Reporter Cai Shaojian / comprehensive report
The People’s Liberation Army’s “J-20” fighter jet has been replaced with two Chinese-made “WS-15” engines and has completed its first test flight.
According to “The Drive” (The Drive) report, related photos and videos have been circulated on the Internet, and a J-20 test aircraft can be seen successfully taking off from the runway.
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▼It can be seen in the video that a test aircraft took off successfully. (Picture/Twitter)
To judge whether the J-20 has been replaced with a turbofan-15 engine, the quickest way is to observe the exhaust nozzle. However, due to the low quality of the video and photos, it is difficult to fully confirm whether it is really equipped with a turbofan-15 engine.
German expert Andreas Rupprecht said on Twitter that when he saw the video circulating on the Internet, his first thought was that the sound of the engine was different from that of the WS-10, and it was more of a dull, deep rumble.
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It is worth noting that it can be seen from a photo that there is a red cloth strip hanging next to the test machine with the word “15” on it, which is reminiscent of Turbofan-15.
▼There is a red cloth strip hanging beside the testing machine, which means a lot of celebration. (Picture/Twitter)
According to foreign media reports, the development of the WS-15 can be traced back to the 1990s, but Chinese officials have not disclosed too many details. The media and experts speculate that the thrust of WS-15 can reach at least 36,000 pounds, and the ultimate goal is to reach 40,000 pounds.
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In addition, some experts believe that compared to completing the test flight, what is more curious is whether the J-20 equipped with WS-15 can unlock the ability of supersonic cruise, and whether the maneuverability will be substantially improved.
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2023-06-30 08:50:00
