Image allegedly shows J-20 with WS-15 engine
THE DRIVE SCREENSHOT
Chinese social networks have just appeared images and video clips said to be recording the first test flight of the J-20 fighter with the WS-15 engine at the airport of the Chengdu factory in the city of the same name.
Among them, the J-20 is China's first 5th generation fighter, designed to counter the US F-22 Raptor.
If the information is confirmed, it will be an important milestone in China's development of the J-20 and the design of the WS-15 turbofan engine.
The image quality is quite low, making it difficult to confirm whether the J-20 on the runway is equipped with WS-15 or WS-10 engines like existing J-20 fighters.
The first J-20s were equipped with Russian-made AL-31 turbofan engines. China later developed its own WS-10 engine and officially replaced the Russian engine in 2019.
US Air Force Commander Not Losing Sleep Over China's J-20 Fighter, Still Keeping Close Watch
The Drive quoted Mr. Andreas Rupprecht, an expert on Chinese military aviation , saying that when watching the clip, what impressed him was the sound of the aircraft engine, which was completely different from the WS-10C line.
Information about the WS-15 is very limited, but according to some Chinese newspapers, this engine line has been developed since the 1990s and Chinese military experts aim to increase the thrust of the afterburner engine to over 18 tons, which is more than 1,800 tons higher than the WS-10.
If achieved, China's J-20 is said to have a more powerful engine than the US's F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, at least on paper.
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