As China reaches an agreement with Russia to
buy Sukhoi Su-35 fighters, the domestic J-20
fighter program might have developed problems
that China cannot solve on its own anytime soon. Seemingly prompted by the well publicized Su-35
deal, photos of the second J-20 prototype
undergoing flight tests became easily available on
Chinese websites recently, likely to assure the
public that the J-20 program is proceeding well.
This aircraft made its first flight last May. The first prototype made its maiden flight in January
2011, grabbing much international attention. It
made more than 60 additional flights that year. A
third J-20 prototype is believed to exist, but only
for ground and lab tests. The recent J-20 photos featured white circles on
the fuselage of No. 2002. These are thought to be
markings for optical measurements of the
airplane from the ground or from another
aircraft, as is routine in new combat aircraft
development. Some unofficial Chinese commentators concluded that J-20 weapons
systems tests had begun, marking an
important milestone. In contrast to the optimism based on a few
photos, however, the fact that China has yet to
succeed in developing a powerful engine for the
J-20the much-expected WS15tells a different
story. Of the two J-20 prototypes that have been
made known to the public, one is powered by the Russian-made AL31FN and the other by the
domestically built WS10G. The Chinese version of
the Su-27SK, the J-11, is powered by the WS10A.
Many observers believe that a strong incentive
for China to buy the Su-35 is the airplanes 117S
engine, an AL31 derivative. According to some estimates, the J-20 program
will take at least six years to complete, meaning
that the J-20 would not become operational until
2017. But deliveries of 24 Su-35s and an
unknown number of spare engines are expected
to start in 2015, granting China time to cash in on new Russian technology gained from that
program. As some Russian officials have noted, it
would take China a long time to copy the Su-35, a
process that ostensibly would not be cost-
effective for China. What China urgently needs is
a technical breakthrough in the development of fighter jet engines. China does not seem so deficient in radar
technology, and the Russian Irbis-E radar of the
Su-35, though ranked among the worlds best,
might not be something the Chinese are
desperate to acquire.
http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...hinas-j-20-fighter-might-need-russian-engines