Engine problems caused China’s J-20 production to be delayed. Photo: SCMP The South China Morning Post (Hong Kong, China) reported that the country has developed a new coating material for the engine, contributing to solving technical flaws and increasing the thrust of the engine. The new coating material was designed by Yuanke Energy-saving and Environmental Technology Development Co., Ltd. in Hebei Province. This material can withstand temperatures of 1,800 degrees Celsius and helps protect the engine from the risk of corrosion while ensuring higher power. The current widely used military aircraft engine in China is the WS-10, which can withstand a temperature of about 1,470 degrees Celsius and the improvement can make a significant contribution to increasing the engine’s output power. . The propeller has long been considered the “Achilles heel” of China’s military aircraft engine development program. An obvious example is the delay in the development of a new engine that slows down the production of China’s fifth-generation stealth fighter J-20. Chinese scientists have spent years trying to get the WS-15 engine designed for the J-20 to work, but still have problems with the propellers that constantly heat up at high speeds. As a result, the Chinese Air Force is forced to use Russian-made engines or an improved version of the WS-10. Both of these engines are said to reduce the combat and stealth capabilities of the fighter. The new coating material consists of a fullerene, a ball-shaped carbon molecule. The manufacturer says the coating has a “2,000-hour lifespan” and is resistant to corrosion. The special thing is that this material can withstand the heat required for the J-20 to operate at its maximum capacity.

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.