Media: China replaced Russian d-30KP-2 engines with more powerful WS-20
China has replaced the Russian-made d-30KP-2 turbofan engines with its own WS-20. According to American media, Chinese engines will be more powerful than those that were installed earlier. Experts believe that in this regard, the military transport aircraft of the people's Republic of China Y-20 will be remotorized in the near future.
At least one of the Chinese military transport aircraft Xian Y-20 now flies with local turbofan engines WS-20, which have more power than the Russian D-30KP-2, which were installed on earlier samples of this machine, writes the American publication the Drive. Such an innovation, as observers believe, will mean significant progress in the capabilities of the large Chinese airliner, which was first commissioned in 2016 and, in General, is similar to the C-17 Globemaster III of the US air force.
In this regard, the Drive journalists drew attention to the external changes that occurred with the Y-20 military transport aircraft of the people's liberation army air force. Experts were particularly interested in changes in the design of the aircraft engine nacelle, which may indicate the use of new power plants in the Y-20.
The photo, which experts believe is quite reliable, shows the Y-20, apparently still covered with a primer, with the characteristic enlarged engine nacelles, accompanied over the XI'an-Yanlian air base by a J-11 Flanker fighter, which is standard procedure for such a test flight.
The Xian Y-20 is China's first heavy military transport aircraft. The car made its first flight on January 26, 2013. All prototypes are equipped with Russian D-30KP-2 engines.
Beijing has already made rapid progress in the Y-20 program, and production of this type of vehicle is now moving at a tremendous pace. However, the airliner in its original version "was always shackled by outdated engines," according to the Drive.
The original Y-20A, named "Kunpeng" after a giant bird from Chinese mythology, is equipped with four Russian D-30KP-2 engines, which, according to observers of the American publication, lack thrust and efficiency compared to modern high-performance turbofan engines.
Currently, China is working intensively to create its own version of the engine to replace the D-30KP-2 under the WS-20 index. It is believed that these engines will be the main ones for the Y-20 and h-6 long-range bombers of the new versions. It is assumed that with the start of production of the WS-20, China will get rid of imports of Russian aircraft engines for heavy aircraft.
The WS-20 is expected to provide about 31,000 pounds of thrust, compared to 26,450 pounds for the D-30KP-2. The new Chinese engine, the Drive believes, may be ready for limited production starting in 2024, which suggests that the program may have been accelerated or may not have encountered the problems that were envisaged.
Technology for the creation and mass production of turbojet engines is one of the most important areas in which China has traditionally lagged behind its competitors. Therefore, it is possible that the large-scale production of turbofan engines of the new generation is still far away, writes the Drive.
A version of the aircraft with a new engine for the people's liberation army air force is likely to receive the designation Y-20B.
It is reported that even with the D-30KP-2 engines, the y-20's maximum payload is 132,000 pounds, which exceeds the 96,000 pounds that the Russian-made IL-76 Candid PLA Airliners lift into the air.
In total, the PLA air force received about 20 Il-76 aircraft from Russia and other sources. However, the import of these vehicles was limited for a number of reasons, which was a serious incentive for the accelerated implementation of the Y-20 project. These figures also make an interesting contrast to the us military transport aircraft C-17, notes The Drive.
According to the US air force, the C-17 has a maximum payload capacity of 170,900 pounds, which is significantly superior to the Chinese military transport aircraft, at least in its y-20A variant.Y-20 with new engines can help reduce the gap in capabilities from US air force aircraft, writes the Drive.
The Y-20 can also deliver a large amount of other equipment and basic supplies to forward areas to support military operations, which is common for USAF C-17 aircraft.
As long as China continues to grow as a world power, we can expect that demand for the Y-20 will also increase, according to American experts. Now that new engines are likely to be available soon for production Y-20s, the aircraft will be better suited to solving such problems, according to The Drive.
In fact, the Y-20 is so important to the PLA that there are reports that China at one time even slowed down work on a secret H-20 bomber program to redirect resources to a military transport plane. Only after work on the first prototype of the airliner was completed at the end of 2012, the Chinese seriously returned to the H-20 project.
It is expected that in the future, the y-20B design will form the basis of a new tanker aircraft, which will eliminate another drawback of the PLA air force associated with the insufficient number of vehicles of this type. An unconfirmed image of a variant of the y-20 tanker, probably designated as the Y-20U, began circulating recently. The image shows a J-20 jet fighter approaching the refueling device. It is not yet clear whether this photo is authentic, but a tanker version of this military transport aircraft should probably be expected sooner than previously thought, the American newspaper writes.
Once the y-20U tanker is adopted, it will complement the PLA air force's limited fleet of Il-78 Midas air tankers (only three previously in service) and will be particularly useful for supporting PLA fighters in long-range patrol operations over the South China sea and the Eastern Pacific ocean near Japan.
The Russian turbojet two-circuit engine with an increased gas temperature in front of the d-30KP turbine was largely unified with its predecessor, the D-30KU. The engine has a high gas temperature in front of the turbine, increased the degree of pressure increase in the compressor and the degree of double-circuit. With a power plant based on four D-30KP engines, the Il-76 develops a cruising speed of 900 km / h.
A further development of the D-30KP was the d-30KP engine of the second series, which ensured the preservation of take-off thrust at a higher ambient temperature. The creation of the Il-76 military transport aircraft with the D-30KP engine was awarded the Lenin prize.
The d-30KP engines were manufactured at the Rybinsk engine-building production Association (now NPO UEC-Saturn, Yaroslavl region). Production of d-30KP engines continues to the present day. In total, more than 4,700 D-30KP engines were manufactured.
"Sooner or later, China will reach a high position in the aviation engine industry. Beijing has opportunities to invest considerable financial resources in this area. In addition, China has a very effective state policy in this area and all the necessary resources, "he told the Newspaper.Ru " Deputy Director Of the center for analysis of strategies and technologies Konstantin Makienko.
But today the reality is that the Chinese have only come close to the level of the Russian d-30KP-2 engine, that is, to the level of the 1970s engine building in our country. And even it has not yet been surpassed. All the stories that China has created an engine for a 5th-generation fighter, according to him, are nothing more than stories. The bottom line is that they still buy the Russian engine - "product 117C".
In addition, we should pay attention to the fact, Konstantin Makienko reminded, that China is not able to export its aircraft created on the su-27/su-30 platform. There are no national-developed engines for these fighters. And if the Chinese try to supply fighters with our engines, Russia will block such deals.
"But the point is that China's entry to the world level of aircraft engine construction is inevitable if there are such resources, personnel and such a state policy that Beijing pursues. But so far, the PRC is at the turn of the mid-1980s, at best, of the development of this industry in the Soviet Union," the expert concluded.
Mikhail Khodarenok
