The Chengdu J-20, or "Mighty Dragon", twinjet stealth fighter is called. The Chengdu Aerospace Corporation designed it for the People's Liberation Army Air Force. This aircraft can perform a wide range of missions, and it is the next generation stealth fighter plane.
WS-15 engine
China is trying to develop a more powerful engine for the J-20 stealth fighter plane. The J-20's current engine is insufficient and has a very limited life expectancy. The WS-15 could replace the engine and make it a much better fighter. The WS-15 engine should be ready to go for the J-20 before the end of 2020. This engine's superior performance and maneuverability will make up for any shortcomings in the J-20. China could be able to catch up with other nations in terms fighter engine development by using this engine.
Maximum thrust is 180 kilonewtons for the WS-15 engines. This is comparable to the F135 engine 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 be comparable to the US F-22.
Despite all the difficulties faced by the WS-15, China is making rapid progress to develop a turbofan turbine 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. PLAAF has been testing the WS-10/Taihang engine in its initial airframe tests. This engine has also been tested by the Chinese using their Y-20 large transportation aircraft.
The WS-15 engine has been tested and proven to be reliable. Once these trials are complete, it could be incorporated into the production of the J-20.
WS-10C motor
China plans to replace the Russian engine on 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 confirmed they would be sending J-20 fighters into the East China Sea or Taiwan Strait. The fighters will be equipped in four brigades of 150 fighters. This deployment is expected to be accompanied by simulated dogfight drills. These drills are meant to be part of regular training for pilots of PLA fighter planes.
China has already upgraded some of its F-35 stealth fighters with WS-10C engines. Chinese engineers claimed the new engines could be used in fourth-generation aircraft. However, the new WS-10C will not be fitted to all J-20 planes until late 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 cause claimant countries to react beyond their capability, which could lead miscalculations and fatigue as well as equipment loss. This engine allows the J-20 to launch long-range strikes away from Chinese airbases. The original J-20 prototypes came with smaller engines than the current version, which left them vulnerable to US fighters and dogfights.