The WS-15 (), codename

Emei Mount Emei (; ), alternately Mount Omei, is a mountain in Sichuan Province, China, and is the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China. Mount Emei sits at the western rim of the Sichuan Basin. The mountains west of it are know ...

, is a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

afterburning An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and combat ...

turbofan The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which ac ...

engine designed by the

Shenyang Aeroengine Research Institute Shenyang Aeroengine Research Institute (; or 606 Institute) is a Chinese aeroengine design institute of the Aero Engine Corporation of China. In the past, it has partnered with Shenyang Aircraft Corporation in developing military aircraft engines ...

and manufactured by the

Xi'an Aero-Engine Corporation Xi'an Aero-Engine Corporation (XAEC, ) is one of the major aircraft engine designers and manufacturers in China, originally established in 2001. It along with its parent company (via the Xihang Group), Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation, is af ...

. The WS-15 is intended to power and enable supercruising on the

Chengdu J-20 The Chengdu J-20 (), also known as ''Mighty Dragon'' (), is a twinjet all-weather stealth fighter aircraft developed by China's Chengdu Aerospace Corporation for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The J-20 is designed as an air ...

Design and development

Development of the WS-15

engine began in the early 1990s. In 2005, the engine performed successfully on the

testbed A testbed (also spelled test bed) is a platform for conducting rigorous, transparent, and replicable testing of scientific theories, computational tools, and new technologies. The term is used across many disciplines to describe experimental rese ...

. An image of the core appeared at the 2006

China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (), also known as the Airshow China () or Zhuhai Airshow (), is the largest airshow and aerospace trade expo in China. It has been held in even years in Zhuhai, Guangdong since 1996. Hist ...

. In 2009, a prototype achieved and a

thrust-to-weight ratio Thrust-to-weight ratio is a dimensionless ratio of thrust to weight of a rocket, jet engine, propeller engine, or a vehicle propelled by such an engine that is an indicator of the performance of the engine or vehicle. The instantaneous thrust-to-w ...

of 9. The thrust target was reported as in 2012. In March 2022, Chinese state media reported that the J-20 had performed trials with the engine and experienced significantly improved performance.

Specifications

References

External links

WS-15
{{People's Republic of China military aeroengines Low-bypass turbofan engines 2000s turbofan engines

Design and development

Specifications

See also

References

External links