The Chengdu J-20 is a twinjet all-weather stealth fighter aircraft. It is developed by the Chengdu Aerospace Corporation for the People's Liberation Army Air Force. It is capable of performing a variety of missions and is the next generation of stealth fighter aircraft.
WS-15 engine
China is working on a stronger engine for the J-20 stealth plane fighter. The J-20's current engine is insufficient and has a very limited life expectancy. The WS-15 could replace the engine and make it a much better fighter. The WS-15 engine will be ready for use in the J-20 by 2020. This engine should overcome the J-20's limitations in terms of performance and maneuverability. China may be closer to developing a fighter engine that is as powerful and reliable as other world leaders.
Maximum thrust is 180 kilonewtons for the WS-15 engines. This is equal to the thrust produced by the F135 engine, which powers the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The WS-15 engine is capable of propelling a J-20B at a cruise speed of Mach 1.8 or 2.2. This speed would be comparable with the US F-22.
Despite all the problems that the WS-15 engines face, China is working quickly to create a turbofan motor for its J-20s. The WS-15 engine's wet thrust rating is 180kN. China is expected buy the T-50 in order to accelerate its engine design program. PLAAF is testing the WS-10/Taihang WS-10 engines in its first airframe tests. This engine is also being tested by the Chinese on their Y-20 large transport plane.
The WS-15 engine is a mature engine with several trials and tests conducted on the ground. Once these trials are complete, it could be incorporated into the production of the J-20.
WS-10C Engine
China is planning to replace the Russian engine in the J-20 'Mighty Dragon' fighter aircraft with a domestically-made WS-10C engine. Chinese engineers believe the engine can be comparable to the Russian AL-31F. The engine has already passed its initial evaluations. The Chinese are also planning to update the J-20s' engines this year with thrust vectoring technology, which will bring them closer to the US F-22 Raptor.
Chinese Air Force confirmed the deployment of J-20 fighters in the East China Sea/Taiwan Strait. Four brigades will consist of 150 fighters. This deployment is expected to be accompanied by simulated dogfight drills. These drills will be used as regular training for PLA fighter pilots.
China has upgraded several F-35 stealth fighters using WS-10C engines. Chinese engineers claimed that the new engines would be as powerful and efficient as the Pratt & Whitney F119 F-22 Raptor. However, the new WS-10C wing engine will not make it into all J-20 airplanes until late 2018.
China's WS-10C engines will enable it to intensify patrols in the South China Sea. This could force claimant nations to respond beyond their ability, which could cause miscalculations as well fatigue and equipment losses. The J-20 can also carry out long-range strikes from far away bases. Original J-20 prototypes used less powerful engines which made them more susceptible to fighting with US fighters.