Are China’s J-20A stealth fighters now updated with high-thrust WS-15 engines?
Footage of flight tests suggests aircraft equipped with the home-grown engine is in the pre-delivery testing phase
Beijing has released footage of flight tests of an upgraded J-20A stealth fighter, with signs that the jets have been equipped with long-awaited high-thrust WS-15 engines and better avionics.
The footage showed at least three J-20As in a yellow zinc-chromate primer taxiing on a runway. In the Chinese aerospace industry, the coating means the aircraft is in the pre-delivery testing phase, with the primer applied to protect the airframe before the final application of stealth coatings.
The J-20 is a twin-engined heavy stealth fighter that entered service in 2017. China has been developing its improved version, the J-20A, including upgrades to its aerodynamic layout, avionics and engines.