maybe you don't check latest update and information..
WS-15 entered in LRIP stage, means small scale production has begun and it's been few months already. officially confirmed by AECC.
neither WS-10C is inferior engine.
J-20 5th Gen Fighter Thread VIII
- Thread starter Blitzo
- Start date
WS-15 entered in LRIP stage, means small scale production has begun and it's been few months already. officially confirmed by AECC.
neither WS-10C is inferior engine.
Always better to have more than fewer over the same span of time.
All J-20s produced for PLA service since 2019 are equipped with WS-10s.
Only essentially the first batch of J-20s were powered by Al-31s.
J-20 with WS-10s are already very capable and more importantly means they can develop TTPs for 5th gen fighters, as well as enables development of further blocks of J-20s powered by WS-10s (i.e. the most recent J-20s produced have meaningful upgrades over earlier J-20s produced).
Given how big the demand of 5th gen fighters for the PLA will be, it absolutely makes sense to ramp up J-20 production and pursue large scale service even if WS-15 is not ready for mass production. If anything, ramping up J-20 production with WS-10s means they may be able to more easily transition to large scale production of J-20A with WS-15s (assuming WS-15 capacity isn't a limiting factor, and if it is a limiting factor then they can produce J-20s with WS-10s to ensure they use up the available production slots).
Putting it more simply: it is not a mistake. If anything, it they had waited to ramp up production until WS-15 was ready, now *THAT* would have been a massive strategic mistake.
Will the slots for engines interchangeable??
As discussed before, probably not in terms of J-20 fuselages. They can probably only fit WS-10 (or Al-31).
J-20A may be able to be fitted with WS-10 or WS-15.
What's the J-20A super-cruise capability after fuselage & WS-15 upgrade?
Think it's fine to assume that it will be able to super-cruise without afterburners (moreover, over a long period, and not some kind of 'brief' supercruise with no afterburners).
There is a “cheating” form of supercruise where the aircraft goes supersonic via afterburners, turns it off, and keep coasting on military thrust. Eurofighter, F-35, Su-35, and the J-10C supposedly could do it. No reason why J-20 with AL-31/WS-10 couldn’t.
I dind't know that about the J-10C before (or probably have forgetten about it). Could you provide a reputable source?
As per the questions above, they were talking about genuine supercruise where an aircraft is able to achieve supersonic speeds without afterburners in any capacity and for a sustained period, specifically whether the WS-15 powered J-20A can do so, and naturally the reasonable answer is yes.
Whether J-20 with Al-31/WS-10 is able to do "cheating" supercruise or not... who knows, but it is also irrelevant to the question and it's probably better to not even bring it up in context of what they asked.