China Unable To Achieve Quality In Stealth Fighter Jet Engine Production

China has a long way to go before it can product world-class jet engines for fighter aircraft, Chen Xiangbao, vice-president of the AECC Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials has been quoted as saying.

"For instance, we are able to develop the two most important components in an advanced engine — the single crystal superalloy turbine blades and powder metallurgy superalloy turbine disks — but in mass production, the products' quality is not very satisfactory," he said. It is a matter of time and persistence to make reliable engines, he was quoted as saying by state-owned Chinamil website.

However, referring to engine of the J-20 stealth fighter he said, “the engine's development is proceeding well. We also have begun to design a next-generation aviation engine with a thrust-to-weight ratio that is much higher than that of current types," he said. Thrust-to-weight ratio is considered the top indicator of an aviation engine's capability.

The People's Liberation Army Air Force recently confirmed that the J-20 has been put into active service. Aviation industry observers said the plane is still equipped with Russian-made engines due to the lack of a suitable domestically developed engine.

China recently received Russian Su-35 jets which industry observers believe was intended to help Beijing acquire advanced fighter aircraft engine  technology. This opinion is buttressed by the fact that there is no news of the aircraft being inducted into active service of the PLA Air Force.