Zahid
Junior Member
Cross post from defense.pk
The source is said to be Janes. Notice the information about Engine technology, presumably used in WS-13.
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Dubai Airshow 2013: Pakistan looks to Block 3 variant of JF-17
Author:Reuben F Johnson, Dubai
Last posted:2013-Nov-22
At this year's Dubai Airshow officials from the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra discussed their plans for a future Block 3 variant of the Chengdu JF-17/FC-1 fighter now that the Block 2 model has a mature configuration. The aircraft is produced jointly by the PAC and Chengdu Aerospace Corporation in China.
"The Block 3 aircraft now exists in the form of a conceptual design and a list of mission requirements," said one of the senior Pakistan Air Force (PAF) officers assigned to the programme, "but no concrete decisions have been made about the choice and configuration of the onboard systems for the aircraft."
Despite proposals to replace the JF-17's existing radar and electronic warfare systems, the PAF officers who said they are happy with the performance of the aircraft's current Chinese systems and have no plans to replace these with other third-country alternatives. Specifically, the PAF expressed satisfaction with the radar set and the KG300G electronic warfare pod, both of which are produced by different institutes of the China Electronics Technology Corporation (CETC). These enterprises are co-located in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, along with Aircraft Plant No 132, which manufactures the JF-17.
However, if there is to be a series-produced FC-1 variant that is operated by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) the "rigid security protocols in China will not permit them to operate the aircraft with a common [to the Pakistani aircraft] set of onboard systems," said a Chinese industry specialist with inside knowledge of the programme.
One major JF-17 subsystem that has long been the subject of a possible replacement is the Russian-made Klimov/Sarkisov RD-93 jet engine: a modified version of Mikoyan's MiG-29 RD-33 power plant. Numerous stories over the years have discussed replacing this engine with the WS-13 engine produced by the Liyang Aeroengine Corporation (LYAC) in Guizhou, Guiyang Province.
However, there are again reports that technology bottlenecks continue to dog this and other Chinese military engine designs, "such as engine blades warping during high-g manoeuvres and sometimes complete failures of the compressor section", according to a Western intelligence officer posted in Beijing. "Additionally, the lack of fluency with such aviation materials technologies as powder metallurgy are another shortcoming that holds back Chinese progress in propulsion development," he said.
It is reported recently that more than USD700 million was to be invested into LYAC, part of which is presumably to be used to enhance the technological proficiency of the enterprise.
The PAF officer also elaborated on the appearance this year of a model of a two-seat version of the JF-17, but then added: "This was not developed primarily for use in Pakistan. As part of our plan to enhance the technological skills in our air force we have made a commitment to conduct flight training for the JF-17 with some very sophisticated and high-definition simulators. The two-seat variant has primarily been developed in order to meet the training requirements of export customers."
The same officer stated that there are "several nations interested in the JF-17, but they have not yet placed any orders. This is largely due to the current turmoil in the Middle East that has acted as a brake on procurement plans in some countries, but we see this as only a temporary setback".
JDW
The source is said to be Janes. Notice the information about Engine technology, presumably used in WS-13.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dubai Airshow 2013: Pakistan looks to Block 3 variant of JF-17
Author:Reuben F Johnson, Dubai
Last posted:2013-Nov-22
At this year's Dubai Airshow officials from the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra discussed their plans for a future Block 3 variant of the Chengdu JF-17/FC-1 fighter now that the Block 2 model has a mature configuration. The aircraft is produced jointly by the PAC and Chengdu Aerospace Corporation in China.
"The Block 3 aircraft now exists in the form of a conceptual design and a list of mission requirements," said one of the senior Pakistan Air Force (PAF) officers assigned to the programme, "but no concrete decisions have been made about the choice and configuration of the onboard systems for the aircraft."
Despite proposals to replace the JF-17's existing radar and electronic warfare systems, the PAF officers who said they are happy with the performance of the aircraft's current Chinese systems and have no plans to replace these with other third-country alternatives. Specifically, the PAF expressed satisfaction with the radar set and the KG300G electronic warfare pod, both of which are produced by different institutes of the China Electronics Technology Corporation (CETC). These enterprises are co-located in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, along with Aircraft Plant No 132, which manufactures the JF-17.
However, if there is to be a series-produced FC-1 variant that is operated by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) the "rigid security protocols in China will not permit them to operate the aircraft with a common [to the Pakistani aircraft] set of onboard systems," said a Chinese industry specialist with inside knowledge of the programme.
One major JF-17 subsystem that has long been the subject of a possible replacement is the Russian-made Klimov/Sarkisov RD-93 jet engine: a modified version of Mikoyan's MiG-29 RD-33 power plant. Numerous stories over the years have discussed replacing this engine with the WS-13 engine produced by the Liyang Aeroengine Corporation (LYAC) in Guizhou, Guiyang Province.
However, there are again reports that technology bottlenecks continue to dog this and other Chinese military engine designs, "such as engine blades warping during high-g manoeuvres and sometimes complete failures of the compressor section", according to a Western intelligence officer posted in Beijing. "Additionally, the lack of fluency with such aviation materials technologies as powder metallurgy are another shortcoming that holds back Chinese progress in propulsion development," he said.
It is reported recently that more than USD700 million was to be invested into LYAC, part of which is presumably to be used to enhance the technological proficiency of the enterprise.
The PAF officer also elaborated on the appearance this year of a model of a two-seat version of the JF-17, but then added: "This was not developed primarily for use in Pakistan. As part of our plan to enhance the technological skills in our air force we have made a commitment to conduct flight training for the JF-17 with some very sophisticated and high-definition simulators. The two-seat variant has primarily been developed in order to meet the training requirements of export customers."
The same officer stated that there are "several nations interested in the JF-17, but they have not yet placed any orders. This is largely due to the current turmoil in the Middle East that has acted as a brake on procurement plans in some countries, but we see this as only a temporary setback".
JDW
