China’s first comprehensive climatic laboratory is expected to be put into use in 2018, according to a forum on aircraft-technology development held in Shanghai on Nov. 4

By then, aircraft climatic testing will no longer be limited to airports with particular environments, and most of the tests can be performed at the lab.

The C919, China’s first domestically developed large passenger jet, will be tested in the climatic laboratory.

China’s Aviation Industry Aircraft Strength Research Institute (AIASRI) prepared for the lab three years ago. Located in Xi’an, northwestern China’s Shaanxi province, it has a gross area of 13,000 square meters.

The lab is able to simulate various extreme weather conditions through refrigeration, heating, air conditioning, and controlling technologies, offering testing environments for any season, location, or time.

“The aircraft will be tested in a number of weather conditions,” said Yang Hai, a senior research fellow with AIASRI. For instance, the aircraft will be placed in the lab for 48 hours where the temperature will be lowered to minus 50 degrees Celsius to see whether it can still function, he added.

Many aircraft are currently waiting to undergo testing in the lab, including the C919, he said. In addition, fatigue testing of the C919 will be finished two years after its maiden flight.