets.
Qian Xuesong, 40, was named chairman of SAC last week, succeeding Guo Dianman, the oldest member of the management team, which is dominated by engineers in their 50s.
A military insider, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the central government hoped that a younger leadership would help the company innovate.
“President Xi Jinping has expressed dissatisfaction over SAC’s performance over the years. It developed the J-15 years ago,” the source said.
The fighter jet, the prototype of which made its maiden flight in 2009, has been involved in a number of fatal accidents in recent years. Last year, state broadcaster CCTV reported that the J-15’s unstable flight control system might have contributed to the accidents and that the navy had grounded all of the jets for three months during an investigation.
