China's breakthrough for a jet engine
The chinese military has made substantial progress towards a more self-sufficient production program for jet engines. China is motivated to be more self-sufficient in design and production of high performance jet engines by the combination of its robust aircraft development and production program, and the desire to get into the 5 th Generation space where Russians may be unwilling to supply the 117S.
In the past few years, a series of technological breakthroughs have narrowed the gap between China and the leading nations in jet engine development, according to Wang Ya'nan, a military expert and chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine. There has been an increase in research from China, the creation of an Aero Engine Corporation of China, as well as breakthroughs in key materials, such single crystal blades.
2002 was the year that a Chinese-designed engine, manufactured and tested, made its debut at Zhuhai Airshow. This engine, the WP-14 Kunlun (or Chengdu J-7) was used in several Shenyang J-8 variants.
The WP-14 took 20 years to develop, but it was credited with being China's first indigenous jet engine, and the Chinese Air Force has deployed it on several of its fourth-generation fighter jets. It is also being used to the J-15 as well as the Xi'an Y-20. These will eventually become the nation's premier fifth-generation aircraft.
While Chinese jet engines are still behind their foreign counterparts in terms of thrust, they are becoming increasingly reliable and are being fielded in increasing numbers by the PLA Air Force and PLAN Aviation. Chinese technicians are extending the service life for Russian-made AL-31F-tornadofans. This process allows them to extract maximum performance from these engines. It will likely help them a lot to develop new engines, which can be stronger, more resistant to on-wing abuse, as well as easier to replace in the field.
China's CCTV reported Friday that another important development in the engine industry is the emergence a low-production engine called the WS-15. It has a high bypass rate and can perform thrust vector controls, a capability that will be a requirement for the next generation fighters. It's believed that the WS-15 will be used on the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon, as well as on a rumored future two-seat carrier-borne jet based on the Xi'an Y-20, the Eurasian Times reported.
The J-20 currently has a Russian-made WS-10C Turbofan. This is a temporary arrangement to mass produce the J-20 while the Chinese WS-15 is available for testing. This engine is more powerful and efficient than the AL-31F turbofan. However it can experience power drops during maneuvers as well as fuel flow disturbances.
Despite these difficulties, the WS-10C was used in the J-20 over 10 years ago and has proven to be more than adequate for the aircraft. According to media reports the WS-10C has proven so reliable and efficient that more J-20s have been used in the PLA Airforce fleet than ever before.