China’s J-20 fighter hits milestone with suspected first flight with WS15 engines
Chinese social media has been astir with claims that a J-20 fighter powered by two indigenous WS15 afterburning engines recently took to the air in a maiden flight.
The news was accompanied by blurry images and video clips purported to have been taken on 28 June at Chengdu’s main test airfield. These do not show the engine nozzles in sharp enough detail to reach any conclusion, nor are thrust vectoring control petals apparent.
On the same occasion, some kind of ceremony was apparent, featuring a banner bearing the number ‘15’.
It is difficult to confirm the veracity of these claims,
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Personalised news alerts
- Daily and weekly newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Air Warfare
-
Anduril and GA-ASI propel forward in US Air Force CCA programme’s next phase
Anduril and GA-ASI have raced ahead in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) initiative, securing contracts with the US Air Force to build production representative flight test platforms.
-
Another Saab GlobalEye lands in the UAE
The arrival of the latest GlobalEye marked the fourth AEW&C aircraft delivery to the UAE in just four years.
-
Greece and Israel cosy up over Rafael’s Spyder air defence system
Ongoing discussions between Greece and Israeli arms manufacturer Rafael to acquire Spyder air defence systems underscored the resilience of international business ties despite geopolitical tensions.