New Engine: Did China’s J-20 Fighter Just Get A Lot More Dangerous?

[beijingwalker]

New Engine: Did China’s J-20 Fighter Just Get A Lot More Dangerous?​

By Maya Carlin
September 12 2023

J-20 Stealth Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The J-20 Gets a Big Upgrade: In late August, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carried out military drills around Taiwan. Beijing expressed that these joint naval-air and combat readiness patrols are meant as a “serious warning” to Taipei. Tensions between China and the island nation have escalated in recent months, and fears of a confrontation have grown.

If the PLA is directed to attack Taiwan, its aerial capabilities will front the effort. Beijing’s most advanced fighter is the Chengdu J-20, a capable airframe that is a direct competitor to America’s own fifth-generation F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.

A Brief Overview of the J-20 Mighty Dragon​

China’s drive to modernize its air force is in full swing. In order to compete with America’s air superiority platforms and its overall aerial dominance, Beijing has allocated significant funds to design advanced platforms.

China’s J-20 “Mighty Dragon” derived from the J-XX program in the 1990s. Manufacturers Chengdu and Shenyang proposed designs for Beijing’s fifth-generation platform. The PLA Air Force ultimately chose Chengdu’s smaller model to enter production.

The J-20 was in part conceptualized to match and perhaps surpass America’s aerial abilities. Although the Mighty Dragon has formidable attributes, Western analysts are not convinced its true capabilities live up to Chinese officials’ promises.

Regardless, China’s naval and aerial prowess is undeniably growing. The U.S. cannot slow its own efforts to modernize as tensions rise between Beijing and Washington.

Should the U.S. Worry?​

Over the summer, the PLAAF appeared to give the J-20 a serious upgrade.

Just days after the Paris Air Show, videos circulated depicting a J-20 equipped with two Woshan-15 (WS-15) engines. According to Beijing, these indigenous engines provide a far greater range and payload performance for the Mighty Dragon than the jet’s previous Russian-designed AL-31FN engine.

While the new engine could be a step up, it might not be as powerful as Beijing asserts. Last year, an analyst from the Yuan Wang military think tank in Beijing reported that the engine powering the F-35 remains at least 10 years ahead of the WS-15. Additionally, “China has so far just matched the American engines in some areas, but not in overall performance. It’s also not meaningful to emphasize one area, because military confrontation is about a competition of systems and a contest of joint operational capabilities.”

The Mighty Dragon can carry half a dozen missiles in its main bay and two lateral bays.

American officials are also confident that the jet is capable of beyond visual range engagements, meaning they could lock on to an enemy airframe and launch a missile from 100 miles away, instead of dogfighting.

Other details surrounding the J-20 remain scarce. While some industry experts have dismissed the Chinese fighter as “nothing to worry about,” the airframe’s advanced features showcase a huge leap forward for Beijing’s avionics.

New Engine: Did China's J-20 Fighter Just Get a Lot More Dangerous?

Just days after the Paris Air Show, videos circulated depicting a J-20 equipped with two Woshan-15 (WS-15) engines.

www.19fortyfive.com

 

[NG Missile Vessels]

When Chinese said they have built a stealth fighter, I was naturally curious. When I saw it there was Mig 1.44 finger prints all over it. This is not new for China I thought. They bought Lavi fighter jet design and made J10. I wouldn't be surprised if they did the same with J20. However, this new stealth plane is freaking huge. No wonder they needed to have those canards on the front for additional lift. If USAF with all their experience are having trouble operating stealth fighters in terms of cost then you bet Chinese would be having problems too not only in terms of cost but also technology. There is no way J20 would be effective without powerful engines. Even with powerful engines J20 cannot go super sonic for long periods of time. Going supersonic for long periods will result in structural damage and loss of stealth capabilities. This is a problem in F-35 too.
Former USAF pilots called F-35 a fat whale when it was in the design and production phase. These guys grew up in the era of dog fights. So they didn't really catch up on the technological progress. F-35 sure is a huge *** plane. But the plane is packed with sensors and all sorts of goodies for a pilot to never engage in a dog fight. Even then F-35 is way too expensive to operate even for USAF. It costs $30,000 - $35,000 per hour to operate F-35. And USAF wants to induct 2,500 F-35's by 2040.
The other factors like J-20 only having frontal stealth and whether their avionics, sensor fusion, AESA radar are up to the standards of 5th generation fighters? We don't have much idea on those. Operating J20 in many different climatic conditions must also be a pain the *** I reckon

 

[beijingwalker]

When Chinese said they have built a stealth fighter, I was naturally curious. When I saw it there was Mig 1.44 finger prints all over it. This is not new for China I thought. They bought Lavi fighter jet design and made J10. I wouldn't be surprised if they did the same with J20. However, this new stealth plane is freaking huge. No wonder they needed to have those canards on the front for additional lift. If USAF with all their experience are having trouble operating stealth fighters in terms of cost then you bet Chinese would be having problems too not only in terms of cost but also technology. There is no way J20 would be effective without powerful engines. Even with powerful engines J20 cannot go super sonic for long periods of time. Going supersonic for long periods will result in structural damage and loss of stealth capabilities. This is a problem in F-35 too.
Former USAF pilots called F-35 a fat whale when it was in the design and production phase. These guys grew up in the era of dog fights. So they didn't really catch up on the technological progress. F-35 sure is a huge *** plane. But the plane is packed with sensors and all sorts of goodies for a pilot to never engage in a dog fight. Even then F-35 is way too expensive to operate even for USAF. It costs $30,000 - $35,000 per hour to operate F-35. And USAF wants to induct 2,500 F-35's by 2040.
The other factors like J-20 only having frontal stealth and whether their avionics, sensor fusion, AESA radar are up to the standards of 5th generation fighters? We don't have much idea on those. Operating J20 in many different climatic conditions must also be a pain the *** I reckon

That's a lot of words to say jealousy.

 

[PakAlp]

J20 is fantastic fighting machine, even if its 80% as good as the F20/F35. It can certainly challenge any fighter jet around the world, plus its packed with pretty lethal missiles. Regarding the engine, China is making home made engines, which was difficult to imagine a few decades back. Quiet a remarkable achievement

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

China's development is Pak's gain...