fiightglobal.com 6-12 August 2019 | Flight International | 31CHINESE POWER
The Asia-Pacific region’s other
great powers, Japan and India,
also see the importance of
advanced engine capabilities.
Tokyo was developing jet
engines as long ago as the
Second World War. A locally
developed high-bypass-ratio
turbofan, the IHI F7, powers
the Kawasaki P-1 maritime
patrol aircraft.
In June 2018, IHI delivered
the experimental XF9-1
engine, which can produce
33,000lb-thrust (147kN) with
afterburner, for laboratory
research work. If Tokyo
decides to advance its Future
Fighter programme to
replace the Mitsubishi F-2, the
new twin-engined stealthfighter could be powered by
descendants of the XF9-1.
Another Japanese engine,
the IHI XF5-1, powered
Tokyo’s X-2 technology
demonstrator.
New Delhi’s Gas Turbine
Research Establishment
(GTRE) developed the GTX-
35VS Kaveri engine for the
Hindustan Aeronautics Tejas
fighter. The Kaveri pro-
gramme suffered numerous
cost and technical issues, and
was never installed on a
Tejas, which instead uses the
GE Aviation F404.
The Kaveri programme
was abandoned for a period,
but received a second
chance in 2016 as thepossible powerplant for New
Delhi’s planned Advanced
Medium Combat Aircraft.
Under offset agreements
related to India’s acquisition
of 36 Dassault Rafale fighters,
France’s Safran is helping to
revive the programme.
Still, great uncertainty
remains over Indian jet
engine technology. A recent
media report quoted T
Mohan Rao, a former head of
GTRE, as saying that the
nation’s efforts in propulsion
will fall behind, owing to
bureaucratic indifference and
a lack of funding. Moreover,
the Indian air force is
understood to be highly
dubious about the Kaveri. ■Japan and India fire up race for propulsion capability
Locally developed IHI F7 powers
Tokyo’s P-1 maritime patrol fleetLinda McKie/imageBROKER/Shutterstockengines leaks out. This leaves observers with a
narrow, sanitised window given by state media.
Rupprecht believes that while Beijing is
definitely behind the West in engine technolo-
gy, the industry has made great strides in
recent years, owing to large investment flows.
He points to the relative success of the WS-10
Taihang family, which powers the majority of
the Chinese Su-27-derived fleet, namely the
J-11B and J-16. From a testing perspective, the
engine has also been found on several J-10Bs
and J-20As. He views the powerplant as em-
blematic of China’s aerospace sector.
“AVIC has invested a lot and initiated
tremendous effort to improve quality control
throughout the engine’s production chain
since 2011,” he says. “To claim the WS-10
engine today is still unreliable is, in my view,
unjustified, maybe even ridiculous. The num-
ber of operational Taihangs alone says a lot and
one must consider that for years no Chinese-
built [Su-27 derivative], with the exception of
the J-15s, uses a Russian engine anymore.”
Some sense of Beijing’s confidence in the
programme came at Zhuhai in 2018, where asurprise flying display was put on by a
WS-10-powered J-10B, equipped with a thrust
vectoring control (TVC) engine. TVC added a
whole new dimension to the aircraft’s manoeu-
vrability. The short display was reminiscent of
flying displays performed by other fighters with
TVC, such as the Su-35 and F-22. Trailing pink
smoke, the J-10B’s routine included tight verti-
cal loops, a slow high angle-of-attack roll, a
cobra manoeuvre and the falling leaf. It was an
iconic moment for indigenous fighter engines.OPAQUE MEDIA
Rupprecht’s view on the secrecy shrouding
Chinese engine development is shared by
Douglas Royce, analyst of aircraft and aviation
gas turbines at Forecast International. “The
Chinese government isn’t transparent, and as
far as I can tell, the regional media outlets don’t
know much more than anyone else,” he says.
He adds, however, that it is of paramount
importance for Beijing to master not just en-
gine technology, but the means of production.
“As long as they have to depend on Russian
or stolen American/European technology topower fighter aircraft, their ability to build and
maintain their fighters in operational status is
under threat,” he says. “So if they are to be-
come the military equals of outside forces, they
have to be able to create engines. And engines
are the real limiting factor in indigenous fighter
development. There are only a few companies
worldwide who have the ability to design and
build an all-new, state-of-the-art engine.”
Several fighter programmes illustrate the
theme of indigenous fighters with foreign
engines. The Korea Aerospace Industries
(KAI) T-50, Hindustan Aeronautics Tejas and
Saab Gripen are all powered by GE Aviation
engines. KAI’s planned KF-X will also be
powered by the GE F414, as will New Delhi’s
Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.
Beijing is pouring great resources into its
own development work, but is not above
stealing technology. It is understood that the
core of the WS-10 is based on CFM Interna-
tional CFM56 technology that China obtained
in the 1980s. In October 2018, an alleged Chi-
nese intelligence officer was extradited to the
USA to face criminal charges related to a
scheme to steal trade secrets from leading US
aviation companies, including GE. Court doc-
uments suggested the alleged theft targeted
technology related to engine fan blades and
“containment structures”.
The requirement for Beijing to steal
technology was highlighted as early as 2011
in a report from the Washington-based
Institute for National Strategic Studies enti-
tled Buy, Build, or Steal: China’s Quest for
Advanced Military Aviation Technologies.
The report concluded that China would find
it increasingly difficult to develop highly ad-
vanced aerospace technologies, and its tradi-
tional partner, Russia, is ever more wary of
sharing technology for fear of intellectual
property theft. This will force China to rely
increasingly on espionage.
Observers will also be watching Chinese
firm Skyrizon’s effort to buy a majority stake in
Ukrainian engine manufacturer Motor Sich,
which produces turbofans and turboshafts.
The potential deal is reportedly under review
by the Ukrainian government, and is opposed
by Washington. In May, the Washington Post
reported that the company, which formerly
relied on Russian aerospace work, sees few
opportunities for its future outside China.
Rupprecht adds that Beijing’s ultimate goal
is to be completely “self-reliant in every as-
pect” of engine development and production.
“A good number of J-10s and J-11As, as well
as their Xian Y-20s and H-6Ks, depend on Rus-
sian engines,” he says. “This is unacceptable
for the longer term, especially if the political
climate with Moscow were to change.
Therefore, they are placing great effort to
develop new engines in different classes and
establish a broad industrial base.” ■FIN_060819_030-031.indd 31 31/07/2019 14:11