| 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 |
TheWS-13 (Chinese:涡扇-13), codenameTaishan, is aturbofan engine designed and manufactured byGuizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation to power theCAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder lightweightmultirole fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan, and in the near future theShenyang FC-31 fifth-generationstealth fighter currently under development.
China began development of the Taishan in 2000 to create a domestic engine for replacing theKlimov 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 withafterburner 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 theHKB Report stated that a JF-17 equipped with the WS-13 completed its first successful runway taxi test.[3]
Officials at theFarnborough 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 2015Paris Air Show that testing was continuing.[6]
Guizhou is developing a new engine, designated theWS-19 that fits in the same footprint as the WS-13 but is a wholly new design that incorporates the same technology as theXian WS-15. The WS-19 is the intended engine for production versions of theShenyang FC-31 medium-size stealth fighter such as the J-35 for aircraft carriers.[2]
Data from China Times[11]
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