Chinese Engine Development

latenlazy

Brigadier
Put TVC on WS-13 for J-31 makes more sense as it is more useful in a conventional aircraft. WS-15 on J-20 may not need TVC at all (if PLAF want to use every drop of the thrust), but a bonus if post-stall performance is desired.
If the J-20 gets TVC I suspect it will be more for high altitude maneuverability, since the effectiveness of control surfaces drop in thinner atmosphere.
 

szbd

Junior Member
Ok, if that is the case, J-20 with a 2-axial TVC can provide both vertical and horizontal maneuver while F-22's TVC can only provide vertical maneuver.
Aerodynamic surfaces have far better efficiency than TVC, so you only need TVC when you have no other way out.
 

szbd

Junior Member
Not in all flight regimes.
Well, you have to take the TVC in all flight regimes and vertical TVC can work together with aerodynamic surfaces. So it's far more useful than horizontal ones. It's about if it's worthy to have 2-axis TVC not about technology level.
 

Inst

Captain
More ITR from any means, including TVC, reduces the NEZ of enemy supermaneuverable missiles. Adding further ITR to the J-20 via TVC means that if it's detected and locked by IR missiles, it should be able to reduce their lethal range by enhancing its ITR maneuverability.

Likewise, a J-20 with TVC can use TVC to control trim, instead of using its canards, which create canard deflection of frontal control surfaces, and long-term, the J-20 can lose its tailfins to become a quasi-6th gen aircraft.
 
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