China's breakthrough for a jet engine
The Chinese military has made significant improvements in its ability to produce more jet engine engines on their own. China's ability to produce high-performance jet engines at its own expense has been aided by its strong production and aircraft development programs.
According to Wang Ya'nan who is a military expert as well as chief editor at Aerospace Knowledge magazine, technological advances have reduced the gap between China's leaders and China's in the development of jet engines. 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 saw the debut of a Chinese-designed, manufactured, and tested jet engine at Zhuhai Airshow. The engine was called the WP-14 Kunlun and fitted to several versions of the Chengdu J-7 or Shenyang J-8.
Although the WP-14 took over 20 years to create, it is credited as China's first engine. The Chinese Air Force deployed it on many of its fourth-generation fighter aircraft. It is also being applied on the J-15 and Xi'an Y-20 which will eventually be the nation's first fifth generation aircraft.
Although Chinese jet engine thrust is still lower than foreign counterparts, the engines are becoming more reliable and are being deployed by the PLA Aviation Force and PLAN Aviaation in greater numbers. Chinese technicians are extending the service life for Russian-made AL-31F-tornadofans. This allows them to get the most out of their existing engines. It is also likely to assist them in creating new engines that are more powerful, can withstand greater on-wing abuse and easier to replace in field.
Another important development in the engine sector is the emergence of an under-development engine called the WS-15, which has a high bypass ratio and can perform thrust vector control, a capability that is a key requirement for the next generation of fighters, China's CCTV reported on Friday. According to the Eurasian Times reports, the WS-15 will likely be used in Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon's cockpit, as well on a rumored future, two-seat, carrier-borne jet based the Xi'an Y-20.
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. The engine is reported to be more powerful that the AL-31F turbofan. It can also experience performance power drops during maneuvers, and can experience disturbed airflow and fuel flow problems if it is too steep.
Despite these problems, the WS-10C has been used in the J-20 for over 10 years and is proving to be more than capable for this aircraft. According to media reports, the WS-10C proves to be so reliable that it is more efficient than ever.