The WS-13 ( zh, 涡扇-13), codename Taishan, is a

turbofan A turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a combination of references to the preceding generation engine technology of the turbojet and the add ...

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.

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 An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and combat ...

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. The WS-13 Taishan was certified in 2007 and serial production began in 2009. 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. 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. In November 2012, ''

Aviation Week & Space Technology ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', often abbreviated ''Aviation Week'' or ''AW&ST'', is the flagship magazine of the Aviation Week Network, a division of Informa. The weekly magazine is available in print and online, reporting on the aeros ...

'' reported that flight testing on the JF-17 was underway in China. It was reported at the 2015

Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (, ''Salon du Bourget'') is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in France. Organized by the French aerospace industry's primary representative body, the ''Groupement des industries frança ...

that testing was continuing. 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.

Variants

* WS-13 – thrust with

* WS-13A – high bypass * WS-13E/IPE – thrust with afterburner * WS-13X/WS-21 – Further development of WS-13E.

Applications

* CAC/PAC JF-17 (WS-13) * Shenyang J-35 (WS-13E)

Specifications (WS-13)

References

External links

WS13 / RD-33 / RD-93
at

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