After solving the last piece of the puzzle – the Chinese domestic WS-10 engine, the J-20 has entered the mass production stage, according to an expert quoted in a Dec. 12 report in the Global Times.
According to an article in the public issue of China Aviation Industry Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, which built the J-20, “since entering the fourth quarter, in the face of the severe research and production situation and delivery targets, the workers on the test flight delivery front strictly adhered to the bottom line of test flight safety, seized all the flyable weather, and the various test flight tasks were carried out smoothly, completing a number of key test flight tasks one after another, and the relevant delivery indicators reached a new high.”
Among the 9 photos attached to the article, 7 of them are related to the test flight of J-20, 1 is the test flight of J-10, and the other one is the staff. Chinese military aviation expert Fu Qianshao said this may indicate that the J-20 is accelerating production.
Fu stressed that the switch to the WS-10 engine has enabled the J-20 to be mass-produced, and he also noted that the systems on board, including avionics, radar and weapons, are also made in China.
In addition, Fu Qianshao said that today there are no restrictions caused by imported engines, the WS-10 engine has been tested on other combat aircraft such as the J-10, J-11 and J-16, while the J-20 is already in production.
When asked in late September at the Zhuhai Airshow whether “existing production capacity can meet the needs of the air force,” Wang Haitao, deputy chief designer of the J-20, said the aviation industry can meet any demand as long as the Chinese air force needs it.
Fu predicted that in the short term, we will see the eastern, southern, western, northern and central theaters equipped with the J-20, making it the main force in defending China’s sovereignty and airspace security.
On the other hand, Fu said, the J-20 will continue to evolve next, for example, by switching to more advanced engines, etc.
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