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China puts advanced WS-15 engines through J-20 stealth fighter paces
- Footage circulating online shows jet fitted with long-awaited domestic engines in test in Chengdu
- Lack of censorship of posts amounts to quasi-official confirmation of maiden flight, analyst says
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After two decades of development, China’s most powerful engine has had its maiden flight in one of the country’s most advanced stealth fighters, an upgrade that defence analysts say narrows the technology gap with the United States.
According to a video circulating online since June 28, a J-20 prototype jet fighter fitted with two WS-15 engines took off from a test airfield in Chengdu, southwest Sichuan province.
The city is the base of the J-20’s developer, Chengdu Aerospace Corporation.
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It is unclear when the flight took place and there was no official announcement from the People’s Liberation Army.
But photos and footage of the test have been circulating freely on social media platforms at home and overseas, a sign of official endorsement in China’s heavily censored information environment.
Military enthusiasts also posted clips of the J-20’s maiden flight with Russian AL-31 engines in 2011 and Chinese WS-10Cs in 2021, comparing them with the most recent test.
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