Blackstone
Brigadier
And that's the problem with Chinese engines, it's been more rumors than fact. Maybe this time will be different.
Chinese Engine Development
- Thread starter jackbh
- Start date
Something I don't quite understand here.
China has the WS-10a for its j-11b(d)/j-16 and recently the "b" version for its single-engine j-10b/c so how is it that the lower thrust WS-13 this long? Priority issues? Or just a case of certain firms not being as good as others?
China has the WS-10a for its j-11b(d)/j-16 and recently the "b" version for its single-engine j-10b/c so how is it that the lower thrust WS-13 this long? Priority issues? Or just a case of certain firms not being as good as others?
plawolf
Lieutenant General
Funding, personnel and the sheer number of engine programmes running in parallel.
Even companies and nations with decades of experience at the very cutting edge of engine development and manufacturing would be hard pressed to run as many engine programmes at the same time as China is doing.
No PLA funded programme uses the WS13 or plans to anytime soon, so of course they are going to put it behind projects that they do use on operational and future planned assets in terms of allocation of critical resources, like funding; the most skilled and talented designers and engineers; supercomputer time; wind tunnel time and many other common shared goods and services.
Russia is happy to supply RDs to power JF17s, so there is just no pressing need to priorities the WS13 at all.
It might sound counter intuitive, but even be faster to put a pause on the WS13 development until work on the likes of the WS10 and WS15 has been successfully concluded.
That way, much like the JF17 programme itself, rather than spend time and resources breaking new ground, they could just piggyback on the work already completed and use off-the-shelf technology and parts to speed up development, reduce costs and risk, and potentially also boost performance.
plawolf
Lieutenant General
Less a problem with Chinese engines or programmes, and more a limitation on our ability to reliably and effectively monitor progress on them.
A subtile but fundamental difference.
I believe Lijian program plans to use WS-13. And also I would not be surprised if new FC-31 prototypes use them.
Blackstone
Brigadier
That's plausible...
SinoSoldier
Colonel
Update: it seems that the TVC variant of the WS-10B has a thrust of 14.5 tons. The TVC system is still in tests aboard the testbed and has been undergoing ground tests for several years.
Sounds like an ideal engine for a J-11D/J-16/J-15S upgrade, which should place the aforementioned aircraft toe-to-toe with the Su-35 in terms of kinematics.
Sounds like an ideal engine for a J-11D/J-16/J-15S upgrade, which should place the aforementioned aircraft toe-to-toe with the Su-35 in terms of kinematics.
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SinoSoldier
Colonel
Update #2: according to Huitong, the thrust-vectored WS-10 variant might enter service with the J-11D.