J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter
Beijing - China reportedly insists on strengthening the capabilities of the J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter. This was reported by the Eurasian Times in light of China's desire to match and challenge the capabilities of the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet.
Therefore, China is often accused of espionage and stealing US military technology, especially the F-22 Raptor, which is considered the most powerful air superiority fighter in the world. Although China denies all these claims, the Eurasian Times reports that Beijing has made efforts to match the capabilities of America's fifth-generation stealth jets, the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor.
Even as geopolitical tensions heat up in the Asia-Pacific region. It's now clear how China is determined to start upgrading its most advanced stealth fighter jet, the J-20 Mighty Dragon, this year to bring its performance closer to the American F-22 Raptor.
The performance of the J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter is believed to be limited due to the use of the WS-10C engine, a stop-gap arrangement. The WS-10C is an advanced variant of the basic WS-10 engine used on other fighter aircraft in the PLA Air Force inventory.
Also Read: Unexpectedly It Turns Out That This Smartwatch Can Be Used In Scuba Diving And It Has Been Proven Effective The WS-1OC engine is a technology that Chinese engineers have been working on for two decades. It was first shown at the 2018 Zhuhai air show.
In the long term, the J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter will be integrated with the WS-15 engine to match the F-22 Raptors fighter jet. A few days ago, speculative reports surfaced that the J-20 was flying with the WS-15 engine to test its capabilities.
The assessment was apparently based on several leaked photos. The report suggested that the J-20 Mighty Dragon flew with WS-15 and WS-10 engines. However, it cannot be independently verified.
The WS-15 has been in the works for a while now, with the aim of powering the J-20 Mighty Dragon as well as the J-31 fifth-generation stealth aircraft (FC-31), but a series of failed tests and evaluations has caused a number of problems.
This is the reason why China chose to integrate the WS-10C engine and is now upgrading it. The 2021 Pentagon report on the Chinese PLA submitted to the US Congress has stated that Beijing is working on upgrading the J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter jet.
The report later revealed that with the installation of the original WS-15 engine, China added "supercruise" capabilities to its J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter jets, such as the F-22.
Thrust-vector technology allows the Raptor to change the direction of engine thrust, allowing it to perform sudden maneuvers that previous generation aircraft could not.
Chinese engineers have been working on the WS-15's high-thrust engine to allow their most advanced fighter to reduce the distance to US warplanes. As of now, all WS-10C engines installed on the J-20 Mighty Dragon will be given capabilities that can match the capabilities of the F-22 Raptor fighter jet.
As such, it becomes increasingly clear that the maneuverability and stealth of the J-20 Mighty Dragon will be improved. The J-20 Mighty Dragon performance improvement project aims to meet the PLA's intensive training demands, as it already has plans to deploy around 200 J-20s.
State broadcaster China Central Television aired footage this week of a PLAAF J-20 Mighty Dragon aircraft conducting night combat training. Additional clips reveal the aircraft is equipped with WS-10C engines.
Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Tong said "This is the first time the PLA has demonstrated a simulated aerial combat drill between J-20 Mighty Dragon brigades that is different than before, which should be a regular training for PLA fighter jet pilots".
Further, testing on the WS-15 engine is currently underway and will be completed next year. Even the National Interest also reported how the J-20 Mighty Dragon engine will be replaced by the WS-15 once the inspection is complete.
Not only that, state media have also reported that the modern fighter has proven its operation even under unfavorable conditions, such as very high altitude, extremely cold weather, and high humidity and temperature, due to the J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter. owned by China switched to locally made machines.
This suggests that the current engine upgraded with vector technology is the start of the original engine that will eventually power China's J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter jet to rival the American Raptors. Can the J-20 Mighty Dragon match the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter?
The Eurasian Times explained that the jet tem The United States' F-22 Raptors have very advanced capabilities, which China's J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter jets absorbed through upgrades and through the planned installation of the original WS-15 engine.
The ability of the F-22 Raptors stealth fighter to reach and maintain speed using a number of advanced technologies. This is possible because of the power and thrust of the engine. As a result, fighter jets can fly longer and carry out more detailed strike missions without having to refuel as often as conventional fighter jets.
Meanwhile, the J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter jet with its super cruise capability will be able to survive in high-speed combat for a long time without having to leave the battle and return for refueling, similar to the F-22 Raptor. However, as Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force have changed the software of the F-22 Raptors stealth fighter jet in recent years.
Therefore China intends to upgrade the J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter jet in order to compete with the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter. Ultimately, these upgrades may not be enough to make the J-20 Mighty Dragon's stealth fighter truly compete with the F-22 Raptor unless its weapons range and guidance systems can match or outperform it.
On top of that, there is considerable skepticism regarding the upgraded J-20 Mighty Dragon's stealth fighter jet engine matching the Raptors' power, let alone rivaling them. "The thrust of the J-20 will still lag behind the US F-22 until China delivers the WS-15 engine for the aircraft," said Antony Wong Tong, quoted by the Eurasian Times.