Founded in October, 1952, as the Nanjing College of Aviation Industry, Nanhang was renamed in 1956 to Nanjing Aeronautical Institute, and in 1993 to its current name.[3]
Nanhang has three campuses: the Ming Palace Campus situated on the ruins of a Ming Palace, and the Jiangjun Road (将军路) Campus situated in the Jiangning Economic and Technological Development Zone. These campuses cover an area of 173 hectares with a building floor space of 650,000 square meters.[citation needed]
NUAA offers a wide range of programs including 46 undergraduate programs, 127 master programs and 52 doctoral programs. 2 first grade and 9 second grade disciplines are awarded national key disciplines. The former includes Aerospace Science & Technology and Mechanics. The latter includes Aircraft Design, Aerospace Propulsion Theory & Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering of Aerospace Vehicle, Man-Machine and Environmental Engineering, General and Fundamental Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics, Engineering Mechanics, Mechanical Manufacture & Automation. 8 disciplines are key disciplines of the Commission of National Defense Science, Technology and Industry, such as Tele-Communication & Information Systems, Technology of Micro Air Vehicles, etc. 10 disciplines are key disciplines of Jiangsu Province, such as Mechanical Design and Theory, Navigation Guidance & Control, etc. 4 disciplines such as Aircraft Design, Mechanical Manufacture & Automation, Engineering Mechanics, Manufacturing Engineering of Aerospace Vehicle are especially set up for "Changjiang Scholar Award" professors. Besides, NUAA has set up 12 postdoctoral programs, such as Aerospace Science & Technology, etc.[citation needed]
The university has been enrolling post-graduate international students for several years as well. Dozens of Master and Ph.D-level students have since graduated with various majors and specialties. It also provides scholarships to outstanding international students at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels under various government scholarship schemes including the China Government Scholarship and Distinguished International Students Scholarship schemes.
Apart from full-time students, NUAA has been hosting exchange students coming from universities in Australia, Canada, France and Germany. Every year, under the university's exchange and summer programs with international universities, dozens of international students come to NUAA to study at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels.
NUAA's international students have played important role in lifting its research performance and image in the world. In 2018, a paper authored by a Pakistani doctoral student of NUAA Distinguished Professor Liu Sifeng was quoted by Nature Index, and was later indexed in Essential Science Indicators, a database of the world's top 1% highly cited publications.[15][16]
In 2014, NUAA has produced three Unmanned Ornithopters.
In 2016, an aircraft designed by NUAA engineering students won the 33rd Annual American Helicopter Society Student Design Competition.[17]
The university has produced a great many highly cited scientific papers, including work that has been picked up by Nature INDEX.[18]
Since NUAA's establishment, NUAA's faculty, students and research staff have produced more than 40 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or 'drones') for China (see, List of unmanned aerial vehicles of China).
In 2017, "Kun dragon" (Kun Long) AG600 (AVIC AG600), designed to be the world's largest amphibious aircraft, had its first successful test flight. The AG600 was co-developed by the NUAA Innovation Center and the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., Ltd., including work on the engine cooling systems.[19]
