The Chengdu J-20. Wikimedia
Popular Mechanics: China’s Super Fighter Comes Online — With Inferior Engines
The J-20 must make do with older, lower power engines until new ones are developed.
China’s first fifth-generation fighter, the J-20, is finally operational, but the jet already has one known flaw: it uses engines that produce less thrust than originally anticipated. The engine meant for the stealth fighter has experienced serious developmental delays, forcing the use of a less powerful engine. The result is an airplane that can’t quite live up to its potential, for now.
The Chengdu J-20 was first seen by the outside world in 2011, when it was observed during a visit to China by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Chinese aerospace giant Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation started development of a heavy, stealthy fighter in the 1990s, known as the J-XX, and the aircraft’s advanced features stunned experts who believed China did not have the technological prowess to design such a plane.
Read more
WNU Editor: When it comes to warplanes, the U.S. Air-force has always had the advantage in avionics and powerful engines. And while I am sure the Chinese are going to catch up one day, that day is still far in the future.
