China equips the J-20 Mighty Dragon with the next-generation WS-15 engine with 186.33 kN of afterburner thrust and is preparing for mass production

In January 2022, the J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter jet was first seen with the next-generation WS-15 engine. More than a year later, China is preparing to begin mass production of the propulsion systems.

Here's What We Know

The prototype equipped with the WS-15 engine has been assigned the tail number 2012. However, there is no information on whether other prototypes (six in total) have been tested with the next-generation propulsion system.

The People's Liberation Army of China began receiving production specimens of the J-20 from late 2016. The aircraft were temporarily equipped with Russian AL-31FM2 engines. From mid-2019, the Chinese WS-10C propulsion systems were installed instead.

The publication of a picture of the J-20 with the WS-15 followed an announcement by an Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) spokesperson that the new propulsion system was being prepared for series production. It also indicates the phasing out of the WS-10C engines.

Asian experts call the WS-15 a "marvel of technology". The propulsion system will provide 186.33 kN of thrust at afterburner. By comparison, the F119 engine in the F-22 Raptor has a thrust of about 172 kN, while the Russian AL-41F1 Type 30, which is used in the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, has a thrust of 176.5 kN. According to the source, the WS-15 has no counterpart in this regard, although the F135 for the F-35 Lightning II has a thrust at afterburner of 191 kN.

The J-20 Mighty Dragon enters full-scale production in late 2021. The aircraft is the counterpart of the US fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighter. The People's Liberation Army Air Force has received at least 200 J-20s.

Source: Military Watch Magazine