Local time on April 22nd, according to an article titled "F35 Stealth Fighter Faces a Problem: China Is Accelerating the Production of More and More J-20 Fighters" published by the US-based "1945" website, China is mass-producing the J-20 "Vigorous Dragon" stealth fighter, with more than 200 currently in service with the Chinese Air Force, and approximately 100 more are expected to be delivered this year. The article also mentioned that more than 12 air brigades of the Chinese Air Force have been equipped with J-20 fighters. However, in 2022, China only had about 40 J-20 stealth fighters, meaning that nearly 200 were delivered between 2023 and 2024, surpassing expectations.

Report from the US-based "1945" website

It will quickly replace the outdated J-11 and Su-27 third-generation fighters to enhance the overall combat capability of the Chinese Air Force. Additionally, the Chinese Air Force is expected to receive over 100 aircraft in 2025, bringing the total number of J-20 "Vigorous Dragon" stealth fighters to between 300 and 400. This will make the J-20 "Vigorous Dragon" stealth fighter the most mass-produced fifth-generation heavy fighter in the world, surpassing the 187 F-22 "Raptor" stealth fighters (currently around 181 in service) of the United States, as well as Russia's 27 Su-57s.

At the same time, it has made China the second-largest country in terms of the number of fifth-generation fighters, just behind the United States. The United States currently has 181 F-22 "Raptor" and 672 F-35A/B/C "Lightning" stealth fighters, totaling 853. Russia's Su-57 has not yet achieved large-scale production; since the first batch of production models were delivered in 2020, only 27 have been delivered so far. The "1945" website's report also mentioned that the J-20 "Vigorous Dragon" stealth fighter entered service in 2017 and began mass production in 2019. By 2030, its scale is expected to reach 1000 aircraft, meaning that the Chinese Air Force will need to accept at least 700 J-20s over the next five years, averaging around 140 per year. This production volume actually exceeds the current delivery rate of approximately 100 F-35s for the United States.

However, whether the Chinese Air Force needs such a large number of J-20s and whether the delivery speed is too fast remains questionable. After all, the number of third-generation fighters in the Chinese Air Force has already exceeded 1000, and there are still increases. The J-35A is also about to start mass production. If by 2030 the Chinese Air Force truly equips 1000 J-20s, the total scale of the fighter fleet might reach around 2500, which would double the current scale. Even the U.S. Air Force has not reached such a large scale. Therefore, we can only refer to the estimates made by this website, and the actual annual production and total number of J-20s remain highly confidential, with almost all data being mere speculation.

In addition, the "1945" website also mentioned that the J-20 "Vigorous Dragon," as the first fifth-generation stealth fighter equipped by the Chinese Air Force, integrates almost all of China's cutting-edge technologies. It is equipped with advanced sensors, radar systems, weapon systems, and excellent stealth performance, making its comprehensive capabilities comparable to those of the U.S. F-22 "Raptor" stealth fighter. Furthermore, the website mentioned that after equipping the latest WS-15 engine, its power level may surpass both the F-35 and F-22, offering faster flight speeds and maneuverability. They believe that the maximum thrust of the WS-15 will exceed 15 tons, outperforming the current WS-10C engine. Once equipped, the WS-15 will completely solve the power issues of the J-20, enabling it to possess supersonic cruise and super-maneuverability capabilities.

WS-10C equipped on the J-20

Compared to the U.S. and Russia, China has long been in a relatively backward position in the field of aviation engines. Its domestically produced engines did not fully摆脱dependence on Russia's AL31F series engines until the J-10C replaced the WS-10B. China relied on the AL31F series engines from the 1990s until around 2020, a period of over 20 years. This was also a helpless situation for the Chinese Air Force. When the J-10 project was initiated, the Chinese Air Force originally planned to equip it with the domestic WS-10 engine, which was also developed at the time of the J-10 project's initiation. However, entering the 1990s, with the continuous advancement of the J-10 project, the development of the WS-10 encountered a series of technical bottlenecks, falling far behind the progress of the J-10 project. If the engine issue could not be resolved, the entire development schedule would be delayed by several years.

AL31FN engine equipped on the J-10A

At this time, coinciding with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, China's relations with Russia improved. Russia continued to fulfill the export contract for the Su-27 fighter jets signed during the Soviet era and authorized China to produce the Su-27 under license. Facing a lack of orders and stagnation due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russian defense industries needed more funds to sustain their development. Thus, while agreeing to export Su-27s to China, Russia also authorized China to produce them. Leveraging the close relationship with Russia at the time, China introduced a large number of AL31F engines from Russia to serve as the power source for the J-10, solving the problem of having no engines available. As a result, the J-10 prototype that flew on March 23, 1998, was equipped with an AL31F engine from Russia, and subsequent mass-produced models were also equipped with this engine, including the Su-27 produced under license in China by Russia.

Su-27

The development of the domestic WS-10 series engines accelerated after entering the 21st century and finally embarked on a stable track. Between 2000 and 2005, a series of testing activities were carried out and installed on the J-11 for testing, but the results were not ideal, with multiple incidents such as in-flight shutdowns and broken turbine blades. The service life and thrust also fell far short of the AL31F engine's standards. From 2006 to 2010, it was used in small batches on the J-11B, but technical problems prevented it from replacing the AL31F engine. It wasn't until 2010 when the J-11BS was officially commissioned that the technical issues of the WS-10A were largely resolved, although problems such as short service life, high fuel consumption, and insufficient thrust remained. At the time, external estimates suggested that the service life of the WS-10A was only about 30 hours, far below the AL31F engine's 400 hours.

Early testing of the WS-10 on the J-11

It wasn't until the emergence of the WS-10B that this series of engines truly met the conditions for large-scale mass production and equipment. In 2021, the J-10C, equipped with the WS-10B engine, entered service, marking the full replacement of the AL31F engine and the official entry of domestically produced engines into a stable phase. It completely broke away from dependence on Russia and was later exported to Pakistan, where its excellent performance received praise from the Pakistani Air Force. After the WS-10B was mass-produced, it was widely equipped on later models such as the J-11BS, J-15, and J-16. The optimized version, the WS-10C, was equipped on the J-20. Initially, the J-20 was equipped with the AL31F engine; compared to the WS-10B, the WS-10C increased thrust, and the engine nozzle underwent stealth processing, significantly reducing radar and infrared signatures.

Turbofan 10B equipped on the J-16

From its inception to the full replacement of domestic fighter jets, the development of the WS-10 has been full of twists and turns, taking nearly 30 years. Its progress lagged behind the J-10 fighter by more than 10 years. Without the arrival of the AL31F engine, China's fighter jet development might have been delayed by many years. However, for now, although the WS-10C has been equipped on the J-20 stealth fighter, this is still not the ideal power system; it is merely a transitional model. Two important indicators of a fifth-generation fighter are super-maneuverability and supersonic cruise capability, placing higher demands on the engine.

WS-10C

Therefore, following the initiation of the J-20 project, the WS-15 engine, designed to accompany it, was also initiated. External speculation suggests that the WS-15 project began in the 1990s, but it faced the same problems as the J-10 and WS-10—the pace of aircraft development surpassed that of the engine, resulting in the WS-15 not being equipped or used to date. However, after entering 2020, images of what appeared to be the WS-15-equipped J-20 undergoing tests have surfaced on the internet, indicating that the WS-15 is expected to be equipped on the J-20 soon.

Prior images suspected to show the WS-15 being tested on the J-20

For now, however, the exact level of thrust of the WS-15 remains unknown. The "1945" website reported that it is approximately 15 tons, but earlier estimates suggested around 16 tons. We can confirm that the thrust level of the WS-15 will be higher than the WS-10C, with a longer service life. The maximum thrust of the WS-10C is estimated externally to be around 14.2 tons, representing a noticeable increase in thrust and extended service life. Let us compare this with the F-22 "Raptor" of the United States, whose F-119 engine has a maximum thrust of approximately 15.6 tons. The AL41 (Product 117) engine currently equipped on Russia's Su-57 has a maximum thrust of approximately 15 tons. The Product 30 engine currently under development is rumored to have a maximum thrust of up to 18 tons.

F-22 equipped with F-119

Thus, the thrust level of the WS-15 will roughly match that of the F-119 engine and AL41 (Product 117), or perhaps even have a slight advantage. Coupled with the J-20 "Vigorous Dragon" design featuring a canard configuration, which provides greater lift, and the more advanced digital fly-by-wire system, once equipped with the WS-20 engine, the maneuverability of the J-20 will not fall short of the F-22 "Raptor" fighter. As for the F-35 "Lightning" stealth fighter, despite its F-135 engine having a thrust of up to 19 tons, its positioning as a multirole joint strike fighter requires it to meet various tasks such as air superiority, ground attack, and electronic warfare. This design prevents it from focusing solely on maneuverability like dedicated air superiority fighters such as the F-22. To accommodate advanced radar, electronic equipment, and internal weapon bays, the aircraft's design is relatively bulky, leading it to be popularly referred to as "Fat Lightning," with average maneuverability. Its maximum speed is only Mach 1.6, far below the Mach 2+ speeds of the J-20, F-22, and Su-57, which are specialized for aerial combat. Therefore, the WS-15 is crucial for the Chinese Air Force. It enhances not only the maneuverability of the J-20 but also reflects the overall improvement in China's aviation industry, marking an important milestone in China's progress toward world-class levels in aviation engine development. It lays a solid foundation for the development of the next generation of engines and combat aircraft, with far-reaching significance.

F-35 equipped with F-135

Note: All data sources are from the internet and provided for reference only!

(Written by Qianwangzhe on April 21, 2025. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. Plagiarism will be pursued!)

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7495965661752082983/

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