The Chengdu J-20, also known as "Mighty Dragon", is a twinjet stealth fighter aircraft. The Chengdu Aerospace Corporation developed it for the People's Liberation Army Air Force. This stealth fighter aircraft is capable in a variety missions.
WS-15 Engine
China is working to create a stronger engine for its J-20 stealth fighter aircraft. The J-20 engine is outdated and has a limited lifespan. The WS-15 engine can replace the current engine, making it a better fighter. The WS-15 will be ready to fly the J-20 in 2020. This engine will be able to overcome the limitations of the J-20. China may be closer to developing a fighter engine that is as powerful and reliable as other world leaders.
Maximum thrust is 180 kilonewtons for the WS-15 engines. This thrust is equivalent to that produced by the F135 motor, which powers Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The WS-15 can propel a J-20B to Mach 1.8 and 2.2 at cruise speed. This speed would match the US F-22.
Despite all the problems that the WS-15 engines face, China is working quickly to create a turbofan motor for its J-20s. The WS-15 engine is capable of generating 180kN wet thrust. China is expected to purchase the T-50 engine in order to accelerate their engine development program. PLAAF is testing the WS-10/Taihang WS-10 engines in its first airframe tests. This engine is being used by the Chinese to test it on their Y-20 large-transport aircraft.
The WS-15 Engine is a mature engine. It has undergone many ground trials and passed numerous tests. It could be used in the production of J-20 once these trials are complete.
WS-10C Engine
China is planning to replace the Russian engine in the J-20 'Mighty Dragon' fighter aircraft with a domestically-made WS-10C engine. This engine has already passed initial evaluations and Chinese engineers believe it can match the performance of the Russian AL-31F engine. Chinese engineers are also working to update the J-20s' engine with thrust vectoring technology. This will make them more comparable to the US F-22 Raptor.
Chinese Air Force has confirmed that the J-20 fighters will be deployed to East China Sea and Taiwan Strait. They will be equipped with four brigades consisting of 150 fighters. The deployment will likely be accompanied with simulated dogfight drills. These exercises are intended to be regular training for PLA fighter jet pilots.
China has already replaced some F-35 stealth aircraft with WS-10C engine. Chinese engineers said the engines would be as powerful than the Pratt & Whitney F119 F-22 Raptor. The new WS-10C engine won't be installed on all J-20 aircraft before the end of 2018.
China's WS-10C engine, which will allow it to conduct intensive patrols in the South China Sea, will be able to do so. This could lead to claims states having to respond to claims beyond their capabilities. The J-20 is also able to conduct long-range strikes that are far from Chinese bases with the new engine. Original J-20 prototypes used less powerful engines which made them more susceptible to fighting with US fighters.