The WS-15 (Chinese: 涡扇-15; pinyin: Wōshàn-15; literally: "turbofan-15"), codename Emei, is a Chinese afterburning turbofan engine designed by the Shenyang Aeroengine Research Institute and manufactured by Xi'an Aero-Engine Corporation. It is intended to power the Chengdu J-20 fighter, which would be able to achieve supercruise.
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Design and development
Development of the WS-15 began in the 1990s. The thrust target was reported as 180 kilonewtons (40,000 lbf) in 2012. In 2005, the engine performed successfully on the testbed. In 2009, it was known that the prototype was able to achieve 160 kilonewtons (36,000 lbf) and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 9.
SF-A
The SF-A is a high-bypass turbofan in development by the same group as the WS-15, and is based on the WS-15 core. SF-A was reported as being targeted for the Xian Y-20 strategic airlifter and the Comac C919 passenger aircraft, with a thrust of 127 kilonewtons (29,000 lbf), and was projected to enter production in 2016.