The New WS-15 3D TVC Engine
The New WS-15 3D TVC Engine
The New WS-15 has 12 Nozzle Petals
The New WS-15 has 12 fuel nozzles in its Annular Afterburner Flameholder
The New WS-15 under going testing and evaluation.
1. In
Nov 8, 2018, a new video appeared in the Chinese internet showing a new Jet Engine with a stunning 3D Thrust Vectoring Nozzle (TVC).
2. This video
did not disclosed the model name for this Engine, and this has led to many people speculating that this is the latest version of the mysterious WS-15 engine intended for the J-20 stealth fighter.
3. We can see that this very modern looking, state of the art, innovative, high quality build Engine has three layers of nozzle petals, which is unseen in any of the previous Chinese, Russian, or American engines.
4. It also has
12 Nozzle petals, capable of pivoting in 3D.
5. Furthermore, it has
12 fuel nozzles in its Annular Afterburner Flameholder. The Russian AL-31 Engine has 11, and the Chinese WS-10 has 10.
6. This innovative Engine
has not been spotted in any of the J-20 stealth fighter, yet.
7. The current WS-15 engine, which has been powering the J-20, since the beginning of the test flights in Jan 2011, has 11 Nozzle petals and 11 fuel nozzles in the afterburner flameholder.
8. Although, it looks like the Russian
AL-31 engine, but it has been clearly shown in more than one picture that it is a
3D TVC Engine.
9. With such innovative
WS-15 3D TVC Engine in development and testing, it is no wonder that the PLAAF has decided to keep the current J-20 in low serial trial production run.
10. They are probably waiting for this new Engine for the large production serial run, in the range of
100 J-20 aircraft per year.
11. This is the video link showing the new WS-15 3D TVC Engine.
If this is all from the same source with the retarded 5 WS-15s in 2026, then the whole thing is suspect.
This 5 engine forecast from 2020-2026 is for this company's
20% market share of the WS-15 production. This new company was formed in 2006. It is not the only company which will supply the same components.
This indicate the current total production is 25 engines, which is inline with our knowledge that J-20 is is still in low serial production run.
I don't think the analyst who produced the sales forecast report knows the PLAAF High Command's plan's actual production figure for 2026. So, it is a good idea to take low number of 5 engines for 2026, with generous amount of salts.