The WS-13 (Chinese: 涡扇-13), codename Taishan, is a turbofan engine designed and manufactured by Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation to power the CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder lightweight multirole fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan, and in the near future the Shenyang FC-31 fifth-generation stealth fighter currently under development.

WS-13
Type Turbofan
National origin China
Manufacturer Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation
First run 2006
Major applications CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder
Shenyang FC-31

Design and development

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China began development of the Taishan in 2000 to create a domestic engine for replacing the Klimov RD-93 turbofan, which had been selected in the 1990s to power the JF-17 lightweight fighter. It is designed to produce 86 kN (19,000 lb) of thrust with afterburner and have a life span of 2,200 hours; an improved version providing up to 93 kN (21,000 lb) of thrust with afterburner was also developed.[1][2]

The WS-13 Taishan was certified in 2007 and serial production began in 2009.[citation needed] The 18 March 2010 edition of the HKB Report stated that a JF-17 equipped with the WS-13 completed its first successful runway taxi test.[3]

Officials at the Farnborough International Airshow in August 2010 stated that a JF-17 was being test flown with a Chinese engine, likely the WS-13.[4] In November 2012, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported that flight testing on the JF-17 was underway in China.[5] It was reported at the 2015 Paris Air Show that testing was continuing.[6]

Guizhou is developing a new engine, designated the WS-19 that fits in the same footprint as the WS-13 but is a wholly new design that incorporates the same technology as the Xian WS-15. The WS-19 is the intended engine for production versions of the Shenyang FC-31 medium-size stealth fighter such as the J-35 for aircraft carriers.[2]

Variants

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  • WS-13 – 86 kilonewtons (19,000 lbf) thrust with afterburner[1]
  • WS-13A – high bypass[7]
  • WS-13E/IPE – 92.16 kN (20,720 lbf) thrust with afterburner[8]
  • WS-13X/WS-21 – 93.2 kN (21,000 lbf) Further development of WS-13E.[9][10]

Applications

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Specifications (WS-13)

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Data from China Times[11]

General characteristics

  • Type: afterburning turbofan
  • Length: 4.14 m (163 in)
  • Diameter: 1.02 m (40 in)
  • Dry weight: 1,135 kg (2,502 lb)

Components

  • Compressor: axial, 4-stage low pressure, 8-stage high pressure compressor
  • Combustors: annular
  • Turbine: counter-rotating 1-stage high pressure, 1-stage low pressure

Performance

See also

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Comparable engines

Related lists

References

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  1. ^ a b Fisher, Richard Jr. (30 December 2009). "October Surprises In Chinese Aerospace". International Assessment and Strategy Center. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  2. ^ a b 曾品潔 (9 February 2023). "中國渦輪-19發動機進度提前! 航發總師曝 : 未來殲-35會比殲-20更早換裝" (in Traditional Chinese). Newtalk新闻. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  3. ^ Coatepeque (30 May 2010). "FC-1 equipped with WS-13 completed first successful runway taxi test". China Defense Blog. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via Blogger.
  4. ^ Pocock, Chris (6 August 2010). "China and Pakistan Push Chengdu JF-17 Fighter for Export". AINonline. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  5. ^ Sweetman, Bill (5 November 2012). "China's Warplane Industry Expands". Aviation Week & Space Technology. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  6. ^ Fisher, Richard D. Jr. (15 June 2015). "Paris Air Show 2015: JF-17 fighter flying with indigenous Chinese turbofan". Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  7. ^ "中国涡扇系列 WS13" (in Chinese). Northwestern Polytechnical University. 19 April 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  8. ^ "WS-13IPE engine for FC-31 fighter mass-produced in 2020". China Arms. 26 January 2020.
  9. ^ "Our Best Look Yet At China's J-35 Carrier-Capable Stealth Fighter". 22 July 2022.
  10. ^ Waldron, Greg (1 August 2023). "Future Asia Pacific carrier air wings come into focus". FlightGlobal. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023.
  11. ^ Chiang, Fei-yu (10 February 2021). "大陸渦扇13引擎生產線就緒 可成為殲31心臟". China Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
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