The Chengdu J-20 (or "Mighty Dragon") is a twinjet, all-weather stealth fighter plane. It was designed by the Chengdu Aerospace Corporation and is used by the People's Liberation Army Air Force. The next generation of stealth fighters is capable of performing many missions.
WS-15 engine
China is working on a stronger engine for the J-20 stealth plane fighter. The J-20's current engine is insufficient and has a very limited life expectancy. The WS-15 engine could replace the existing engine and make it a better fighter. The WS-15 will be ready to fly the J-20 in 2020. This engine's improved performance and maneuverability should compensate for the J-20's shortcomings. China may be closer to developing a fighter engine that is as powerful and reliable as other world leaders.
The WS-15 engine is capable of producing a maximum thrust of 180 kilonewtons. This is comparable to the F135 engine which powers Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. A J-20B is capable of being propelled at Mach 1.8-2.2cruising speed by the WS-15 motor. This speed would be comparable with the US F-22.
Despite all the difficulties that the WS-15 engine faces, China is moving quickly to develop a turbofan engine for its J-20s. The WS-15 engine's wet thrust rating is 180kN. China is expected to purchase the T-50 engine in order to accelerate their engine development program. In the meantime, the PLAAF is using the WS-10/Taihang engines in its initial airframe tests. This engine is also being tested by the Chinese on their Y-20 large transport plane.
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. Initial evaluations have already been completed and Chinese engineers believe that the engine can perform as well as the Russian AL-31F. Chinese engineers also plan to upgrade the J-20's engines with thrust vectoring technology this year, which will help them get closer to the US F-22 Raptor.
Chinese Air Force confirmed the deployment of J-20 fighters in the East China Sea/Taiwan Strait. Four brigades will consist of 150 fighters. This deployment is expected to be accompanied by simulated dogfight drills. These drills are expected to be regular training exercises for PLA fighter jet pilots.
China has already installed WS-10C engines on some F-35 stealth planes. Chinese engineers claimed that the new engines would be as powerful and efficient as the Pratt & Whitney F119 F-22 Raptor. The new WS-10C engines will not be installed on J-20 aircraft until the latter part of 2018.
China's WS-10C Engine will enable it carry out intense patrols over South China Sea. This could cause claimant countries to react beyond their capability, which could lead miscalculations and fatigue as well as equipment loss. The new engine also enables the J-20 to carry out long-range strikes far from Chinese air bases. The original J-20 prototypes came with smaller engines than the current version, which left them vulnerable to US fighters and dogfights.