Historically, the local development of aviation engines by China’s aerospace industry has been considered its Achilles’ heel. This has been evident over the decades, during which the primary power plants for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) combat aircraft were either licensed-built versions or derivatives of Soviet/Russian designs. However, the rise of China, both economically, industrially, and militarily, has allowed the country to gradually develop its own engines, which now equip its main fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets. The most recent example occurred in the last few days, when the clearest and sharpest photograph to date of a J-20A fighter jet equipped with the new WS-15 engine went viral.
Although many details and specifications of the Xian WS-15 turbofan engine remain unknown, its development dates back to the 1990s and is closely tied to the creation of the J-20 fifth-generation fighter jet for the PLAAF. The aforementioned Achilles’ heel of China’s aerospace industry initially led to the J-20 being powered by the Russian Saturn AL-31 engine. Later, with the start of serial production of the Mighty Dragon, the aircraft began to be fitted with locally developed WS-10 engines, originally used in the Chengdu J-10 fourth-generation fighters. However, China’s goal was to equip its top air superiority fighter with an engine matching the capabilities of a stealth aircraft, with performance equal to or better than that of the U.S. F-22 Raptor.
These decades-long efforts culminated in the new Xian WS-15 engine, which will power the latest batches of the J-20, coming off the production line of the Chengdu company. Recent reports have indicated the start of production for these new turbofan engines, alongside several flight tests with fifth-generation aircraft.
Following these developments, a photo began circulating on social media in recent days, drawing the attention of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) experts and analysts. The image clearly shows, more than ever before, a J-20A (serial number 2052) equipped with the new WS-15 engines. Unfortunately, more details about the location of this latest test flight have not been revealed, though it is presumed to have taken place at Chengdu’s facilities in the city of the same name.
As for the J-20 featured in the photograph, it is the new “A” variant, which incorporates design improvements over previous versions. Notable among these are a redesigned radome, a cockpit positioned slightly higher, and larger spaces in the fuselage, likely to accommodate new and better avionics as well as increased fuel capacity.
Regarding the new WS-15 engine, it requires redesigned air intakes to optimize airflow. In terms of power, data from prototypes suggests the new turbofan engine generates 36,000 pounds of thrust with afterburners, aiming for 40,000 pounds. By comparison, the previous WS-10 engines produce between 32,000 and 35,000 pounds of thrust with afterburners. Another interesting detail is that while the WS-10 has been seen with thrust vectoring nozzles, this feature has not yet been observed on the WS-15.
An important point to consider is that, if the mentioned data is correct, the J-20A with the new WS-15 engines would have more thrust than the U.S. F-22 Raptor, whose two Pratt & Whitney F119 engines generate 35,000 pounds of thrust each.
Regardless, this development marks another significant milestone in China’s decades-long effort to invest in engine development and production. As a final note, new photos recently revealed another J-20A (serial number 2053) also seen flying, apparently equipped with WS-15 engines.
Cover photo credits: To whom it may concern.
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