China’s beloved J-10 fighter is now equipped with a ‘made in China’ engine

The recent arrival of the domestically produced engine-powered Chengdu J-10C marks an important moment for the single-engine ‘baby’ fighter in the PLA Air Force. People of China (PLAAF).

First clear image of a working J-10C with WS-10 engines/ Source: Chinese social media As with so much in China’s air force, much of the J-10’s history is shrouded in mystery. It is understood that the J-10 fighter originated in the 1980s, the prototype was the J-9, a delta wing fighter that was abandoned in the 1980s. It is also believed that the J-10 enjoyed benefit from Israel’s Lavi fighter program. The J-10 fighter was considered a state secret until January 2007, when the media revealed that it had entered service with the PLAAF. A few months later, in May 2007, the Russian arms agency Rosoboronexport announced a $300 million deal to sell 100 Saturn AL-31 engines to China’s J-10 fleet. Then, at the end of 2008, the J-10A made its public debut at the Airshow China exhibition in Zhuhai. Since that time, the AL-31 has been the key engine for all variants of the J-10, from the original J-10A to the more advanced J-10C. Challenges related to the development of the domestic Shenyang WS-10 Taihang engine forced the J-10 to stick with the Russian engine longer than planned. Finally, in early May, a J-10C in a combat unit equipped with a WS-10 engine was discovered by the public. However, there is no official statement yet. Instead, a clear photo of a flying J-10C with a WS-10 engine appeared on social media. Andreas Rupprecht, author of China’s Modern Fighter, was one of the first observers to comment on this. “This is a real milestone not only for the J-10, but even more so for the WS-10 program as it marks the end of China’s dependence on the Russian AL-31 engine for the AL-31. with all three of the PLAAF’s main fighters, namely the J-10C, J-16 and J-20,” he said. He noted that a decade has passed since the J-10B first flew with the WS-10 and that the engine was tested on the J-10A even earlier. Finally, after years of improvement, it seems the WS-10 is reliable and safe enough to power a single-engine fighter. Mounted inside the J-10, the WS-10 can be identified by several characteristics. One is that the petals of the posterior burner are significantly wider than those of the AL-31. The WS-10 also has a structural ring inside the nozzle that is not present on the AL-31. The J-10A used by the Chinese aerobatic team can be distinguished from later variants by its rectangular intake that is not horizontal to the fuselage. This variant was in production until the end of 2014, when production switched to the J-10B. However, the J-10A has been modernized, including the ability to carry the PL-10 infrared-guided missile. However, to evaluate the success of the WS-10 engine requires one thing: Time. Only through use can we know if they are really good, really replacing the Russian AL-31 engines.