Guizhou WS-13
Chinese turbofan aircraft engine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The WS-13 (Chinese: 涡扇-13), codenamed Taishan, is an afterburning turbofan engine designed and manufactured by Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation. It was originally developed to power the CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder, a lightweight multirole fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan. Improved variants of the WS-13 have also been developed to power the Shenyang J-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter, while the latest versions are intended to equip advanced variants of the JF-17 Thunder, including the Block III (often described as a 4.5-generation fighter).
| WS-13 | |
|---|---|
| WS-21/WS-13X engines on the Shenyang J-35 | |
| Type | Turbofan |
| National origin | China |
| Manufacturer | Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation |
| First run | 2006 |
| Major applications | |
Design and development
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 versions of the Shenyang J-35 medium-size stealth fighter such as the J-35 for aircraft carriers.[2]
Variants
- WS-13 – Base production variant producing 86 kN (19,330 lbf) of thrust with afterburner[1].
- WS-13A – High-bypass turbofan derivative designed for increased fuel efficiency in transport and commercial applications.
- WS-13E (IPE) – Improved Performance Engine (IPE) upgrade, increasing afterburning thrust to 92.16 kN (20,720 lbf)[7].
- WS-21 (WS-13X) – Further evolution of the WS-13E featuring full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) and thrust vectoring, producing 93.2 kN (21,000 lbf).[8][9] Primary power plant for the FC-31 / J-35 program.
Applications
- CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder (WS-13)
- Shenyang J-35 (WS-13EX)
Specifications (WS-13)
Data from China Times[10]
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
- Maximum thrust: 56.75 kilonewtons (12,760 lbf) dry; 86.37 kilonewtons (19,420 lbf) with afterburner
- Bypass ratio: 0.57:1
- Turbine inlet temperature: 1650 K (1,377 °C (2,511 °F))
- Thrust-to-weight ratio: 7.8
- Lifespan: >3000 hours
See also
Comparable engines
- Turbo-Union RB199
- Snecma M88 (M88-2 Standard)
- Klimov RD-93
- General Electric F404 (F404-GE-402 Standard)
Related lists