China's breakthrough with the jet engine
The chinese military has made significant progress in achieving a more self-sufficient jet engine production program. Combining robust aircraft development and production plans with a desire for China to enter the 5 th generation space, where Russia may not be able to supply later models engines like the 117S has made China a strong motivator to become more self-sufficient in the design and manufacture of high performance jet engines.
According to Wang Ya'nan an expert military journalist and chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, a series a technological breakthroughs have widened the gap between China's top nations and China's jet engine developers over the last few years. 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, called the WP-14 Kunlun, was fitted to several variants of the Chengdu J-7 and Shenyang J-8.
The WP-14 took 20 year to develop but was acknowledged as China’s first indigenous jet engine. It has been used by the Chinese Air Force on several of their fourth-generation fighter jets. It is also being applied to the J-15 and Xi'an Y-20, which will eventually become the nation's first fifth-generation aircraft.
Although Chinese jet engines have a lower thrust than their foreign counterparts, they are becoming more reliable. They are being deployed in increasing numbers in the PLA Air Force as well as PLAN Aviation. Chinese technicians are extending the service life for Russian-made AL-31F-tornadofans. This allows them maximize the performance of existing engines. This will help them develop engines that can be more powerful and more resilient to severe on-wing abuse.
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. According to the Eurasian Times, it is believed that the WS-15 engine will be used on Chengdu's J-20 Mighty Dragon as well as a rumored future two seat carrier-borne jet based upon the Xi'an Y-20.
The J-20 has a Russian-made WS-10C motorfan. It is a temporary arrangement that allows mass production until the Chinese WS-15 becomes available. Although this engine is more powerful than the AL-31F turbofan it can experience performance power drops during maneuvers and fuel flow disturbances if the aircraft's angle is too extreme.
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. In fact, the WS-10C is so reliable and is so efficient that more J-20s are being used in the PLA Air Force fleet than before, the media report said.