JF-17/FC-1 Fighter Aircraft thread
- Thread starter johnqh
- Start date
What happened to JF-17s being equipped with WS-13 engines ?
I'm interested in that too and also if block 1-2s will recieve WS-13, PL-10, HMD etc.
I hate to tell you this but the WS-13 engine doesn't exist. It has been talked about for nearly a decade and there isn't even a photo of that engine online. No one has ever seen that engine. Its just a rumour.
However a future Chinese engine for the JF-17 Thunder could be the WS-19 that is now being tested for the J-35 stealth fighter. That is a engine in the class of the GE F-414. If the JF-17 Thunder can get that engine one day it will give it a huge boost to its performance.
lcloo
Captain
Well, I found an image of a list of Chinese engines posted in 2012 in CJDBY. It include WS-13 which is basically a copy of RD-93 with improvement done by Guizhou Aeroengine Development Institute (which I think is probably an insurance in case of disruption in engine supply from Russian).
The commonly accepted reason why WS-13 was not developed futher or put into production is because (1) Pakistan prefer to use Russian engine for logistic reasons and (2) WS-19 has progressed well which rendered WS-13 uncompetitive in FC-31/ J35 engine requirement.
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WS-13 does exist, but to our knowledge it is not in any particular widespread use and we do not know what it looks like.
Big difference between that and "not existing".
I think to say the WS-13 "doesn't exist" is a bolt statement and IMO most likely wrong, we have too much evidence for its existence. However we indeed have barely any images, confirmed facts and as such it can be assumed, regardless if it ever was planned as an alternative to the DR-93 it failed in this regard.
