The Chinese J-20, a fifth-generation fighter jet equipped with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force, adopts a single-seat, twin-engine, duck-type aerodynamic layout design and is recently used for war patrols in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Figure: Extracted from Wikipedia (data photo)
Experts attending a meeting of the China Aerospace Studies Institute said that if Russia cannot provide China with engines or components because of the Russian-Ukrainian war, it must meet the needs of its own troops first. 40% of the fleet “will soon be affected”. David R. Markov of the Institute for Defense Analysis said China is still “lag behind” in the production of fighter engines.
followAir Force MagazineExperts explained in a panel discussion on Sino-Russian military cooperation that China has not yet mastered the technology to get rid of the shackles of Russian-made engines, according to the report. Markov (David R. Markov) said that China is still quite dependent on Russian components, and may be in the foreseeable future.
Between 1992 and 2019, Russia provided nearly 4,000 engines for Chinese helicopters and other military aircraft, the report said. China has also received Russian S-300 and S-400 air defense systems. After the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the United States and European countries imposed sanctions to restrict Russia’s purchase of semiconductors and other technologies needed for military weapons. He believes that such a situation will make China make greater use of national resources to solve the “engine shortage problem” they will face.
Markov said China remained “lagging behind” in the production of fighter jets because Russia hid classified technology, although China had made significant strides in developing key military technologies for the stealthy J-20 and J-31 fighter jets.
He pointed out that many scientists, engineers, designers in China lack the expertise and decades of professional experience, as most of them are in their early 20s and early 30s. To reinforce this, China has also hired Russian experts to assist in its own factories. “The tacit knowledge possessed by Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney and General Electric (GE) engine technicians is still lacking in Chinese workers.”
China purchased the Su-35 from Russia in part to acquire the model’s advanced engines, auxiliary support and digital control systems, Markov said. While China has made great strides in developing the J-20 fighter jet and the turbofan-10 engine that powers it, China has been working hard to develop the turbofan-15 engine that can power the J-20.