When it comes to mentioning aircraft engines, one often hears repeated claims about traditional views, stating that Chinese engine technology lags behind by at least 50 years compared to superpowers.
However, with the robust development of twin-engine heavy stealth fighters, reportedly surpassing the remaining total of the F22A in quantity, this assertion has been reluctantly adjusted to a lag of about 30 years.
Even so, does this general lag of 30 years apply across specific projects and models?
Firstly, let's look at the crucial fourth-generation high-thrust turbofan engines.
There are reports indicating that a certain model of engine has been in batch production for over a year, with its afterburning thrust approaching 19 tons, far exceeding the F119 that superpowers have ceased developing for years.
Even if there is some dispute over the thrust data of this specific model reaching 19 tons, it certainly does not fall below 17.6 tons, which is fully guaranteed.
The thrust performance of this model not only far surpasses the continuing 30-year lag narrative but also achieves genuine breakthroughs.
Some might mention the F135 engine used in the F35 series, which, after upgrades, exceeds 19 tons of afterburning thrust and even aims to upgrade to over 20 tons.
However, the F135 achieves this increased thrust by blindly enlarging the fan diameter, which is completely different from the small bypass, large thrust configuration of this particular model.
This method of increasing thrust does not ensure sustained supersonic flight and offers almost zero practical value to top-tier fighters.
In China, there are no comparable models available for such comparisons, hence unnecessary comparisons are avoided.
As for widely deployed third-generation large thrust turbofans, whether the F110 or F100 including their IPE versions, they are generally on par with various upgraded versions of the Type 10, making it difficult to say which one is superior.
The reliability and performance throughout the lifecycle of the Type 10 are even considered stronger, with thousands of actual installations having never experienced major issues due to quality problems.
In contrast, the early deployment of the F100 to F110 series saw a series of accidents, which drew significant attention to all F15s during their initial stages.
Moving into the domain of advanced medium thrust, a new type of medium thrust engine is ready for batch production, offering comprehensive parameters that are not inferior to the F414 and even leading in maximum thrust-to-weight ratio.
As for the natural variable cycle engines belonging to the fifth generation, although information is limited, it is likely to surpass the long-term stagnation of superpowers in this field, potentially achieving a situation where it catches up from behind.
It may even skip directly to the sixth-generation jet mode similar to the throttle rocket engine to adapt to different flight environments inside and outside the atmosphere.
In this regard, superpowers' corresponding plans are incomplete, thoroughly disrupting their development pace.
In summary, in almost all current jet engines and even future sixth-generation aircraft engine fields, there is no visible 30-year gap advantage that superpowers have been leading, but rather a trend of reversal in gaps may be observed.
As for turbofan engines, in the critical below 2000KW level, significant breakthroughs have already been made, and they do not lag behind by 30 years compared to superpowers' engines of the same level currently in service.
In the 3000KW to 5000KW large level issue, it mainly concerns the propulsion demand.
In this respect, superpowers are not as good as some old models of the former Soviet Union.
If one must find a 30-year lagging point, perhaps only the large diameter turbofan engines can be mentioned.
However, this is mainly due to the lack of commercial experience rather than a technological lag.
With the comprehensive production of domestically produced twin-engine dual-channel large passenger aircraft, this shortcoming in this field will soon be rectified.
Therefore, overall, the progress and competitive strength in the field of aircraft engines are not simply stuck in traditional comparisons but are constantly evolving and rising, presenting a diversified and complex development pattern.
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