Guizhou WS-13

The WS-13 (Chinese: 涡扇-13), codename Taishan, is a turbofan 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.

WS-13
Type	Turbofan
National origin	China
Manufacturer	Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation
First run	2006
Major applications	CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder Shenyang FC-31

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 production versions of the Shenyang FC-31 medium-size stealth fighter such as the J-35 for aircraft carriers.^[2]

Variants

• WS-13 – 86 kilonewtons (19,000 lb_f) thrust with afterburner^[1]
• WS-13A – high bypass^[7]
• WS-13E/IPE – 92.16 kN (20,720 lb_f) thrust with afterburner^[8]
• WS-13X/WS-21 – 93.2 kN (21,000 lb_f) Further development of WS-13E.^[9][10]

Applications

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

Specifications (WS-13)

Data from China Times^[11]

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 lb_f) dry; 86.37 kilonewtons (19,420 lb_f) 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

• Shenyang WS-10

Comparable engines

• Turbo-Union RB199
• Snecma M88 (M88-2 Standard)
• Klimov RD-93
• General Electric F404 (F404-GE-402 Standard)

Related lists

• List of aircraft engines
• List of Chinese aircraft engines