[Gadgest] China equips J-20 Mighty Dragon with new-generation WS-15 engine with 186.33 kN of afterburning thrust and prepares for series production

[Draeno]

 

In January 2022, the J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter was first seen with the new generation WS-15 engine. More than a year later, China is preparing to go into series production of the powertrains.

this is what we know
The prototype equipped with the WS-15 engine has been assigned the tail number 2012. However, there is no information on whether other prototypes (six in total) have been tested with the new generation powertrain.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army began receiving production examples of the J-20 starting in late 2016. The aircraft were temporarily equipped with Russian AL-31FM2 engines. As of mid-2019, Chinese WS-10C powertrains have been installed instead.

The posting of an image of the J-20 with the WS-15 followed the announcement by an Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) spokesperson that the new powertrain was being prepared for series production. It also indicates the phasing out of the WS-10C engines.

Asian experts call the WS-15 a "marvel of technology." The propulsion system will provide 186.33 kN of thrust in the afterburner. By comparison, the F-22 Raptor's F119 engine has a thrust of about 172 kN, while the Russian AL-41F1 Type 30, which is used in the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, has a thrust of 176.5 kN. . According to the source, the WS-15 has no counterpart in this regard, although the F135 of the F-35 Lightning II has an afterburner thrust of 191 kN.

The J-20 Mighty Dragon will go into full-scale production in late 2021. The plane China steals American technology to build the fifth-generation J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter, similar to the F-22 Raptor. The People's Liberation Army Air Force has received at least 200 J-20s.

Source: Military Watch Magazine

 

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