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Chengdu J-20 5th Generation Aircraft News & Discussions

Hard to tell from such a blurry image but the petals seem longer than what is on WS-10B-3.
Interesting that you mention petals. I count 15 petals on the TVC engine used in Zhuhai 2018 aka WS-10B-3 (see below), how many on that J-20 testbed? But from that blurry image apparently I can count 13 petals on the "unknown engine".

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Not according to some users, but it is undeniable ... but this new nozzle is different. Is thsi so difficult to see?
A different nozzle may not necessarily imply a “new” engine.
 
J-20 fighters conduct nocturnal battle drill to hone stealth advantages
Liu Xuanzun
04:55 Jan 17 2022
J-20 stealth fighter jets perform aerobatics during the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 29, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

J-20 stealth fighter jets perform aerobatics during the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, September 29, 2021. Photo:Xinhua
J-20 stealth fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force recently conducted a nocturnal battle exercise against other types of warplanes with experts saying on Sunday that the stealthy J-20 demonstrated its all-time and all-weather combat readiness.

During the recent, undated aerial confrontational exercise that was organized in an undisclosed training base of the PLA Air Force, several J-20 stealth fighter jets took off under the curtain of night and started the combat drill against the simulated enemy after entering a designated area, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday.

The report indicates that the J-20s did not carry Luneburg lenses, which are radar reflectors used to make a stealth aircraft visible to others in training or non-combat flights. CCTV showed some images of the J-16 heavy fighter jet taking part in the exercise.

In addition to air-to-air combat, other realistic combat-oriented courses, including attack on ground targets and electronic warfare, were also carried out, according to the report.

On the first day of training of 2022, the J-20s also held similar combat exercises against other types of aircrafts, including J-16s and J-11Bs, according to media reports.

At nighttime, pilots can get confused and might not be able to tell if they are flying up, down or if they are rolling. For this reason, pilots must pay more attention while flying the aircraft at night than during the day, Cheng Xia, a J-20 pilot who participated in the latest exercise, told CCTV.

By holding combat drills at night, the J-20 displayed its highly reliable all-weather combat readiness and capability, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"In recent air combat exercises, the J-20 took advantages of its stealth and attack capabilities and realized the tactical goals of finding the enemy first, firing missiles first, breaking away from combat first and destroying the target first," Chen said.

However, warplanes on the other team were also able to spot opponents with their radars and launched missiles, forcing their adversaries to make high G evasive maneuvers, according to the CCTV report.

Wei said that the combat drills helped the J-20 hone its stealth capabilities in hunting down non-stealth aircrafts. At the same time, non-stealth aircrafts were forced to find ways to counter stealth aircraft like the J-20.

While CCTV did not specify how the two teams were formed, it is possible that the J-20s fought against other types of warplanes as well as other J-20s, Wei said.

The J-20 could be used to penetrate hostile defenses and seize air superiority, and other types of non-stealth aircraft could be used to unload a large amount of munitions on targets, Wei explained.

The growing media reports on the training and exercises of the J-20 also indicate that more of these aircrafts are being commissioned to the PLA Air Force, observers said.
 
Nocturnal time is great for launching an offensive since the opponent's pilots are not as alert when said attack happens. Conversely, you need to learn how to properly defend from a nocturnal aerial assault as well.
 
Nice looking rare end! Yes, it is very hot for sure.
On the other hand, what if Pakistani has a squadron of this beast? And how will Indian do? Buy SU-57 from Russia?
 
Nice looking rare end! Yes, it is very hot for sure.
On the other hand, what if Pakistani has a squadron of this beast? And how will Indian do? Buy SU-57 from Russia?
F35 most likely.......... so i dont think paf would induct 5 th generation as long as india doesn't
 
Chinese engine-equipped J-20 fighter proves plateau ability
Liu Xuanzun
01:44 Jan 20 2022
J-20 fighter jets attached to an aviation brigade under the PLA Air Force taxi in close formation during a flight training exercise on January 7, 2022. Photo: eng.chinamil.com.cn

J-20 fighter jets attached to an aviation brigade under the PLA Air Force taxi in close formation during a flight training exercise on January 7, 2022. Photo: eng.chinamil.com.cn
Since China's J-20 stealth fighter jet switched to use domestically developed engines, the advanced warplane has proved its operability under extreme environments, including in regions at high altitude, under harsh cold weather and with high humidity and temperatures, a senior designer of the aircraft said on Wednesday.

This shows that the Chinese engines suit the demands of the J-20's operations in all regions across the country, experts said.

Gong Feng, the deputy chief designer of the J-20, shared some new insights on the J-20's switch to domestically developed engines in a speech published by a social media account affiliated with the Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday.

Gong said that the domestic engines unleashed the potential of the J-20, since the old engines were not customized for the aircraft, and it had to make compromises in its performance.

In addition to developing the engines, the J-20, including its airframe, structure, pipelines, electric circuits and subsystems, were redesigned, Gong said.

To ensure the upgraded J-20 can operate anywhere, Gong was tasked to conduct reliability tests and verification test flights, including in regions at high altitude, under harsh cold weather and with high humidity and temperature.

The tests went smoothly, Gong said. "I can proudly tell everyone, that the J-20 with Chinese engines has it all, both from the inside and outside."

It was important to test the engine's performance under different environments across the country, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

In high altitude plateau regions, the takeoff of the aircraft could be a problem because it requires high power from the engine, but plateaus have thin air; near the sea, high humidity could cause corrosion, Fu explained.

The tests proved that the domestically developed engine can satisfy the operating requirements under all environments across the country, allowing the J-20 to enhance its comprehensive combat capabilities, Fu said.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force displayed J-20s equipped with domestically developed engines at Airshow China 2021, and analysts said the aircraft's production has accelerated thanks to the new engines.

"As an aircraft designer, I firmly believe that we can meet all of the PLA's requirements," Gong said.

He added that after the J-20, he is developing new types of aviation weapons and equipment, but without elaborating.
 
China to start upgrading J-20 fighter engines, the Mighty Dragon will be fitted with thrust vector nozzles to improve performance
Published: 5:00am, 20 Jan, 2022
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China will start upgrading the engines of its most advanced stealth fighter jet, the J-20, this year to bring its performance closer to the American F-22 Raptor, according to a military source.
The performance of the fighter, also known as the Mighty Dragon, had been limited because it has been using a stopgap engine, the WS-10C, the latest model of an engine used in earlier Chinese warplanes.

These are now being fitted with new thrust-vectoring nozzles, a technology Chinese engineers have spent two decades trying to master and which the country first unveiled at the 2018 Zhuhai air show.

The US Raptor uses the technology, which controls the direction of the engine thrust, allowing the jet to perform sudden manoeuvres that earlier generations of aircraft cannot.

Chinese engineers have been developing a high-thrust engine, known as the WS-15, to allow its most advanced fighter to close the gap with US warplanes.

But this project has fallen behind schedule, prompting its developer, the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, to use the WS-10C on the planes instead.

A source familiar with the engine development programme said all WS-10C engines fitted to J-20s will be given thrust vectoring capabilities this year.

“Because verification of the two-dimensional thrust-vectoring nozzles, the technology used by the F-22, has been completed, the manoeuvrability and stealth capability of the J-20s will be upgraded,” the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic, said.

“The upgrading project aims at meeting the PLA’s intensive training demands, as the country plans to deploy about 200 J-20s.”

State media has previously reported that the PLA has deployed the J-20 to air force units responsible for the Taiwan Strait and East China Sea – which would involve at least four brigades or 150 fighters.

This week, state broadcaster China Central Television aired footage showing J-20 brigades conducting nighttime combat drills and other clips that showed the planes had been fitted with WS-10C engines.

Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Tong said: “It’s the first time the PLA showed simulated dogfight drills between different J-20 brigades, which is supposed to be regular training for PLA fighter jet pilots.


“But the thrust of the J-20 will still lag behind the US F-22, until China delivers the WS-15 engines for the aircraft.”

The J-20 entered service in 2017 after the US deployed more than 100 F-35s to Japan and South Korea.

At the time it was equipped with a Russian-made engine and China only began producing J-20s equipped with the domestically produced WS-10C engine in 2020.

The source said checks on the WS-15 engine are taking place and are expected to finish next year.

“The J-20 engines will be replaced by the WS-15 once the checks are completed,” the source said, adding there would be no technological problems because the existing Russian and Chinese engines were a similar size and shape.

 
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Guess they finished the 2D nozzles. Coupled with the more powerful WS-15 engines to compensate for the added weight and to allow the plane to supercruise, why would China stop at only a few hundred J-20s? Estimates for the production run on a separate thread said 400 fighters. Why wouldn’t the PLAAF want to go for enough to match or overwhelm the potentially 1000+ stealth fighters being built around her, from the KFX/IFX, to Japanese F-3, to the US F-22 and NGFA, as well as all the operators of the F-35?

What’s the estimate of the J-20’s annual production run? It would have to be more than double the 30 a year I reckon is being done to reach the numbers being put out of nearly 200 by 2023-2025.


PS image for reference
1642649983685.jpeg

source:
 
Guess they finished the 2D nozzles. Coupled with the more powerful WS-15 engines to compensate for the added weight and to allow the plane to supercruise, why would China stop at only a few hundred J-20s? Estimates for the production run on a separate thread said 400 fighters. Why wouldn’t the PLAAF want to go for enough to match or overwhelm the potentially 1000+ stealth fighters being built around her, from the KFX/IFX, to Japanese F-3, to the US F-22 and NGFA, as well as all the operators of the F-35?


PS image for reference
View attachment 809981
source:
Mass production just started cause many things were not finalised for this plane, but no one should doubt China's ability on mass production once it started, China can easily outproduce anyone on this planet.
 

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