As reported by the Ukrainian media, Motor-Sich JSC (Zaporozhye) has signed a contract for the supply of 400 more AI-322 dual-circuit turbojet engines used on Chinese L-15 (JL-10) combat training aircraft to China. The estimated cost of the contract is about $ 800 million.
AI-322 dual-circuit turbojet engine developed by Zaporozhye State Enterprise "Ivchenko-Progress" and mass-produced by Zaporozhye JSC "Motor-Sich", and used on Chinese combat training aircraft of the L-15 (JL-10) family (c) Ukrinform
Twin-engine combat training aircraft L-15 (designation of the PLA air force JL-10) was developed with the participation of OKB Yakovlev Chinese aircraft industry group Hongdu Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG, a part of the Chinese state aircraft Corporation AVIC) in Nanchang and is a Chinese derivation of the Yak-130 first flight of the first protipe of L-15 was held in 2006. The L-15 (JL-10) has been mass-produced by HAIG since 2013 and is now becoming the main advanced training and combat training aircraft of the PLA Air Force and Navy. To date, its supersonic modifications L-15A and L-15B (JL-10H), used in the PLA Air Force as a "transitional" combat training aircraft, and promoted for export as a light fighter (were purchased by Zambia), have also been created and mass-produced since 2018.
From the very beginning, the L-15 (JL-10) was equipped with similar AI-222 series engines used on the Yak-130 developed by the Zaporozhye State Enterprise "Ivchenko-Progress" and mass-produced by the Zaporozhye JSC "Motor-Sich". The production L-15 (JL-10) aircraft are equipped with AI-222K-25 engines.
In 2011, HAIG signed a contract with Motor-Sich JSC for the supply of 250 AI-222K-25 engines for the serial production of L-15 (JL-10) aircraft, which, apparently, was fully implemented by the middle of the decade.
Subsequently, the State Enterprise "Ivchenko-Progress" developed a modified AI-222K-25F engine with an afterburner specifically for HAIG deliveries for use on production aircraft L-15A and L-15B, which was then turned into the AI-322 (AI-322F) engine after 2014, which is the same AI-222K-25F, but with full Ukrainian localization (before that, the "cold" part of the AI-222K-25/K-25F engine was produced in cooperation Russian SPC of gas turbine construction "Salyut").
In 2016, Motor-Sich JSC signed an unannounced contract for the supply of AI-322 serial engines to China (presumably, 200 engines), deliveries were carried out since 2017. In particular, it was reported that in 2019, JSC "Motor Sich" was sent to China to the address of AVIC International Holding Corporation 45 engines of AI-322 (totaling about 84 million dollars), and in 2020 - 88 engines of AI-322 (worth 165 million dollars), which formed a significant part of the downloads and revenue of the Zaporozhye enterprise. Now a new contract has been signed for the supply of another 400 AI-322 engines to China.