From the Development History of Turbofan Engine in Taiwan to See the Necessary Way for Taihang to Advance

Recently, a certain media said that China has been able to develop a thrust-to-weight ratio of 10 engines as well as the United States and Russia, suggesting that the Taihang engine has reached 10, but at first glance it is easy to be delighted. But calmly thinking about whether this is true? It is undeniable that China’s aviation engine is the weakest link in the fighter plane, but it is a good idea to face up to the gap and then develop one step at a time. Blindly devaluing and pulling up Taihang cannot change the technical status of Taihang.

Today, what experts called Taiwan’s IDF fighter jet is the opportunity for the J79 turbojet engine. I’ll talk about the development of Taiwan's aviation turbofan engine and what advanced experience the “Taihang” engine should learn.

Taiwan believes that the introduction of technology can be improved more quickly

In the development of turbofan engines, Taiwan’s "Chinese Academy of Sciences" decided to adopt a model of cooperation with foreign first-class manufacturers in research and development and production. This approach not only satisfies the needs of the IDF plan, but also increases the reliability of the product and reduces risks and costs. The most important point is the establishment of countermeasures to cope with the US's thrust on the IDF. In this way, Taiwan chose to cooperate with Garrett Turbo Engines of the United States to invest in the establishment of an international turbine engine company to develop and produce the IDF fighter jet turbofan jet engine.

Garrett Engine Co., Ltd. has worked with Taiwan’s Aviation Development Center to manufacture the TFE-731-21 turbofan engine on the AT-3 Advanced Trainer. The idea of ​​the Taiwan Aviation Development Center is to use the cooperation method to develop one side and increase the energy for independent research and development. Garrett, on the other hand, wanted to enter the medium-sized military and civilian engine market by developing an engine for the IDF fighter. It is on this principle of reciprocity that both parties agree to equal investments. Operating in Taichung City and Phoenix, USA, and based on ITEC's own funds in accordance with IDF fighter design requirements, the company developed the TFE 1042 turbofan engine.

TFE-1042 engine performance

The design thrust of the TFE 1042 engine is limited by the U.S. government. Its maximum thrust (after using the afterburner) is 3,850 pounds, and the intermediate thrust (base engine) is 5,000 pounds. The IDF fighter has two TFE 1042 engines. So its maximum thrust is 16700 pounds, intermediate thrust is 10,000 pounds, and the TFE 1042 engine has been designed, manufactured, assembled, and accumulated more than 50 hours of functional verification tests and air flight tests, proving to be an advanced engine with excellent performance. In 1988, according to the schedule, it was installed on the first manufactured IDF fighter plane. The preliminary flight was completed in February 1989. In March 1990, the full flight cooperation was completed and mass production was started. The design durability of the TFE 1042 engine is 2,000 flight hours for high temperature components and 4000 hours for low temperature components.

The TFE 1042 engine adopts a modular block design, which not only facilitates the maintenance of logistics, but also enhances the flexibility in design and R&D when increasing engine thrust in the future. Each module of the engine is interchangeable and can be individually manufactured, stocked, and shipped. The TFE 1042 engine has high reliability based on actual accumulated test results, and its average time between failures is 430 hours/time.

On January 13, 2014, the Taiwan Air Force made a big move and deployed IDF fighter groups to conduct all-weather coastal air defenses. This action is mainly to ensure the safety of the Taiwan Strait during the Spring Festival. The IDF fighter aircraft is a light-weight double-single-sag fighter developed and produced by Taiwan. Data Map: On January 13, 2014, the Taiwan Air Force made a big move and dispatched the IDF fighter fleet to carry out all-weather continental air defense warnings. This action is mainly to ensure the safety of the Taiwan Strait during the Spring Festival. The IDF fighter aircraft is a light-weight double-single-sag fighter developed and produced by Taiwan.

Positive improvement is the last word

In 1982, Garrett and Taiwan Aerospace Industry Development Corporation jointly formed an international turbine engine company. The TFE-1042-70 engine was developed using TFE1042 as the original. Therefore, the original model of TFE1042 was not mass-produced at all, and Taiwan continued to improve the basic design of the TFE 1042 engine and introduced the TFE1042-70 model. In the case of increased thrust, it maintains its external dimensions and can still be mounted on IDF fighters. The maximum thrust of each engine can be increased from the original 8350 pounds to more than 10,000, and the maximum thrust of the two engines can be increased to more than 20,000 pounds.

IDF made a major improvement to the TFE1042-70 after the official deployment of the Taiwan military (remodel number is TFE1088-12), and the improvement resulted in the increased thrust of TFE1088-12 to 54 kN (approximately 5512 kg). The increase rate is as high as 26%. As a result, the weight-to-weight ratio of IDF has been significantly improved.

Taiwan’s Hang Fat is still a large exporter

The TFE-1042-70 engine was not only used on the IDF fighter. In 1998, it exported 77 to the Czech Republic. In 1996, the L-139 and L-159 Albatross attack trainers, which were jointly produced by the Czech Republic and Taiwan, were used. The engine of the F-124-GE-101 is the non-reinforced version of the TFE-1042. In 2005, four other engines were exported to Italy for the M-346 prototype.

In April 1998, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman received the UAV Advanced Technology Concept Verifier (ATD) contract. In April 1999, Boeing was selected to develop the Phase 2 Verification Aircraft for unmanned combat aircraft. The first aircraft selected was the TFE-1042-70/F-124 engine. In May 2002, the X-45A, the engine validation machine, made its first flight. The rear X-45B is larger and heavier than the X-45A. In early 2002, the United States Air Force decided to develop a larger UCAV, so this chose F404 for X-45B power.

The duct ratio of TFE1042-70 is reduced from 0.66 in TFE1042 to 0.45 to meet the needs of fighter aircraft. The modular design and advanced digital control system make the engine very sensitive to operation. It takes only 5 seconds from local train to afterburner, and only 4 seconds from local train to maximum thrust. And detection, maintenance convenience, high reliability.

The Taiwanese Hanxiang company has already performed combat capability enhancements for Taiwan’s IDF fighters. The upgraded IDF added a conformal fuel tank to the rear of the aircraft to increase the voyage. Data Map: Taiwan's Hanxiang Company has now performed combat capability enhancements for Taiwan's IDF fighters. The upgraded IDF added a conformal fuel tank to the rear of the aircraft to increase the voyage.

F-CK-1 fighter-to-weight ratio or Super Continental fighter

In the 2009 Taipei Airshow, Han Xiang's staff said that the TFE-1042-70 engine's self-produced rate has reached 90% and can be 100% self-manufactured when necessary. However, the reliability of key components cannot guarantee that the lifespan will be reduced to 1,500 hours (currently Life is 4000 hours)

IDF has made major improvements to the TFE1042-70 after the official deployment of the Taiwan military (remodeling number is TFE1088-12). The improved result is that the thrust of the TFE1088-12 has been increased to 54 kN (approximately 5512 kg). The rate was as high as 26%, and the engine of the new F-CK-1C/D (IDF fighter improved) was significantly improved. Each TFE1088 has a thrust of 12,500 pounds and two are 12500*2*0.454=11350 kilograms of thrust. The IDF fighter has a maximum take-off weight of 12530 kg, a normal take-off weight of 9072 kg and a push-to-weight ratio of 1.25. After the improved F-CK-1C/D weight ratio is as high as 1.2, the IDF air combat push-to-weight ratio is far less than the performance in Asia, much stronger than the Su-30MKK fighters! It has reached a higher level in the third generation fighter.

Do you not buy a Russian engine?

As early as December 28, 2005, China’s first self-developed high-thrust turbofan engine “Taihang” was born in Shenyang. However, after 10 years, this “Taihang” engine, which was initially known as a myriad of reputations, still has a long way to go. It is very clear that forcing a large number of domestic fighter aircraft to be "involuntary" can only be transferred to Russia to purchase a large number of engines and even complete machines. "Taihang is not possible in the end" has also become a topic most concerned about people who are concerned about the military.

China's aerodynamic industry began with maintenance, production, and imitation of Soviet jet engines. After years of development, a number of turbojet models have been developed and produced. Due to the weaker overall strength of China's aviation industry, turbofan engine development has not improved. The Taihang Engine is the first large-thrust high-performance turbofan engine developed by China and plays an important role in the development of Chinese engines. However, so far, the Taihang engine still can not meet the full needs of the Chinese Air Force for high-performance engines, Taihang engine for nearly 20 years, but also to buy expensive Russian-made engine, which is somewhat embarrassing.

Data map: Some of the pictures show that some of the 02 batches of 歼-11B and 歼-11BS that have been produced are parked on the Shenfei apron because no engine is available, and are referred to by the netizens as “Chrysanthemum Residues.” Figure: Some pictures have been produced. Part of the 02 lottery -11B and 歼-11BS were parked on the Shenfei apron because no engine was available. They were dubbed “Chrysanthemum Residues” by netizens. (Source: Super)

Distressed: "Chrysanthemum Residue" æ­¼ 11 sunbathing

Because the "Taihang" engine was unable to reach the test standard, the prototype of the J-11B fighter, which was scheduled to fly at the end of 2003, had to apply the AL-31F engine for test flight. However, after the "Taihang" engine was equipped with the J-11 fighter, there were a series of technical problems that led to this type of fighter can not meet the requirements of combat capability.

In 2009, a large number of new engines were still in the discharge failure stage. In the same year, a large number of photos showed that 02 batches of F-11B and F-11BS fighter planes were parked on Shenfei's tarmac and in the Shenfei factory compound because no engine was available! Netizens were jokingly called "Chrysanthemum residues." This embarrassing situation did not disappear until 2011.

After setting the model, the performance and quality of the "Taihang" engine has been unstable. This has not only affected the dressing of the troops, but also affected the effectiveness of the Chinese military's combat effectiveness and even China's national security guarantee! Because we do not have a fighter plane equipped with a reliable, high-performance domestically produced engine to protect our airspace and defend our homeland in the Chinese sky!

According to foreign media reports (Russian Military Industry News Network, October 10, 2014) The Chinese Air Force has also purchased homemade "Taihang" engines, but its reliability is not satisfactory. An average work of no more than 300 hours requires major repairs, while the flight time of similar products in Russia is several times higher. China also ordered 123 engines from Russia, indicating that the performance of the Chinese-made WS-10A engine is still not good enough.

Sense of learning is the only way to the future

Looking at the Taiwan turbofan engine road: after the introduction of technology to actively learn the advance, to achieve a certain degree of localization, improve reliability, the most important is the fighter function! Taiwan's aviation industry has developed a turbofan engine that is suitable for its own development! And on this road, the better! However, "Taihang" is still "inaudible" in the 10 years of stereotyped production. Recently, even the "Taihang" engine has reached a rating of 10!

Recently, a series of Chinese Air Force J-10 and J-11 fighter aircrafts were exposed on the Internet for aerial confrontation training. It can be seen that the battle scene is very intense. The J-10 fighter suddenly makes a large maneuver left turn to get rid of the lock of the rear J-11 fighter, while the J-11 also slows down to the right and lower large angle maneuvers, and wants to cut again to gain attack position. . (Acknowledgement: Super military zhang81zhang) In recent days, the Internet has exposed a group of Chinese Air Force J-10 and J-11 fighter aircraft for aerial confrontation training. It can be seen that the battle scene is very intense. The J-10 fighter suddenly makes a large maneuver left turn to get rid of the lock of the rear J-11 fighter, while the J-11 also slows down to the right and lower large angle maneuvers, and wants to cut again to gain attack position. . (Acknowledgements: Super military zhang81zhang) Note that neither of these two main fighter jets use the "Taihang" engine.

The F22 fighter jet F119 engine in the United States only reached 8-9 in the case of no refueling, even if the supersonic cruising afterburner has only reached 10! Is China's aviation industry more than the United States? Then what kind of Boeing aircraft do we buy and what other Russian AL-31 and 117S engines do we buy? Why did the Russians catch us on the Su-35 fighter plane project because of the 117S engine imitation problem? With such a large thrust, why did we use the AL-31F at the initial stage of the third generation aircraft for our test flight of the 2013-20th Fighter (when 20 had 6 flights and the 2014 flight was immediately estimated to be in January next year)? These let us can not help but ponder: blindly boasting will do a good job engine? All good news is willing to listen, but it is wrong to not respect the objective laws of facts and the development of things.

China urgently needs an engine that can be used, and it can be used to a large extent!

Admittedly, aeroengines are an area that is technically arduous and difficult for newcomers to enter. It requires the country to fully protect and utilize the long-term results, data, and accumulated experience in the field, and it requires a large amount of investment from the country. For example, the famous American F-15 "Eagle" fighter has been frequently called "Queen of Hangar" because of the blade stall, turbine segment damage and parts life of the F100-PW-100 engine. As a result of the endless problems caused by expectations and so on. However, China's "Taihang" engine is not the time to find a reason for itself, because time has gradually left us, we urgently need a worthy and reliable engine!

The shortage of turbofan engines is one of the ills of China's aviation industry. Only by overcoming this "mountain" can China's aviation industry achieve a major leap forward. The author sincerely hopes that China’s aviation industry will take off at an early date and believe that this day is not far away from us!